Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Y Castell

Annual Governors’ Report to Parents

2013-2014

To be presented on the school’s website.

21st November 2014A paper copy is available through the school

office on request.

Cerddwn ymlaen â ffydd yn ein cân.

Contents

Page

2. Contents

3. Chairman’s Introduction

4. Pupils’ Activities

13. School Performance Data 2014

15. Governors’ Activities

16. School Development Plans

19. Finance Statement

21. School Terms and Holidays 2014/2015 and Times

22. Special Educational Needs

23. The Governing Body

24. Contact Details

Chairman’s Introduction

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is my pleasure to present, on behalf of the Board of Governors, our annual report for the academic year 2013-2014. As you will see from the report it has been another busy year at the school. We continue to grow both in numbers and stature.

We continue to have successes throughout the year groups both in and out of school. Anyone who has attended the school for even a short period cannot fail to notice the good atmosphere within the school and the happiness and wellbeing of the children. As Governors we often visit classes and observe lessons. It’s a great experience to see how the children learn and how they interact with their teachers and each other.

During this academic year, we implemented initiatives designed to improve attainment. This involved a lot of work for teaching staff, the senior management team and pupils. Our thanks to them all and to you as parents for making this another successful year in the life of the school.

It is with some sadness that one of our former Chairs' of Governors and long standing Community Governor, Lynda Paddock, decided to retire from her role. On behalf of all Governors I'd like to thank Lynda for all that she has done for the school and for promoting it's values. We wish her a long and happy retirement.

I hope you enjoy reading our report and celebrate with us our many achievements.

Colin Elsbury

(Chairman)

On parental request, a meeting was arranged in October 2013 to discuss the policy on Mixed Age Classes. After due regard to parents’ comments and requests, the Governing Body

decided to maintain the current policy with no changes for another two years. This policy will be reviewed in line

with the school’s cycle of policy review in 2015.

Two formal complaints were received during this academic year. These were all resolved at stage 1 of the Complaints Procedures.

Pupils’ Activities

At Ysgol Y Castell, we are proud of our curricular provision, learning experiences and the wealth of extra-curricular activities offered to pupils. All the experiences mentioned below ensure a wide and varied provision for all our pupils. All activities enrich their learning and inspire them to work to the best of their potential; with enjoyment, committment and towards a meaningful purpose.

The Autumn Term

The transition programme continued this year between the primary schools and Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni. A secondary school teacher taught Year 6 pupils every Wednesday morning. They commenced their learning journey through the Welsh Baccalaureate which will continue throughout their secondary career.

A new School Council was elected at the start of term. Targets were discussed and agreed for the year to include:

Improving the Foundation Phase school yard – a story area that includes a story chair, benches and stage, games and re-painting the yard.

Raise money for charity – Noah Ark Appeal, Operation Christmas Child and Eisteddfod Caerffili 2015.

A meeting was held with the Year 3 and 4 parents to explain how English is introduced into the classroom. They had fun joining in the Read, Write Inc activities, prior to receiving a copy of English phonics and RWI rhymes.

Mrs Rees also held a meeting with the Reception parents to introduce our home / school reading scheme. The parents were presented with the reading strategies and they were informed about the school’s expectations for weekly reading tasks.

A small group of pupils successfully competed at Eisteddfod Y Cymoedd. The highlight of the evening was the Chairing Ceremony. It gave us great pleasure to witness the chair being presented to a very talented young lady who is a past pupil of the school, Miss Heledd Gwynant. We also celebrated the talents of three poets of our school, Beca Evans-Lugg, Elen James and Eleanor Leneord-Jones, who scooped all the primary aged prizes for their poems about Senghenydd.

KS2 pupils studied the Senghenydd Disaster. The children learnt about local history through a number of activities, a visit to Big Pit and hands on experiences. An emotional Memorial Service for Senghenydd and an art exhibition “Remember Senghenydd” were the highlight of the theme. A film crew from “Ffeil”

recorded the performance and a snippet of the service was broadcast during national remembrance celebrations on S4C.

Harvest Festivals were held at school. This year the children collected food for the “Bridging the Gap” appeal that is organised by local Christian groups.

Our Year 1 and 2 pupils visited Saint Fagans to learn about lifestyles in the past. They also visited Theatr Gartholwg to watch a performance of “Corina Pavlova”.

