Christmas Dinner - 12th December 2025

Christmas Dinner Menu

 

Children's catchup program summer 2025 - Public Health Wales

 

Dear parent, care giver

Measles cases are on the rise in the UK, so it’s more important than ever to ensure children are up to date with their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines. Measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, but two doses of MMR vaccine provide safe and effective protection.

The Health Board is undertaking a ‘catch up’ vaccination for children over the school holidays between the 4^th and 22^nd August. 

We are planning to contacting the parents of all school aged children who may have missed one of the following vaccines and to invite them into one of Community Vaccinations Centres (CVCs) across CTM:

·         Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)

This vaccination is normally given at 12 months and 3 years and 4 months at your GP surgery and is a two-dose vaccine.  The MMR vaccine gives protection against Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Measles, mumps and rubella are highly infectious diseases that can easily spread between people who are not vaccinated. 

 

·         Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

This is normally given in school year 8 (12/13 years of age) by the school nursing service in schools. This vaccine helps protect boys and girls from HPV-related cancers.

 

·         Meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y (MenACWY)

This vaccination is normally given in school year 9 ( at 13/14 years of age) by the school nursing service in schools. This vaccination provides protection against meningitis and septicaemia caused by four groups of meningococcal bacteria – A, C, W and Y.

·         Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio (Td/IVP)

This vaccination is normally given in school year 9 ( at 13/14 years of age) by the school nursing service in schools. This vaccination completes the 5-dose course which will give most people lifelong protection against tetanus, diphtheria and polio.

 

We would ask that if you receive an invitation to attend for a vaccine, that you do take up the offer as vaccines are very important in preventing children becoming very ill and even saving lives.

 

Further information regarding these vaccinations and the infections they protect from can be found at www.phw.nhs.wales or via the QR code below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you do not receive an invite but believe your child has missed one of these vaccines, please contact us on 01685 726464 (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm).

 

Yours sincerely

 

Philip Daniels

Executive Director Public Health

End of Year Update – July 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of this academic year, I wanted to share a few important updates with you.

I’m pleased to let you know that I will be continuing in my role as Acting Headteacher in September. Supporting me will be Mrs Rees, who will be taking on the position of Acting Deputy Headteacher as well as the ALNCo role. Mrs Payne will also remain a valued member of the Senior Leadership Team, working closely with us to continue driving the school forward.

We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support throughout the year – it truly makes a difference, and we appreciate it immensely.

Looking ahead to September, we’re excited to welcome three new members to our teaching team: Miss Tuckwood, Mr Buce, and Mrs Tatchell. We are looking forward to having them on board and know they’ll be a great addition to our school community.

A Busy and Successful Year

It’s been a fantastic first year in our new building. We’ve welcomed many visitors who have consistently commented on how wonderful and well-mannered our pupils are.

This year has seen us take part in football tournaments, digital events, and joint projects with our local Welsh-medium school. We've supported the local food bank and partnered with Dragon Bags, all while continuing to grow as learners, performers, and individuals. It's been an incredibly rewarding year.

Goodbyes and Good Luck

We’d like to send our best wishes to our Year 6 pupils as they move on to secondary school. You’ve been a brilliant year group, and it’s been a pleasure to see you grow and thrive at Penygawsi. We’re confident you’ll embrace all the opportunities ahead. Remember to work hard, support each other, and always be kind.

We’re also saying goodbye to Miss Larkins, who is moving on to a nearby school. She’s been a fantastic member of our team, and she will be greatly missed. In addition, we bid farewell to Miss Bristow and Miss Black. After gaining valuable experience as Teaching Assistants, both are now heading off to university to train as teachers. We wish them the very best of luck and hope they’ll come back and visit us soon. Pob lwc to you all!

INSET Days – Important Dates

Please note the following INSET days for the new school year:

·        Monday 1st September 2025

·        Monday 1st December 2025

School will be closed to pupils on these days while staff take part in professional development. A full list of INSET days and other key dates will be shared with you at the start of the new term.

After School Clubs

Our Fit4Fun and Urdd clubs have been incredibly popular this year and we’re happy to confirm that they will continue next term. You’ll find booking information and a link for the Urdd Club below. Please note that places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with a waiting list in place once the club is full.  Urdd Club

Wishing You a Wonderful Summer

Finally, I’d like to wish all of our families a safe, happy, and restful summer break. Enjoy the time with your loved ones – and fingers crossed for plenty of sunshine!

We look forward to welcoming all pupils back to school on Tuesday 2nd September 2025.

