school prospectus llawllyfr yr ysgol 2017 - 2018 · 2017. 10. 2. · sensible shoes our branded...

Inspire to Learn Inspire for Life! Ysbrydolwn i Ddysgu Ysbrydolwn am Oes!

Y Bont Faen Primary School Ysgol Gynradd Y Bont Faen Inspire to Learn Inspire for Life!

Ysbrydolwn i Ddysgu Ysbrydolwn am Oes!

School Prospectus Llawllyfr Yr Ysgol

2017 - 2018


Welcome! Croeso!

Headteacher ~ Prifathro: Mrs. Julia Adams Deputy Headteacher ~ Dirpwy: Mr. Geraint Couldrick

Chair of Governors - Cadeirydd Llywodraethwyr: Mr. Terry Williams MBE I hope that you will find all the information you need to make your time with us as a new

member of the Y Bont Faen family as productive and happy as possible. We are proud holders of the Investors in Families Award, 3rd Tick on Quality Mark, Eco

Schools, Star Code Club, Vale in Bloom Winner for Nursery and School and the first Winner of the Royal Welsh Show School Garden.

If you have any questions or suggestions, then please feel free to contact the school.


The Y Bont Faen Staff


The School Setting ~ Yr Ysgol Y Bont Faen is an English language

primary school. Currently we number some 233 pupils. Surrounding the school are a large number of fields and trees which provide a delightful backdrop and exciting learning arena for our school.

Five minutes walk from the school is the

town of Cowbridge. Admissions ~ Mynediad Our official catchment area is Cowbridge,

Llanblethian, Ystradowen, Welsh St. Donats, Trerhyngyll and Maendy.

Subject to places being available at the

school, and by agreement with the Governing Body, children may be admitted from outside the official catchment area until our maximum intake number (30 pupils per year group) is reached.

All admissions arrangements are di-

rected by the Local Authority (L.A.) - the school does not have any influ-ence over this process.

School Uniform Gwisg Ysgol

We encourage all our pupils to

wear school uniform as it gives us a feeling of family and belonging. Our school uniform consists of:

Red jumper/cardigan

White polo shirt Grey/Black trousers/skirt

Sensible shoes

Our branded uniform (logo tops, bags, coats, fleeces etc) are all avail-available from The Pencil Case in the centre of Cowbridge.

School Meals ~ Cinio’r Ysgol Our meals are cooked on the premises and

are enjoyed by children and staff alike. The meals are good, hot, varied and follow guide-lines on healthy eating.

Children with special diets

are catered for too. All school meals are paid

online and cost £2.25 per day. You will be given a code so that you can access www.parentpay.com in order to pay for meals: if you have any prob-lems, please speak to Mrs Cross in the office. Free school meals can be claimed too – please come and see us for the appropriate form.

Menu options are handed out at the begin-

ning of each term, and are available to down-load from the Vale of Glamorgan website. The children had a strong voice in deciding which menu we adopted, and have chosen the healthiest.

Parents ~ Rhieni

We have an open door policy, but if

you are planning on visiting the school, please telephone to make an appoint-ment, as we would like to help you make the most of your visit. Members of staff are at the gates every morning to greet the children, so are more than happy to answer any queries you may have.

P.T.A. ~ C.Rh.A.

We have a very active, enthusiastic and committed P.T.A. They provide vital support and their

tireless fundraising has helped pay for numerous school initiatives. Please visit their webpage on the school website, which explains all their many and varied roles; you will also find contact details there.


Governing Body ~ Llywodraethwyr The Governing Body is the strategic body

that helps the Headteacher and staff move the school forward. It is made up of independent Governors as well as staff members.

It meets regularly to help the school with its

work and is the ‘critical friend’ to the Headteacher and the Senior Management Team.

The Chair of Governors, Terry Wiliams, can

be contacted directly via the school website.

Aims ~ Amcan We aim to provide quality learning

experiences for our children - learning which is structured, balanced and relevant to the child. We aim to provide a safe and secure environment in which your child feels happy, confident and stimulated to learn whilst having fun.

We aim to: • Contribute to the all round growth and

development of every child in our care. • Ensure active involvement and first hand

experiences in an environment full of possibilities.