The Year 3 and 4 pupils were introduced to medieval music and dance by Mr Huw Williams as inspiration to their theme “The Age of the Princes”. They also visited Caerphilly Castle.

As an introduction to the theme “Bend and Flow”, Year 5 and 6 pupils visited Welsh Water’s Education Centre at Cilfynydd. They undertook practical activities on the river and the water cycle.

Two of our talented sportsmen (Owen Thomas and Alice Corden) were nominated to be Bronze Ambassadors for sport. They established a Sports Committee at school.

A number of our talented pupils represented our school in the Urdd Swimming Gala for Gwent and competed in the Urdd Gymnastics for Gwent.

Year 6 pupils visited Llangrannog for a weekend to enjoy outdoor adventurous activities and experience the totally Welsh atmosphere of the camp. Thanks to the staff for spending their weekend with the children.

Mr Iwan Lloyd and Miss Sarah Griffiths visited schools in Rome during the first Comenius visit to organise the project for the next two years. The focus of the project is teaching numeracy as well as aspects of global citizenship.

We received an invitation to the official opening of the Gwyndy site (Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni). It was wonderful to join our past pupils in their fantastic new surroundings. The success of Welsh medium education was celebrated during the ceremony by the Director of Education, local councillors, ex-head teachers and many friends.

Class assemblies were prepared and performed by all pupils. Parents were invited to celebrate with us. Christmas concerts were a great success and a very positive response was received from our parents.

Welsh lessons for adults were held at school. Neuadd Glyndŵr was hired by local community groups – TNT (dance group), Caerphilly Ladies Choir and Urdd Gobaith Cymru.

Weekly lessons are offered on the harp, violin and woodwind instruments. A small number of pupils attended a day of “Intense Play” at Cwm Rhymni which is held annually by Peripatetic Music teachers.

A number of extra-curricular activities were held throughout the year, including Urdd club, sports, choir, disco dancing, athletics / games, I-Pad club, French, reading club, lego club and board games and sewing. The Dream Team continued to provide weekly football activities. Urdd members went to S4C studio to be part of the audience on the program Stwnsh Sadwrn.

Friends of the School meet monthly to support the school, its activities and raise additional funding for the pupils. Following their AGM, a variety of successful events were organised this year - Halloween Disco, two Curry and Quiz nights, Christmas Fair, Disco Dwynwen, Easter games, Afternoon Tea, Summer Fair and a cricket match. They purchased a new sound system for the hall, bike pods, books for KS2 pupils and additional books for the Foundation Phase reading scheme, theatre tickets for KS2 pupils and they made a contribution towards acting workshops for Foundation Phase pupils. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to this small group of committed parents who work so hard on behalf of the school.

The Spring Term

Our Nursery and Reception children went to the National Museum as a catalyst for their theme about dinosaurs. They searched for footprints around the school and were enthralled with the numerous opportunities provided to develop their literacy and numeracy skills.

A Writing Squad was introduced in school to challenge the writing talents for our Able and Talented children. Mrs Lowri Griffiths works weekly with a group of children writing creative stories and creating reference books to challenge the children.

The project is funded by PDG grant. Miss Nia McCarthy (Literacy Teaching

Consultant) came to school to work with our Able and Talented children in Year 1. A creative writing session was organised for Years 5 & 6 with the author Gwennan Davies through the Dylawad Project to celebrate Dylan Thomas’ centenary.

Our children had the opportunity to be part of the official opening ceremony of the new library in Caerphilly. Year 4 took part in a reading workshop with an author as part of the celebrations. Megan Morris (Year 3) won a competition to design themed wallpaper ‘The Jungle’ and you can see a picture of her tiger on the wall of the children’s section of library and on the cushions on the sofas. Since it’s opening, most of the children have visited the library with staff and become members. We encourage all or parents to visit the library.

Science workshops with Dr Mark were organised for Years 5 & 6, a professional presenter of science that travels the country and brings the most difficult aspects of the curriculum alive. The children learnt new scientific skills and facts about forces while experimenting all day. Year 3,4 & 6 visited Techniquest to use their new scientific skills.

Year 2 children visted Cardiff Airport and Morgans Travel Shop (Caerphilly) as part of their Travel Agency project. They learnt the importance of good numeracy skills to organise a holiday abroad – calculating foreign currency, weighing luggage and accurate timing when following flight schedules.