Diolch,

Mrs Black

Acting Headteacher

 Bore da,

This morning, all pupils had a wonderful time getting to know their new class teachers and exploring the classrooms they’ll be in from September.

Due to pupil numbers, some classes will continue to be mixed-age groups next year. However, please be assured that pupils currently in mixed classes will remain with the same group of peers moving forward. As always, our teachers plan and deliver lessons based on each child’s individual ability rather than their age, ensuring everyone is appropriately supported and challenged.

We are also committed to providing opportunities throughout the year for children to come together as full year groups, helping to build a strong sense of community and belonging.

The class groupings for the next academic year are as follows:

Class	Year Groups	Staff
Y Garth	Nursery	Miss Vowles and Mrs Hargreaves
Caerau	Reception	Mrs Farrell/Mr Buce and  Miss Binding, Mrs Rowley/Mrs Bull
Y Graig	Year 1/2	Miss Morris and Mrs Hawkes/Mrs Huxtable
Cribyn	Year 2/3	Mrs Payne and Mrs Evans/Mrs Huxtable
Cadair Idris	Year 3/4	Miss O’Brien
Crib Goch	Year 4/5	Mrs Evans/Miss Tuckwood
Yr Wyddfa	Year 6	Mrs Rees

 

We are delighted to share that Miss Larkins has secured a permanent position at a local school starting this September. Since joining us in January, she has been a wonderful part of our team, and she will be greatly missed.

This week, we will also be saying farewell to Miss Bristow and Miss Black as they move on to begin their teacher training journeys. We wish them every success in this exciting next chapter.

A huge thank you also goes to Mrs Brown for her dedication and support in our Nursery afternoon provision — your hard work has been truly appreciated.

 

Diolch

Mrs Black

Dear Parents/Carers,

School Reports

We hope you have all been able to access your child’s school report and the Welsh Government (WG) test results, which were released yesterday. It was a pleasure to read through the reports and to see the significant progress the children have made throughout the academic year.

Transition for Next Year

On Monday 14th July, your child will have the opportunity to meet their new class teacher for the upcoming school year. This session will help them become familiar with both their new teacher and classroom environment.

Cymraeg Campus Arian

Congratulations to Miss Morris and Criw Cymraeg!

A huge llongyfarchiadau to Miss Morris and our amazing Criw Cymraeg, who were awarded the Arian (Silver) Cymraeg Campus Award yesterday! This achievement reflects their hard work and dedication—from collaborating with other schools and raising the standard of Welsh across the school, to engaging with governors and involving the wider community.

Da iawn pawb! We are incredibly proud of you all. Now, onwards to Aur (Gold)!

RCT Positive Achievement Award

Congratulations Annabel!

A huge congratulations to Annabel for being recognised and rewarded for her outstanding personal qualities, punctuality, and overall presentation.

We are incredibly proud of you and the consistent effort you put in each day — it truly doesn’t go unnoticed. You are a credit to our school!

Breakfast Club

There will be no requirement for pupils who have already applied for a breakfast club place and appear on a register or waiting list to reapply for September 2025.

Only those pupils new to Breakfast Club will need to apply, and parents/carers will need to complete the online application form on the Council’s website. The application for new pupils is now open. You will find this by clicking on the link Breakfast Club.

If your child is starting in Nursery, we kindly ask that you allow them time to settle into school during their first month before starting them in Breakfast Club.

Eco Committee Message

As part of our Platinum Eco Flag target, parents donate uniform that is too small to the school, hoping it will be passed on to someone else. Thank you for all the donations, but we must confess that we don't have enough room to store it all!

So next week, we will be holding a Swap Shop. We will put out all our spare uniform in the Plaza at 3:20pm (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). Please come and see if there is anything in your child's size, ready for September.

All uniform from us is FREE! Anyone is welcome to take the uniform—it is not based on need. This is part of our Eco target to encourage recycling, reduce clothes waste, and prevent clothes from ending up in landfill. Charity shops don't take clothes with school logos.

Help us achieve our target – bring a bag and fill it up ready for the new school year!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 3:20pm!

Many thanks,

Mrs Black

End of Year Reports and Welsh Government Assessment Data
Dear Parents / Carers,

Reports
We are on track to make your child’s end-of-year report available tomorrow. All reports should be uploaded by late afternoon.

As in previous years, the reports will be uploaded to your child’s J2E folder on HWB. This method is more secure than printed copies and supports our commitment to reducing photocopying and electricity usage in line with our Eco School values.

Welsh Government Assessment Data
For pupils in Years 2 to 6, we will also be providing the Welsh Government Assessment Information electronically. These assessments are not required for younger pupils. The results will be available through your child’s HWB account, which all pupils use regularly for homework.