• Encourage and foster a working

partnership between school and home. • Provide experiences and opportunities of

Wales, its language and culture. • Prepare the children for their future

school education. • Encourage everyone to achieve his/her

full potential through enabling the development of thinking, self-motivation, self-discipline, self-evaluation, self-assessment, reflecting, independence, decision-making and perseverance.

Absences ~ Absenoliaeth If your child is unable to attend through

illness please inform us by telephoning, using the absence link on the school website or sending in a note.

If your child becomes ill during school time-

we must have up to date contact numbers so that we can contact you.

We monitor all our absences via the Callio

system and report half termly on your child’s attendance. If it falls below the agreed threshold, currently 97%, then you are invited in to speak to either the head or deputy, so we can help improve this.

Punctuality is also very important and we

will contact you if there is a concern.

Nursery ~ Meithrin When your child starts school we will

co-ordinate the intake so that the children start in small groups.

We are prepared for some tears, but will

encourage the children to join in activities to divert their attention and become part of our family.

We will contact you on their first session

within Nursery by telephone or text/SMS (if preferred), to put your mind at rest and give you some insight to the experiences they have had that morning.

Admissions Policy for Nursery

Polisi Meithrinfa • The Nursery is a State, part-time Nursery

only. • For the academic year 2017 - 2018, we are

able to offer a morning or afternoon nursery placement - subject to availability.

• Parents must apply to the Vale of Glamor-

gan Council (01446) 700111, and ask for Pupil Admissions. They will be able to talk


you through the entire admission process and provide you with the support you need to enrol your child.

• The date of entry for these three-year old

children will be the term after their third birthdays.

Any parent not wishing their child to proceed through the school must declare this intention on the Nursery Application Form, which is available from the Vale of Glamorgan Admissions Department. Do not assume if you have a nursery placement, that you will automatically move to Reception, you will need to apply via Pupil Admissions in order to register your intention. Should there be limited spaces, then priority will be given to children within catchment, with siblings already in school and finally children outside of catchment without siblings. Please check with Pupil Admissions for clarification on this policy when applying.

Daily Routine ~ Amserlen Dyddiol On arrival at nursery, the team will greet

the children at the door. All the children will have a named peg in the cloakroom to hang their coat/bag.

We have to close and lock the door at the

beginning of the session - this is for the safety of all.

Each child will be encouraged to join in an

activity as they enter. They are then called together for registration and discussion about the session ahead. There will be structured group work and continous enhanced provision throughout the session.

We encourage children to become as

independent as possible, tidying up and

washing their hands before snack time and putting on their own coats and bags.

We use our outdoor area every day, so

please ensure your child has a warm, waterproof coat. The session ends with the children singing, having a story session or discussion time.

Please try to be punctual at both dropping

off and picking up times (listed later in this prospectus), as small children can become distressed very quickly if left for even a short amount of time.

It is essential that a responsible adult

collects your child from nursery. The staff will become familiar with parents but will need to be informed of changes to home time ar-rangements - as we will NOT allow a child to be collected by an unknown person.

Snack Time ~ Amser Byrbryd

We would encourage you to provide a

healthy snack for your child. In Nursery, we ask for £1.50 a week to provide your child with a drink and snack each day.

Please send your money in an envelope -

clearly marked with your child’s name.

Dress ~ Gwisg Please ensure that your child is suitably

dressed for school, as this will help them become more independent and secure in their surroundings.

Good practical clothes include trousers or

skirts with simple fastenings, which will allow for a last minute dash to the toilet.


The Foundation Phase Cyfnod Sylfaen

“Education must be orientated not towards the yes-

terday of child development but to-wards its tomorrow”

We at Y Bont Faen, are committed

to this way of teaching and understand how it will benefit the children.

The Foundation Phase in Y Bont Faen co-

vers Nursery, Reception, Year One and Two.

The emphasis is on learning by doing,

understanding how things work and finding different ways to solve problems.

Children will be supported to develop

speaking and listening skills to encourage them to read and write.

For this to happen, we have introduced the

ideas of Lev Vygotsky - whereby each child is scaffolded to move their development further - developing from a caterpillar to a butterfly, to support the ideals of the Foundation Phase.