The Fire Service came to talk to Year 5 about the dangers of lighting fires as part of their annual education program. Year 1 went to Caerphilly Fire Station to learn about the work of the firemen.

Years 5 and 6 went on a trip to the Millennium Stadium and Rodney Parade to stimulate their theme ‘Champions’. They spent the day training with the Dragons and then went to watch the match between the Dragons and Edinburgh.

Year 6 went to the safety workshop "Crucial Crew" - training for young people about danger and how to stay safe when taking their first steps into the big wide world. Also, they received training on the dangers of smoking from the Medical Department at the University of Cardiff.

Year 5 pupils went to Llangrannog for a week of outdoor adventures and became totally engrossed in Welsh atmosphere of the camp. Thanks to the staff for giving up their personal time once again for the benefit of the children.

Ten teachers from overseas came to the school for three days as part of the Comenius project. They spent time at school looking at numeracy learning strategies (with particular focus on 2D and 3D shape), comparing the education provided in the four countries. Presentations were organized by the four countries and discussions about the development of good practice were held. The teachers experienced school life and visited all the classes, a special welcome assembly was taken by Nant Cwm Parc and a numeracy workshop was hosted by Mr. Lloyd. They also had a taste of the history and unique culture of Wales when visiting numerous venues such as St Fagans, local castles, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Bay and the National Museum. The highlight of the week was an evening of Welsh entertainment at Caerphilly Castle in collaboration with the Friends of the School, the School Choir and Dawnswyr Nantgarw.

At the end of term three teachers (Mr Lloyd, Mr Griffiths and Mrs Evans) went to Bordeaux to visit a foundation stage school that provides sector leading practice in France through the Comenius project.

The swimming team went to the Urdd Swimming Gala Competition. There was a great deal of enjoyment with all learners beating their personal best times.

The children enthusiastically competed in netball, football and rugby competitions. The netball team won through to the county round of Dragon Sports competition.

Year 6 had a week of cycle training under the care of Sustrans and the Road Safety Department.

The School Choir received an invitation to perform at St David's Day Gala with the National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales. Professional singers came to school choir club for five weeks to train our children. On March 1st, the children sang on stage at St David's Hall, an unforgettable experience for them. Thanks to all the staff who took time in preparing and caring for the children during the long days and weeks of rehearsals and the gala itself. Following this invitation and outstanding experience, we decided it was not possible to compete in the Eisteddfod choir competition this

year.

St David’s Day was celebrated by holding Eisteddfodau. We had a feast as we celebrated the various talents of our learners. This year, Hana Taylor (Year 6) was chaired for her story during a special ceremony under the direction of Year 5 Gorsedd. Thanks to Mrs Anwen Hill for

adjudicating the literary, recitation and musical competitions. Photos can be found on the school website.

Our children enthusiastically competed in the Local and District Eisteddfod in early March. Once again, won the cup for the school with the highest number of marks in the Eisteddfod. Harriet Wright-Nicholas won the trophy for the child who gave the most pleasure to the judges. The following children competed in the National Eisteddfod in Bala in May:

o Hana Taylor and Delun Thomas (duet)

o Harriet Wright-Nicholas (under 10 recitation)

o Yr Ymgom (Wiliam Lewis, Beca Evans-Lugg, Holly Pipe, Hannah Nicholls)

Congratulations to all those who represented the school. During the week, the performances were superb although once again we were robbed! It was lovely to be able to celebrate our success as a school community; staff, pupils and proud parents. Many thanks go to all staff for their selfless hard work in preparing the children. What gave us the most pleasure was to see the children using their Welsh naturally whilst on the Eisteddfod field.

We had a superb exhibition of children's art and craft work. The winners were selected from each year to go forward to the Eisteddfod Art in Blackwood where we received several first, second and third awards.

A day of "Colorful Socks" was organised by the School Council to raise money for the Downs Syndrome charity, in memory of Darcy, Miss

Nash’s daughter. We raised £500. Well done!

Summer Term

The year 3&4 and 5&6 reading teams represented Gwent County at the annual national book quiz in Aberystwyth. They received very positive feedback from the judges on the standard of their language and their ability to discuss and perform a short drama from the texts they had studied. Congratulations to them all and thanks to Mrs Jaci Evans, Mrs Lowri John and Mrs Catrin Rees for preparing the pupils.