The links below will guide you on how to locate, read, and understand your child’s report and assessment results:

• Information about school reports
  
• Parents Information about WG tests

If you experience any difficulties, please consult the guides above first. If further help is needed, contact us at admin@penygawsiprimary.rctcbc.cymru, and we will respond as soon as possible.

Mrs B

Sports Day – Important Information

We’re pleased to let you know that, with a good weather forecast for tomorrow, Sports Day will go ahead as planned!

However, it is expected to be a warm day (we just can't win with the Welsh weather!), so please ensure your child is well prepared:

Bring plenty of drinks

Apply sun cream before school

Wear a hat

All pupils should come to school dressed in their house colour. If you're unsure of your child’s house colour, please speak to the class teacher at the end of the day.  For safeguarding reasons, we kindly ask that parents do not cross the MUGAs to see their child at any time. On arrival, you will be escorted to your designated area by Liam, where you may sit or stand to watch the events.  As a special treat, Freeze Pops will be provided for all children to enjoy during Sports Day. Please see the list of ingredients below. If your child cannot have one due to allergies, please inform the school office as soon as possible.

If anyone has a pop up gazebo that we could  borrow tomorrow, please could you let the office know asap.

Scooters and Bikes

It’s fantastic to see so many children travelling to school on scooters and bikes each day and making great use of our new shelter—well done!  However, for the safety of all children and parents, we kindly ask that scooters and bikes are not ridden in the plaza area at any time.  Thank you for your understanding and support in keeping our school grounds safe for everyone.

Parking Reminder

Thank you for your continued support with parking outside the school gates — it’s made a noticeable difference, and things are feeling much safer.  However, we kindly ask that parents do not use the school gate entrance to turn vehicles or as a drop-off point, particularly during breakfast time.  For the safety of all drivers, children, and the wider community, please also avoid parking directly opposite the school gates. This is creating difficulties for drivers trying to maneuver around parked cars and is narrowing the road, increasing the risk of an accident.  We are very concerned that this could lead to someone getting hurt. Please share this message with all family members and friends who may be involved in school drop-off or pick-up.

We’re excited to welcome you back onto the school grounds tomorrow for our very first Sports Day at the new school!

Mrs Black

Sports Day Update

Unfortunately, due to the weather forecast, we had to cancel this week’s Sports Day. However, the forecast looks much better for next week, so we are planning to go ahead as scheduled on 19th June. Please see the timings below:

• Nursery: 9:15am – 9:45am

• Foundation Phase (Reception – Year 2): 9:45am – 11:45am

• Key Stage 2 (Year 3 – Year 6): 1:15pm – 3:15pm

Sports Day will take place on the MUGAs. Parents will be guided from the main entrance and directed where to sit. You are welcome to bring camping chairs or picnic blankets for seating.

For safeguarding reasons, please do not cross the MUGAs to approach your child at any time. This ensures staff can keep track of all children throughout the event. If any issues arise, the class teacher will handle them directly.

At the end of Sports Day, children will return to their classrooms and will be dismissed as usual.

Now, fingers crossed for sunny weather—let’s all do the sun dance so we can enjoy the day next week!

Summer Fayre

On Friday, 20th June, we will be hosting our Summer Fayre from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. Please join us for an afternoon of fun activities and help support the school.

Tokens for the fayre will be available for purchase during Sports Day next week, as well as at the front of the school at the end of each day throughout the week.

New Nursery Open Day

Do you know a child who is due to start school in September 2025 or 2026? If so, please let them know that we are holding an Open Day for our nursery class on Tuesday, 17th June, from 9:30am to 11:00am.

We warmly invite them to come along, explore our fantastic provision, and meet our friendly staff.

Penygawsi Playworks Wrap Club

Playworks Penygawsi Wrap Club provides care for children aged 3 years and over who are attending or due to attend Penygawsi Nursery. The club is open Monday to Friday during term time, from the end of morning nursery at 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm. Sessions can be booked on a regular or casual basis, subject to demand, by contacting the Playworks booking team.

Children attending the club are offered a variety of educational and play activities including art and craft, cookery, and outdoor play. Children attending the club must be provided with a packed lunch from home. 

Friendly Reminders

If there are any changes in your personal contact information, or information regarding your child please let the office know. 

If your child is absent from school please let the office know on 01443 237834 or via the school admin email address.

Our attendance target for this year is 95.5%. It’s been wonderful to see many of our pupils improving their attendance! Please help us reach this goal by ensuring your child attends school regularly and arrives on time every day throughout this term.

Diolch 

Mrs Black