The Foundation Phase curriculum puts

children and play at its heart. It focuses on outdoor activities and first hand expe-riences to develop children.

The intention is to enhance

children’s disposition to learning and to make them lifelong learn-ers.

The Foundation Phase fosters: • Skills and understanding • Personal, social, emotional, physical and

intellectual well being so as to develop the whole child

• Positive attitudes to learning so that

they enjoy it and will want to continue with their education for longer

• Self esteem and self confidence to

experiment, investigate, learn new things and form new relationships

• Creative, expressive and

observational skills to encourage their development as

individuals, with different ways of responding to experiences

• Activities in the outdoors, with

first hand experience of solving real problems and learning about conservation and sustainability

These will be introduced through the seven

areas of learning which are: • Personal and social development,

well - being and cultural diversity • Language, literacy and communication

skills • Mathematical development • Bilingualism - Welsh • Knowledge and understanding of the

world • Physical development

• Creative development

Although our curriculum is

creative, we still ensure a strong emphasis on core education skills

such as reading, writing and maths.

You are welcome along to one of

our Foundation Phase meetings to find out more.

These are listed on the school calendar,

which can be found on the website and via notice boards and class newsletters.


The Outdoor Classroom

Yr Awyrgylch The development and use of the outdoors

as a learning environment is very important for the development of all children. We are incredibly lucky to have our own running track and share the multi use outdoor area at Ty Glas.

In the outdoor area, the children will gain

first hand experience to develop an understanding of themselves and the world around them.

They will be able to practise and

consolidate their learning, solve problems and make decisions, individually and in groups.

Children will be able to play with ideas,

experiment and learn to take risks. Other benefits include developing a love

of nature and improving health and fitness levels.

As with any construction, you need to get

the base or foundations right, and the same is true with this curriculum.

The Curriculum - Y Cwricwlwm From Year 3 to Year 6, our children follow

a skills based curriculum further supported by ‘Cornerstones’. The curriculum covers all the National Curriculum subjects, however, the emphasis is more on how to learn rather than just absorbing information. This is cemented within our school motto:

Inspire to Learn ~ Inspire for Life!

The children are given a variety of learning

experiences both inside and outside the classroom environment.

They are encouraged to decide on the

‘success criteria’ for their work and work

towards their own learning goals - guided and assisted by their class teacher.

Individual achievement and target

setting is our goal. Their curriculum, much like the Foundation

Phase, has a large practical element - with the children experimenting and becoming active, independent learners, rather than being passive and ‘spoonfed’.

The core subjects of English, Maths,

Science and Information, Communication Technology (I.C.T.), are developed over a wide spectrum, from the basics to their real world application.

We have fully embedded the National Lit-

eracy and Numeracy Frameworks (LNF), Digi-tal Competency Framework (DCF), and have developed weekly planning and classroom strategies that are innovative and effective and incorporate Professor Donaldson’s curriculum developments.

Further details on the changes to the cur-

riculum following Donaldson’s review can be found on the Learning Wales website.

Our work has been shared with Welsh

Government, National Partners and schools across Wales.

The well-being of our children is upmost in

our thoughts. From their daily healthy snack and their healthy school lunch, through to our attitude to being fit and healthy, we try our best to give them a good start.

As a school, we would ask that if you are

providing your child with a packed lunch, that it is as healthy as possible, keeping in line with the Welsh Government’s “Appetite for Life” agenda and also, that you do not send in any food-stuffs that contain nuts, as we have several pupils who have severe nut allergies.

As a school, we offer wrap-around care.

We have a breakfast club and after-school club, both of which are well attended. The children are fed, encouraged to take part in a


number of creative activities or if they wish, they can sit, play or read. Further details, in-cluding contacts for the Simply Out of School club, can be found on the school website.

We are an inclusive school where all chil-

dren and their needs are catered for. Our staff are well trained, with expertise in a range of Additional Learning Needs (ALN), including Moderate Learning Difficulties (M.L.D.), dys-lexia, dyscalculia, autism, Aspergers and At-tention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.). Very importantly, we have also trained staff in emotional literacy and assess everyone’s well-being.

We have great experience of working with

families who have children with statements of special needs, and have developed reciprocal learning arrangements with specialist teams across the Vale of Glamorgan and the UK.