Thank you to all families who attended the annual “Sul o Fawl” service at Tonyfelin Chapel. It was a lovely service and a wonderful opportunity to join with our friends from other Welsh schools to spread a message of peace and goodwill at the end of Christian Aid Week.

All classes went on an excursion as part of our cross curricular themes:

Nursery - Van Park; St Fagans

Reception – Techniquest; Cwmcarn Forest

Year 1 – Acquarium in Weston-Super-Mare;

Year 2 – Roath Park

Year 3 and 4 – Newport Wetlands

Year 5 – Morgan Jones Park

Year 6 – Longleat

The year 4 cricket team competed, under the guidance of Mr A Hill, in the annual Urdd competition.

Our youngest pupils learnt about mini-beasts through a visit from “Chris, Nearly Wild Show”. They held all sorts of insects and reptiles – cockroaches, snakes, spiders, rats, a lizard - and learnt about how important every animal is to our world.

The School Nurse visited Cywion y Castell to talk about her role and how to keep healthy.

The school accepted an invite from Cardiff Metropolitan University to participate in a new programme about “Physical Literacy” – one of two schools in South Wales. Miss Lowri Morgan (a PhD student) will undertake her personal research project in school over the next year, studying the development of Year 5’s physical skills, committment, motivation and their attitude towards physical education. She will assist in school for two days a week, teaching PE lessons, assisting with healthy school projects and running aditional after school activities.

All pupils in Year 3 and 4 attended daily swimming lessons for three weeks. A big improvement was seen in the children’s swimming ability with every child succeeding to meet the government’s target of swimming 25m.

PC Thomas worked with all classes in Key Stage 2. She introduced and discussed a number of personal safety lessons with the children.

Tommo, a presenter on Radio Cymru, visited school to interview a group of pupils. They had lots of fun sharing jokes, silly stories and lively songs.

All pupils in KS2 went to Blackwood Miners’ Institute to see a performance of “Penblwydd Poenus Pete”. On the same day, Lili Lolipop came to school to entertain our younger pupils through a mixture of songs, games and fun activities. Thanks to the Friends of the School for funding these experiences.

As we all followed the developments of the Football World Cup, members of Elim Church provided the KS2 pupils with a day of team building activities based on a footballing theme. The Chrisitan messages of cooperation and respect for fellowman kind was shared throughout the day.

At the end of the term,Theatr Na’Nog performed an inter-generational project aimed at grandparents and Year 6 pupils. The main message of the drama was to recognise the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A number of staff, governors and parents from the school are working diligently with Eisteddfod yr Urdd Caerphilly 2015 committees. The

School Council organised a “Year to Go” fund raising day under the guidance of Mrs Bethan Rossiter. They sold official Eisteddfod merchandise and wore green, red and white clothes for the day. £1,200 was raised towards our target of £2,000.

Year 6 had Cycle Safety training. They spent a whole week learning new skills and road safety before

sitting a Cycling Proficiency test. They also received lessons on “Growing Up” which taught them about the physical and emotional changes they face as they hit adolescence.

Our athletics team has had the opportunity to take part in various competitions during the term under the guidance of Mr T. Griffiths, Miss M. Reynolds, Mr A. Hill and Mr L. Egal. School sports day was held on 30.06.14 – a chance for all pupils to show their talent and enjoy keeping fit.

Year 3 pupils went to the Hwyl yr Urdd in Newbridge with other pupils from the cluster. They had an opportunity to enjoy sporting activities and sing under the guidance of Urdd staff.

An awards evening was held for year 6 in Neuadd Glyndwr on 14.06.14. It was a chance for us to show our thanks to the children and their families for all their hard work and devotion. It is also a chance to celebrate their talents and their contribution to the school.

Attendance Information 2013/2014

Attendance Authorised Absences Unauthorised Absences

Target 2013-2014 94.5% 5.1% 0.4%

Autumn Term 2013 95.5% 4.3% 0.2%

Spring Term 2014 95.6% 4.0% 0.4%

Summer Term 2014 93.18% 5.75% 1.07%

Academic Year 2013 - 2014

94.76% 4.7% 0.5%

We constantly engage with parents and guardians to reduce the number of unauthorised absences through correspondence and text messages.

90% attendance over 5 years of school = ½ a school year missed

We urge parents not to withdraw children for holidays.Every lesson counts!

A REVIEW OF GOVERNOR'S ACTIVITY FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/14

Attendance at the end of the year

Days missed from school

100% 0

99.5% 1

97.4% 5

95% 10

90% 19

87% 24

85% 28

80% 38

75% 47

Most pupils and parents think 90% attendance is good. Are they right?

90% attendance = ½ a day missed every week!

As expected the last academic year was no different from previous years in that governors were heavily involved in the management of the school. We have been fortunate to have Cllr. Colin Elsbury returned as Chairman for another year with his experience and knowledge of the school. We have lost a couple governors and they were replaced with new ones. As a result there were changes to the makeup of the various areas of responsibilities.

Various building works to remedy the damp problems have been completed, including the staff room, the IT suite and office areas. Other smaller projects, for example new entrance door, were identified and have been completed during the year. New classrooms will have to be prepared in order to accommodate the increasing numbers of pupils who wish to attend the school. There are further building/maintenance works to be done e.g. repainting parts of the main hall. Maintenance of the fabric of the building is important for the wellbeing of children and staff and thus will be ongoing.

Because of the changing numbers of pupils from year to year there had to be spilt age classes to accommodate all the children. This did not always suit all affected pupils or their parents and led to a petition to the governors to resolve the problem as equitably as possible. The governors met the parents who presented ‘equitable options’ as to how the split classes could be compiled. After further consideration following the meeting the governors agreed that the current policy should stand. The parents were notified of the decision early in 2014.

Because of the increased numbers of pupils currently and the anticipated intake in September 2014 a complete review of the staffing structure was proposed. As a result the governors appointed a few new teachers and heads of Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2.

At governors meeting Mrs Nuttall, via Head Teachers Report, kept Governors apprised of the progress on the implementation of the School Development Plan which she had developed with the staff. The results achieved by the children helped the staff to identify the MAT (More Able and Talented) children as well as those who will need additional support. The overall performance was accepted by Governors. Mathematics, however, was highlighted as an area requiring additional support and thus would be incorporated into the School Development Plan for the next academic year.

Many governors undertook training which enables them to carry out their role more effectively. Governors also had numerous opportunities to visit the school to observe how the school works on a daily basis. These proved informative and enjoyable and governors were very satisfied with what they observed.

The Finance Committee was kept busy in trying to keep to budget following the changes in staffing levels and maintenance work to the fabric of the buildings.

Finally, we would like to congratulate Mrs Nuttall and her dedicated staff for all their hard work which has resulted in another busy and successful year at Ysgol y Castell. We look forward to working with them again in the coming year to implement the School Development Plan and further raise standards at the school.

School Performance Data 2014

Foundation Phase:

Pupils at the end of Foundation Phase (7 years old) are expected to achieve outcome 5. Some pupils exceed the expectation and gain outcome 6 and other pupils gain outcome 4.

The % of pupils that achieved outcome 5 and above by the end of FPh in 2014.

Subject Targets set by school

Ysgol Y Castell

Family of Schools

LA Wales

Welsh 91% 91.8% 87.7% 92.3% 89.8%

Mathematics 95% 85.2% 90.3% 91.1% 88.7%

Wellbeing 95% 96.7% 96% 95.4% 94.2%

Core Subject Indicator

(success in all 3 core subjects)

89% 83.6% 85.9% 88.5% 85.2%

The % of pupils that achieved outcome 6 by the end of FPh in 2014.

Subject Targets set by school

Ysgol Y Castell

Family of schools

LA Wales

Welsh 23% 32.8% 27.8% 33.5% 32.5%

Mathematics 23% 29.5% 28% 32.5% 30.3%

Wellbeing 23% 41% 45.1% 53.3% 55.1%

Key Stage 2:

Pupils at the end of KS2 (11 years old) are expected to achieve level 4. Some pupils exceed the expectation and gain level 5 and other pupils gain level 3.

The % of pupils that achieved level 4 and above by the end of KS2 in 2014.