Every pupil is included within the school’s

provision mapping which highlights their skills and needs and parents are actively encouraged and supported in helping their child achieve their potential.

Our ALN policy enables us to support pu-

pils who have core skill needs such as basic numeracy and literacy, as well as those who have been identified with elements of More Able and Talented (M.A.T.) skills. This incor-porates the statutory Code of Practice for Special Needs and aims to provide equal ac-cess to the curriculum for all children.

Account is taken of individual needs

through appropriate differentiation of the curriculum both in the classroom and where appropriate, in an individual or small group situation.

We stress the importance of involving

parents at every level of their children's educa-tion and of identifying a child's special needs at an early stage.

In liaison with parents, the class teacher

and Additional Learning Needs Leader (A.L.N.co.) work to devise Individual

Education Programmes, (I.E.P.s) where appropriate.

Julia Adams, our Head teacher, is also the

school A.L.N.co. We also currently have eight teaching assistants supporting pupils, some on a one to one and others on a small group ba-sis.

Further funding is used to employ the

services of specialist members of the Achievement and Inclusion service, e.g. Educational Psychologists and Specialist Teachers as appropriate.

The admission of children with special

educational needs is arranged with parents in full consultation with the Head teacher, and with the support of services provided by the Local Authority.

Y Bont Faen Primary is aware that some

children such as “Looked After Chil-dren”(L.A.C.) have additional needs. These are noted and appropriate action and support is provided.

Our Child Protection and A.L.N. Governor

is Mrs Carolyn Lyons. We seek to ensure that all children with

special educational needs are fully integrated into the academic and social life of the school.

We have had the privilege to work with pu-

pils with a wide range of physical disabilities and work hard with their families to ensure that they receive equal educational opportunities as their peers.

We consult fully with parents and other

agencies so that appropriate arrangements are made. The school is on one level and has a toilet that will accommodate wheelchair access.

A disability access survey has been

undertaken to identify future development needs and this has fed into our school accessibility plan.


Safeguarding Gofal Plant

The safeguarding and wellbeing of our pu-

pils is of paramount importance to us. The school has a comprehensive Safeguarding Policy which is available from the school and via the website.

All staff receive annual training in Child

Protection and Critical Incidents. Our desig-nated Child Protection officer is Julia Ad-ams, Head teacher. Please contact Julia with any concerns.

The school designed the Y Bont Five rule

system in September 2009 and it has been updated regularly with the children leading the way.

The rules are followed by all and have

proved to be a success. A copy of the rules has been included in this prospectus.

As well as the Y Bont Five, all adults (teachers, helpers, Governors, visitors) follow the Y Bont Faen Code of Conduct too.

Every week, children and staff are

nominated to be a Star of the Week. This takes part in our Celebration Assembly.

Everyone nominated has their star placed on the special wall, along with a card to go home, a sticker, a text message and being placed on the school website so everyone knows how brilliant they are.

Pupil Voice is very important to us and to

this end, we have an elected School Council (Reception to Year Six), an Eco-Council with Eco Schools status, Super Ambassadors, Healthy School council, Head Girl and Boy, Kindness Club and a Buddy system for playtime games.

The children make full use of our indoor

climbing wall, our large field, the adventure ar-ea, artificial grass space, yards, conservation Forest Schools area, willow structures and our community shared, all weather pitch and run-ning track.

Each classroom has a state of the art interactive whiteboard and computer, and

the school has an Apple Mac computer suite. We also offer a selection of mobile

devices with wireless connectivity to help enhance the pupils’ work.

The children are encouraged to be creative

with their I.C.T and use it in a cross curricular way. To this end, we are part of an e-twinning project, sharing our culture and history with a number of schools in Lesotho and the UK. We are also proud of our community links in this area.

Creativity and Achievement go hand in

hand at Y Bont Faen.

Everyone has the oppor-tunity to show

their skills and development and have it cele-brated by the whole school and wider com-munity.

The children use their Assessment for

Learning skills in all areas - music, dance,


drama, art, modern foreign languages - to develop them as well rounded people.