Subject School targets

Ysgol Y Castell

Family of Schools

LA Wales

Welsh 96% 93.1% 91% 89.9% 88.1%

English 89% 93.1% 93% 88% 88.4%

Mathematics 96% 100% 93.2% 89% 88.9%

Science 96% 100% 93.9% 90.4% 90.3%

Core Subject Indicator

89% 93.1% 90.8% 85.8% 86.1%

The % of pupils that achieved level 5 by the end of KS2 in 2014.

Subject School targets

Ysgol Y Castell

Family of Schools

LA Wales

Welsh 32% 41.4% 30.5% 32.8% 33.9%

English 29% 51.7% 37% 36.5% 38%

Mathematics 39% 55.2% 32.2% 36.8% 38%

Science 39% 48.3% 31.2% 38.5% 38.4%

School Development Plan Review (2013 - 2014)

Target 1 - Raise standards of writing with a focus on pupils who are capable of attaining outcome 6 by the end of FP and level 5 at the end of KS2. We aim to ensure that 25% of pupils in every year group attain one outcome / level higher than the expected national curriculum targets.

The school utalised a percentage of it’s SEG and PDG funding to provide additional opportunities for the able and talented pupils to explore and develop extended writing across the curriculum. “Writing Squads” were established and the children worked with authors, poets, staff from Cwm Rhymni and specialist teachers to produce a variety of genres. The work was published in local newspapers, entered for literacy competitions and used during the Dylanwad project to celebrate Dylan Thomas’ centenary. A book of the pupils’ work is available at school. At the end of the academic year, 32% of FP pupils achieved Outcome 6 and 21% in writing (both Welsh and English) at KS2.

Target 2 - Raise standards of numeracy across the whole school. Ensure that 90-92% of the pupils in every year group achieve the expected national curriculum outcomes / levels for their age.

All staff received age relevant training and support to implement the TAPAS framework of mathematics, promoted as good practice by the EAS.

Mr H Menear was appointed to improve the numeracy skills of target groups in KS2. Following weekly intervention most pupils improved their standardised score by an average of 15 points.

All staff implemented differentiated targeted support for all groups of pupils in order to raise standards. We aimed to ensure that 90-92% of the pupils in every year group achieve

the expected national curriculum outcomes / levels for their age.

Lessons were monitored, pupils’ worked was scrutinized and constant challenges were set for all pupils by the Senior Leadership Team, led by Mr Davies.

At the end of the year, teachers’ assessment data was collated and improvements had been made (Year 1 = 94% ;Year 2 = 85%; Year 3 = 89%; Year 4 = 84%; Year 5 = 86%; Year 6 = 100%).

Target 3 - Implement the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework, ensuring that the standards of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum are high.

All staff received relevant training and support to implement the National Literacy and Numeracy Frameworks.

All staff planned their thematic topics and activities with due regard to age and ability appropriate skills in line with both frameworks. These challenge and extend the literacy and numeracy skills of all pupils, ensuring high standards of work across the curriculum.

The frameworks were shared with parents so that they can see what level of skills their children are supposed to be working at.

School reports to parents were adapted to include a narrative report on pupil’s acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum.

Target 4 - Develop links with partner schools throughout Europe. Pupils to develop a greater awareness of European countries and cultures. Teachers to observe and implement best pratice to raise standards in numeracy through thematic approaches.

Links with four European schools were made with a focus on how numeracy skills are successfully taught in each school. Staff visited the schools in Rome and Bordeaux and gained a good insight into the different teaching methods used. The successful strategies and ideas have been fed back to our staff and implemented at Ysgol Y Castell.

The pupils have made links with the schools and received life-long memories when they entertained the visiting teachers from abroad for three weeks during the year. They promoted Welsh culture and heritage with the teachers through a variety of activities. All KS2 pupils were taught to make a simple pasta dish by the Italian teachers; highlighting the importance of numeracy and measuring skills for everyday life. The Foundation Phase pupils were taught to count to one hundred and sing rhymes in Italian and French.

Target 5 - Sharing good and excellent practice within the school and across the EAS consortium. The school has been choosen to lead a county wide project on securing good and aiming for excellent practice. Teachers from across Gwent will observe best practice at Ysgol Y Castell. The project will provide professional development for our staff as they lead collegues on a learning journey, focusing on excellent standards of teaching and learning.

Due to reasons beyond our control, this project did not commence until September 2014. Mr Daniel Davies is leading the professional learning project, having created

and adapted the project to suit Welsh medium schools in South East Wales. This has been outstanding professional development for Mr Davies and all other staff at school as we have followed the project guidelines whilst self-evaluating our own practice. This project will continue during the next academic year.

Action Points in the School Development Plan (2014-2015)

Target 1: Raise Standards in Mathematics

Foundation Phase – Despite the school’s success in improving the number of pupils attaining Outcome 6+ to 29%, the percentage of pupils attaining Outcome 5+ dropped to 85%; this was below the family of schools, the local authority and Wales. This data closely matches the national numeracy test results where 82% gained a standardised score above 85.

Target – to raise the percentage of pupils achieving Outcome 5+ and 6+ in mathematics (target D5+ = 92%+ and D6+ = 31%)

KS2 – A big improvement has been witnessed in mathematics (an increase of 19% achieving level 4+ at the end of key stage). Despite this, we are very aware of the needs of the cohorts of pupils over the next two years and we have to ensure appropriate and effective intervention in order to sustain and improve on this year’s results.

Target – to increase the percentage of learners who succeed to score over 85 in the national numeracy tests in Year 5 and 6 - Year 5 = 90% / Year 6 = 92%.

Target 2: Improve the physical learning environment by investing in purposeful shelters to develop outdoor learning in the Foundation Phase. Provide appropriate training for the staff on aspects of effective teaching and learning in the outdoors - 100% of the numeracy sessions observed in the outdoors will be good or better.

Target 3: Engage parents in the children’s learning (especially pupils in receipt of FSM) by strengthening the home and school links so that we all aspire for a bright future for our children. Improve the provision of homework (especially mathematics) so that parents can take an active part in their children’s education.

Target 4: Raise standards of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum through the effective use of the latest technology: I-Pads. Purchase 40 new I-Pads (PDG funding) to train Digital Leaders amongst the pupils who will lead the learning of all members of the school community.

Toilet Facilities

Cleaners are employed by Caerphilly LA to clean the toilets twice a day, ensuring a sufficient supply of toilet paper, soap and hot water. The temperature of the water is checked on a weekly basis by the caretaker. Unannounced hygiene inspections took place and all toilets were deemed to be of a satisfactory standard.

Financial Statement

School Budget - Expenditure and Income (April 2013 – March 2014)

Area of Spending Total Amount Overall Balance

Staffing Costs £1,238,125

Premises Related Costs £128,529

Supplies and Services £93,110

School Development Plan £2,085

LA Service Level Agreements £15,043

Total Expenditure £1,476,892

Income £364,010

Net Expenditure £1,112,882

Total Funding for School (April 2013 – March 2014)

Funding Amount Overall Balance

Total Formula Allocation £1,104,651.86

Balance carried forward from previous year

£15,314.46

Total Funding £1,119,966.32

School Terms and Holidays 2013/2014

From To Half Term

Autumn Term 2014 01.09.14 19.12.14 27.10.14 - 31.10.14

Spring Term 2015 05.01.15 27.03.15 16.02.15 – 20.02.15

Summer Term 2015

13.04.15 20.07.15 25.05.15 – 29.05.15

In addition, the school will be closed for five further teacher training days. These will be notified to you in due course through text message and they will be published on the school’s website. This calendar meets the statutory requirements of 195 days, of which 190 are spent with pupils present and five for teacher training.

School Times

Children of Foundation Stage age are required by the National Curriculum to work a minimum of 21.5 hours a week (excluding breaks, assembly and registration). Children of Key Stage Two age should work a minimum of 23.5 hours per week.

Foundation Phase Key Stage 2

School Starts 9.00 – 10.30 a.m. 9.00 – 10.45 a.m.

Morning Break 10.30 – 10.45 a.m. 10.50 – 11.05 a.m.

Lunch 12.00 – 1.15 p.m. 12.15 – 1.15 p.m.

Afternoon Break 2.35 – 2.45 p.m. 2.20 – 2.30 p.m.

School Ends 3.30 p.m. 3.30pm

N.B. Pupils of non-statutory nursery age attend school on a part time basis:

Morning group: 9:00 – 11:45

Afternoon group: 12:45 – 3:30

Access for Disabled Pupils

Ysgol Y Castell welcomes children with special needs and abilities. To ensure that all children have equal access to the curriculum, the SENCO, class teachers, Headteacher and outside agencies will work together to provide for each individual’s needs. The school’s Equal Opportunities policy and policy for Special Educational Needs explain this in more detail.