Sex and Health Education is incorporated

into the schools general curriculum. Teaching will always be sensitive to the

age and emotional development of each child. Parents have an important role in helping children cope with the physical and emotional changes of growing up and in preparing them for the challenges and responsibilities which sexual maturity brings.

Aside from lessons on puberty and physical

changes, we cover personal hygiene, friendships and wider emotional issues.

Parents are invited in to view the materials

before they are presented to the children, and of course, have the right to remove their child from the area of the curriculum. Please come and discuss any issues you may have with Julia Adams, Geriant Coldrick, Graeme Jones or Mel Hayman.

We also offer a variety of after-school activ-

ities ranging from sports to textiles, compu-ting to the arts.

The children have access to a variety of

music teachers - who currently offer music lessons in brass, woodwind, keyboard, strings and guitar. There is a charge for these lessons which are held during school time. Please contact Mrs. Cross in the office for the latest prices and availability.

As a school, we work hard to ensure that

all pupils receive access to school visits and extra curricular activities either without cost or reduced charges. We ask parents for a

voluntary contribution to aid with visits, and limit, where possible, the amount of times a contribution is requested. If you are having difficulty in meeting any costs, then please speak to us as we will do our utmost to help.

Items which we have to make a charge for

are listed within the school Charging and Remissions Policy, available via the website or as a paper copy via the school.

As a school, we have a strong musical

ethos, where the children receive regular sing-ing practice and are encouraged to use their natural musical tendencies to enhance their work. We also stage a number of musical events during the year, showcasing the amazing talents of all our children.

We have strong links with Cowbridge

Comprehensive School and work hard with our colleagues to ensure a smooth transition between Blwyddyn 6 and 7.

We offer French provision within Junior

classes. We have a strong sporting ethos at Y Bont

Faen. Pupils represent the Y Bont Faen family in dance, rugby, netball, football, cricket, cross country, climbing and athletics.

We have been highly successful within

both dance and rugby, with the school winning cluster based and national tournaments and performing with professional dance companies on a variety of national stages.

We also hold an annual Sports’ Day. Eve-

ryone, from Nursery to Bl. 6 take part in this and parents are encouraged to attend.


The School Day Amserlen Yr Ysgol

8.00am Breakfast Club

8.45am Children allowed onto the yards (Staff will be there to greet them)

8.55am 9.00am

Main School Doors Close (Rec-Bl.6) Nursery Door Opens for Morning Session

11.25am Nursery Door Opens for Collection From Morning Session

12.30pm Nursery Door Opens for Afternoon Session

2.55pm

3pm

Nursery Door Opens for Collection from Afternoon Session

Main School Ends (Rec-Bl.6)

3.00pm - 3.45pm After School Clubs run by Staff (see school website for details)

3.00pm ~ 5.45pm Simply After School Club (see school website for details)

Please ensure that your child arrives to school on time as they will miss out on the important introductions to their day’s work.

Our weekly school dates can be found at ybontfaen.com by clicking on the Calendar.

Please ensure that you have labelled their clothing (including their P.E. kit).


The Y Bont Five

Listen Pay attention

Respect

Don’t hurt people or their feelings

Common Sense Think before you do!

Property

Look after yours, school’s and other’s property

Be Safe Stay within the school grounds

What happens if…?

Step One My teacher will tell me which rule I have broken

and give me a chance to change

Step Two If I don’t change, I will be seen by

Mrs. Adams, or Mr. Couldrick

Step Three If I still don’t change, Mrs. Adams

will call my mum/dad or carer.


In-spire to Lear

n In-spir

e for

Life! Ysbry-dolwn i Ddysgu Ysbry-dolwn am

Oes!

Y Bont Faen Family ~ Code of Conduct Teulu’r Y Bont Faen ~ Côd Ymddygiad

Put the well-being, development and progress of our children first. All staff need to act in an open and transparent way with the children in their care. We have a duty to protect our children from discrimination, harm and to maintain professional boundaries. We need to maintain our high quality of provision at all times, taking responsibil-ity for our areas and ensure that the children are given the learning experiences they require, in order to move them forward with their learning.

Treating other people with dignity and respect. All staff are expected to treat other colleagues, pupils and visitors - including parents, with dignity and respect. Unacceptable behaviour such as discrimination, harassment or intimidation will not be tolerated. This includes physical and verbal abuse, use of inappropriate language or un-professional behaviour with children, colleagues and visitors - including parents.

Demonstrate honesty and integrity. All members of the school community - teachers, L.S.A.’s, parent helpers, Gov-ernors, catering and cleaning staff come into contact with a significant amount of data and information in relation to pupils, staff, school activities and many other matters.

We all have an obligation to read and observe the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

No-one should disclose sensitive information about the school and its employees to other parties (including parents, colleagues or internet sites.) Exemptions to this are suspected or alleged abuse of a child which must be dealt with via the appropriate Child Protection Procedures.

All communications with the media must be directed through the Headteacher or Chair of Governors.

Demonstrate respect for diversity and equality.

All members of the school community will promote a positive ethos and provide the children with positive role models.


Values Gwerthoedd

As a school, we really pay attention to

the well-being of our children, staff and families.

Our school rules, the Y Bont Five and

their consequences, were drawn up in col-laboration with the whole school. They help us all ensure that we understand what is required to make Y Bont Faen school a fun, safe and productive place to be

We have added onto this our Y Bont Fa-

en Code of Conduct, which lays out the expectations of every adult and visitor to the school, and was adopted by both our own Governing Body as well as the L.A.

We have developed our Values system -

where we highlight a particular value every month, and celebrate and discuss it as part of our Personal Social Education (P.S.E.) policy. This is displayed on the school website, along with suggestions on how to develop this work at home.

Part of this work also involves the

development of our play systems around the school. We have developed a bud-dy/peer mentor system where the older children help the younger ones learn how to play new games, and ensure that those who want to play can do so. We have de-veloped our play areas to incorporate both active and quiet areas, reflection and team activities.

We use our pupil voice, via school

council involvement, to help shape and de-velop the school improvement and devel-opment plan. The children have moved our lunch time breaks via the school council, in order to play with the younger children and help encourage the whole Y Bont Faen ethos.

To support our families even more, we

are actively involved with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). They are regular visitors and are on hand to support you, as parents, follow-ing recommendation from the school

Religious Education Addysg Crefyddol

We follow the locally

agreed syllabus for R.E. and included our Values and P.S.E. schemes to give a broadly Christian outlook.

We have a 20 minute as-

sembly every day, where pu-pils are given the opportunity to join in songs, stories and activi-ties to reinforce understanding. Once a week Heather Weddell, Minister at Ramoth, also takes an assembly.

Pupils are never forced to

pray, but are asked to respect those around them who would like to, as our assemblies have a broadly based Christian feel.

Security - Diogelwch

Safety is paramount to the Y Bont Faen family and we take our security very seriously.

We ask all visitors to report

to the Main Office, where they can be signed in and taken to the person they need to see.

There is no other access to

the building through any of the classroom doors and we ask parents to respect the need to report to the Main Office.

We also ask all visitors to

sign out at the end of their visit.

All personnel, where

required under the guidance, are DBS checked and their numbers logged at the school.

All staff are first aid

trained, and the school is proud to have two qualified Child Protection Officers, Child Exploitation On-Line Protection (C.E.O.P.) Ambassadors and L.A.C. contacts.

All staff have received inter-

net safety training adminis-tered by the National Society Prevention for Cruelty to Chil-dren (N.S.P.C.C.) and receive annual Critical Incident training.


Pupils are reminded to re-turn to the school building if parents have not collected or if they feel vulnerable - as there is always a safe adult there to look after them.

All staff have access to the

text service and can call / text parents immediately.

Home School Agreement

Trefniadau Ysgol Adre

As mentioned, we are a Values school and a copy of our Code of Conduct and Home School Agreement is available from the website.

Welsh

Cymraeg All staff are able to teach

Welsh as a Second Language, with two of them being fluent Welsh speakers. The language is used naturally around the school and all documentation is available in Welsh on request.

The school has taken a full

and active part in a variety of national Welsh festivals. Incidental Welsh is used around school throughout the day.

We have very good working

links with our neighbouring Welsh medium primary.

Please let school know your

language preference for docu-mentation.

Complaints Cwyno

We’d hope that you and your family will have

a brilliant time with us, but we understand that sometimes things can go wrong.