The building itself has limitations as far as access for disabled persons is concerned. There is ramp access to the main building, hall and external classrooms. Although the school has two disabled toilet facilities, physical access in some areas remains difficult.

Where possible, arrangements will be made to accommodate disabled pupils and visitors.

Special Educational Needs

Whilst we encourage all children in Ysgol Y Castell to work to their full potential, we recognise that some children will require some extra support at times during their school career.

We place these children on our register of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) then assists the class teacher,

parents and children to write an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP) or a Play Plan for younger children, which will set out a programme of work for that child to follow.

The SENCO (Mrs S. Curran) also liaises with parents, other staff, the school nurse, Speech and Language therapists and the Psychology Service. The school takes advice and support from the LA, through Inclusion Services, which covers all of the above agencies as well as Behaviour Support and the Hearing and Visual Impairment services.

Some pupils require intensive 1:1 support; some receive a few hours a week to under take specific tasks and others are supported in smaller

groups. Most children are supported within the classroom, with differentiated work and teacher support. Our school is an inclusive one, and we welcome pupils with a wide variety of needs and abilities into our mainstream classes. All pupils are fully involved in day to day activities, both within

the school and in the community. The term Special Needs also includes pupils who have special talents; being academic, musical or sporting talents. Therefore, we recognise and challenge More Able and Talented pupils to excel at their strengths.

We aim to ensure that all our pupils have access to the curriculum, no matter what their needs and abilities, and we will continue to use a range of support mechanisms and services to achieve this.

The school’s prospectus is updated annually and is available to all on the school’s website.

The Governing Body

The Governing Body is responsible for the effective management of the school. There are seventeen Governors (including the Head teacher in an ex-officio capacity). Terms of office are normally four years and the Full Governing Body is currently constituted as shown below.

The Clerk to the Governors is Mrs Irene Jones, who may be contacted via the Education Achievement Service, Tredomen House, Tredomen.

Name Governor Type Term of Office

Cynghorydd Colin Elsbury (Chairperson)

LA Representative 29.09.11 – 28.09.15

Cyng. Dr. Kim Choo Yin (Vice Chairperson)

Minor Authority Representative 05.05.13 – 06.05.17

Mrs. Anwen Hill Community Representative 23.01.12 – 22.01.16

Mrs Eleri Betts Community Representative 10.06.13 – 11.06.17

Mrs. Lynda Paddock Community Representative 23.01.12 – 10.06.13

Mr. Gareth Williams LA Representative 01.02.12 – 31.01.16

Mr. Emyr Jones Community Representative 29.09.11 – 28.09.15

Dr. Iwan Morris LA Representative 01.09.12 – 31.08.16

Mrs Sian Baker Parent Representative 25.10.10 – 24.10.14

Mr. Lyndon Fairburn Parent Representative 01.02.12 – 31.01.16

Mrs Lisa Missen Parent Representative 13.03.12 – 12.03.16

Mrs Vicky Coxon Parent Representative 24.10.14 – 23.10.18

Ms Sharon Iles Parent Representative 01.02.12 – 31.01.16

Mrs Helen Nuttall Headteacher 01.09.09

Mr. Iwan Lloyd Teaching Representative 01.03.13 – 28.02.17

Mr Daniel Davies Teaching Representative 24.01.12 – 23.01.16

Mrs Mairwen Dainton Support Staff Representative 01.09.14 – 31.03.18

The next election date for Parent-Governor is October 2014.

Contact Details

Caerphilly County Borough Council – Local Education Authority

Director of Education and Leisure

Mrs. S Aspinall

Tŷ Penallta,

Tredomen

Telephone (01443 815588)

www.caerphilly.gov.uk

School Contact Information

Chair of Governors: Cllr. Colin Elsbury (c/o Ysgol Y Castell)

Headteacher: Mrs Helen Nuttall

Clerk to the Governors: Mrs Irene Jones

(Contact at Education Achievement Services, Tredomen House)

Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Y Castell

Crescent Road

Caerphilly

CF83 1WH

Telephone (029 20864790)

Fax (029 20867220)

E-Mail: yycpa@caerphilly.gov.uk