In the first instance, please contact the

school: in person, by email, or telephone and we will do our utmost to rectify the problem im-mediately.

If it is not resolved, we have a full complaints procedure.

The Governing Body supports the principle

that the school’s policy for dealing with complaints is a way of ensuring that anyone with an interest in the school can raise a concern, with confidence that it will be heard and if well founded, addressed in an appropriate and timely fashion.

A complaint relates to the school, its

provision of services or facilities.

There are other statutory processes for

complaints and appeals relating to the curriculum, Special Educational Needs, worship / assembly, admissions, exclusions, teacher ca-pability and staff discipline.

Anonymous complaints will be disregarded,

unless the complaint includes allegations of criminal conduct or if it concerns a child protection matter.

The procedure for dealing with a complaint

will be in three stages. A full copy of the procedure is available from the school or via the website.

Homework

Gwaith Cartref

Homework can take many forms and will be appropriate for the age and ability of the pupils.

All pupils are encouraged to read with their

parents, and we have a home/school reading partnership programme and community library from which all children can borrow books.


Parents can help their children a great deal by talking about the book with their child and asking such questions as, “What do you think will happen next?” and “How do you think the characters are feeling?”

We recommend that spending a short time

on a regular basis is more beneficial than longer periods less often.

Children are encouraged to share books with

an adult each evening and, as they move into Blwyddyn 1 onwards, are introduced to weekly spelling patterns and number facts that need to be learnt. In addition, families are expected to engage with the weekly ‘talk’ homework which links with our Big Writing. Guidance on homework for each year group is provided on their weekly newsletter, which is available for download from the school website.

The school website also has links to

appropriate network sites to extend children's learning. These can be accessed at home, out of hours at school or at your local library. Links to the Welsh Government’s Hwb resources, which are particularly useful, are on the school website: each pupil will be provided with log-in details.

Equal Opportunities

Cyfle Cyfartal

Equal Opportunities at Y Bont Faen Primary School refers to the following:

• Equality of access, that is, ensuring that

people have the same opportunities that are available to others

• Equality of outcome, in which there is an attempt to ensure that particular groups reach levels of achievement equal to another group

• Equivalent experience, enabling each person to fulfil their potential

• Overcoming limitations on learning and experience owing to earlier experiences of stereotyping. (e.g.at home or media)

Equal opportunities are identified in our

school aims and policies. It is a whole school issue and is reflected in the following areas of school life:

• Staffing structure and appointment procedures.

• Curricular plans and schemes of work • Class and classroom organisation • Relationships within the school • Monitoring equal opportunities • Looking at various aspects of children's

identity e.g. age, prior attainment, gender, special educational needs, social class, ethnic background and English as an Additional Language (E.A.L.).

The school aims to monitor standards of

achievement in order to promote equal opportunities in the following ways:

• Standards-including pupil achievement and progress

• Attitudes and behaviour • Personal development • Attendance If there are any significant variations in

attainment among pupils of different gender, social background or ethnicity the school will explore reasons for this.

At Y Bont Faen Primary School we aim to

support equal opportunities in the following ways:

• Appropriate curriculum materials and resources reflecting positive role models and attitudes to gender, age, ethnicity and social background

• Our curriculum seeks to respond to the

culture heritage of the pupils • Pupils’ organisation in class and in teach-

ing groups aims to ensure equality of access and opportunity

• Clearly articulate policies relating to

bullying and discipline Governors work to ensure the school is

accessible and have agreed an Accessibility Plan, in line with the requirements of the Disabil-ity Discrimination Act.


Parental Help in School Rheini’n helpu tu fewn yr Ysgol

Parents are very welcome to help at school

during the day; please speak to Julia or any class teacher if you would like to volunteer.

Parents assist in a variety of tasks including

supporting class based provision, preparing teaching materials, helping with art and craft activities, cooking, playing games and helping out on school visits. Please contact your child's class teacher if you would like to help in any way.

All volunteer helpers are subject to a DBS

check and require two written references in line with the LA policy on safer recruitment.

Communication Cyfathrebu

We use a variety of methods to communi-

cate with you, as parents. A whole school newsletter, is sent out

regularly and is available to view on the school website. Every week, class teachers upload a copy of the class newsletter, detailing work covered that week and any homework or mes-sages for your class. These are printed and available for download from the school website.

We also use an app called Schoop to keep

you informed of activities and updates. Please contact the office for more details. We would be grateful if you could also ensure that we have your most up to date numbers and email addresses on our system – please let Mrs Cross in the office know about any changes as soon as possible.

We use Twitter regularly so why not sign up

to our Twitter feed using @YBontFaen. You can also view the feed via the school website.

Finally, the school website is updated on a

weekly basis with all the latest news, resources and information.


Our Term Dates Dyddiadur y Tymor

Term - Tymor Begin - Dechrau Half Term - Hanner Tymor End - Gorffen

Begin - Dechrau End - Gorffen

Autumn - Hydref 2017

Monday September 4th*

Monday October 30th

Friday November 3rd

Friday December 22nd

Spring - Gwanwyn

2018

Monday January 8th

Monday February 19th

Friday February 23rd

Thursday March 29th

Summer - Haf 2018

Monday April 16th

Monday May 28th

Friday June 1st

Tuesday July 24th*

*Monday 4th September, and Monday July 23rd and Tuesday July 24th are designated IN-SET days. Further School INSET Days will be confirmed within the whole school newslet-ter, class newsletters and school website.

Text/SMS, Twitter and email reminders will be sent out a week before each INSET day.

Our Results ~ Ein Canlyniadau In both Foundation Phase and KS 2, each pupil equates to 3.3% Foundation Phase - Cyfnod Sylfaen

Outcome 5+

Language/ Literacy/ Communication

2016 - 2017

Wales: 88% LA:90% Family: 94% School: 97%

Mathematical Devel-opment

2016 - 2017

Wales: 90% LA: 92% Family: 95% School: 97%

Personal,Social Development

2016 - 2017


Foundation Phase Indicator



Key Stage Two - Cyfnod Allweddol Dau Level 4+

English 2016 - 2017 Wales: 91% LA: 96% Family: 97% School: 97%

Maths 2016 - 2017 Wales: 92% LA: 94% Family: 96% School: 97%

Science 2016 - 2017 Wales: 92% LA: 94% Family: 96% School: 97%

Core Subject Indica-tor

Wales: 90% LA: 94% Family: 96% School: 97%

National Literacy and Numeracy Testing 2016 – 17 (each pupil equates to 1.4%)

National Proce-dural Testing Blwyddyn 2 -

Blwyddyn 6

Percentage of pupils in Wales with a score below 85: 16%

Percentage of pupils in school with a score below 85: 2.8%

Percentage of pupils in Wales with a score between 85-115: 68%

Percentage of pupils in school with a score between 85-115: 65.2%

Percentage of pupils in Wales with a score above 115: 16%

Percentage of pupils in school with a score above 115: 32.0%

National Reading Testing Blwyddyn 2 -

Blwyddyn 6






Percentage of pupils in school with a score above 115: 38.8%

National Reason-ing Testing Blwyddyn 2 -

Blwyddyn 6






Percentrage of pupils in school with a score above 115: 25.6%

School Attendance

In 2016-17, our school attendance was 96.6%, which was above the L.A. and Wales averages (95.3% and 94.9%)

.


Our target for 2017 - 18 is 97%


A message from the Chair of Governors Neges oddi wrth Cadeirydd y Llywodraethwyr

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On behalf of the Governing Body of Y Bont Faen Primary School, I extend a warm wel-come to you. I am particularly proud to be the Chair of Governors at the school where my own children and now my grandchildren attend.

We are fortunate here at Y Bont Faen to have a good team of governors with a wide range of experiences and interest. We all take a particular interest in the key areas of the curriculum and, as well as meeting twice each term, we also visit the school at other times to meet with staff and to help out.

We are proud of the school, the overall standards achieved and the wide range of extra experiences offered to the pupils. We are here to represent you and to ensure that the pu-pils of Y Bont Faen get the best possible opportunities and enjoy the school experience.

We look forward to continuing to work together in a positive partnership with you, the

pupils, the staff and the community.

Sincerely

Terry L Williams - MBE

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