PorthPost SUMMER 2017 Master_Layout 1 14/06/2017 09:09 Page 1 Welcome to the third edition of the Porthcawl Post for the school year 2016-2017 Porthcawl Porthcawl Comprehensive School Newsletter ~ Summer 2017 Headteacher’s Address welcomed almost 200 Year 6 learners to our school on and we wish him well. Miss Leanne Evans will leave the 22 June. The youngsters enjoyed a full day of events and Chemistry department to take up a post nearer to her a sample of life at our school. The idea is that the home. Again we thank Leanne for her loyal service over children leave familiar with the layout and staff of the the past 6 years. Miss Verity Jones from the RS school. Some say familiarity breeds contempt…not in department also leaves us after one year together with t is hard to believe that we are into our third and this case: familiarity breeds confidence! We will continue Miss Leah Gormley who takes up a new teaching final term for 2016 -17. It has been a very busy, to operate our most successful and innovative “Helping position in Northern Ireland - we wish them the best of almost frenetic year, with so much going on. I Hands” programme. This programme helps the most luck for the future. have been reflecting over the year and am vulnerable of children to make the move to our school. Many congratulations also go to Mrs Anwen Worsfold astonished at the sheer number of and variety of The “Helping Hands” programme reduces anxiety and of the Welsh department who recently gave birth to a Ithings our students are involved with. The community builds confidence so we have happy settled learners ready baby boy, Evan. We wish the family well! is the school and the school is the community, never a to go in September. truer word said, given the students’ involvement in the The school has been awarded “Pioneer School” status for As is our custom, I like to use this article to keep you town. the curriculum and development work being informed of staffing changes to school. We offer our undertaken. Mrs Kathryn Lewis of the Music There are a number of events that are particularly congratulations to Mrs Nadine Thomas (Assistant department is leading the curriculum development. We noteworthy which I would like to draw your attention Headteacher) who, after 7 years at Porthcawl, has been are preparing our “Expressive Arts” department in to. appointed from September as Deputy Head at Queen readiness for the Donaldson curricular changes that are Elizabeth High School in Carmarthen. Mrs Thomas has The internet, social media and the cyber world are just around the corner. The “Pioneer” status has a great wonderful inventions but also present a serious challenge. contributed massively to school life and has done excellent work in areas such as anti-bullying, student kudos attached to it and we thank Mrs Lewis for her As a school, we take the issue of e-safety and cyber creativity and dedication in this exciting development. bullying very seriously. I am delighted to announce that teachers and our training programme. We wish Mrs the school has passed the South West Grid for Learning Thomas all the very best for her future and thank her for My concluding comments as always must reflect our 360 Degree Safe Cymru Online Safety Mark. We are what she has done for our school. students, especially those who have just completed their only the second comprehensive school in Wales and the We also say a fond farewell to Mrs Karen Victor, Head examinations. For the first time ever, over half the school first in South Wales/Central South. The assessor was very of English. Mrs Victor was successful in securing a have sat external examinations with Years 10, 11, 12 and positive in her feedback and congratulated the school on promoted post at Bryn Hafren Comprehensive School, 13 sitting a variety of papers. I would like to publically having our work embedded across all areas. Thanks to Barry and will leave Porthcawl after 19 years. Mrs Victor thank all the staff for all the additional help they have all the hard work from pupils and staff! This award will leaves a strong and successful English faculty and for this provided outside of lessons. Each year I am astounded provide nationally accredited recognition that we have the school is most grateful. We have replaced Mrs Victor by the commitment and sheer dedication of our staff. very robust means in place to protect all at our school with Mrs Rhaea Mahoney who is currently the Head of The logistics in organising this volume of examinations from the ills and evils of the “Net”. Mrs Sloggett, Mrs English at Radyr Comprehensive School, Cardiff. Mrs is huge and a vote of thanks goes to Mrs Henderson and Christopher, Mrs James and the E-Safety group have led Mahoney, a native of Porthcawl, will join us in her team. Let’s end with the most important thing, the on this initiative and have made the school a far safer “E” September; we welcome her and are very much looking best of luck to all who sat examinations, I hope that all environment. forward to working with her. our students get the results they are hoping for and I look forward to seeing you all in August when we celebrate The school calendar has many “beacon” events, one of Mr Huw Pritchard leaves the Maths department after 15 our examination results. these being our main primary pupils’ Transition Day. As years at the school. Mr Pritchard has decided to pursue the culmination of our year long programme, we his business interests outside of the world of Education Andrew Slade Headteacher PorthPost SUMMER 2017 Master_Layout 1 14/06/2017 09:09 Page 2 Housekeeping Qualifications Wales launch an information campaign as Uniform At Porthcawl we have many reasons for GCSEs in Wales are reformed enforcing our uniform policy: school uniform provides a sense of identity and cohesion within the school and supports positive Examples of the changes are: behaviour and school discipline. As we come GCSEs in Wales are changing - and to the time of the year to purchase uniform for Qualifications Wales is launching an • Splitting GCSE Maths into two new exams – September 2017, may I remind parents that we information campaign to make sure the GCSE Mathematics and GCSE Mathematics - do not allow pupils to wear any jewellery in reforms are fully understood. Numeracy; school. The exception to this rule is a wrist The move comes as pupils across the • Removing written non examination assessment watch. We do not allow ‘extreme’ haircuts and country have sat exams this Summer in the from GCSE English Language; unnatural hair colours. When purchasing first batch of reformed subjects introduced • Ensuring the history of Wales is a mandatory part trousers and/or skirts for next September, in 2015. of GCSE History. please remember that trousers should be plain, More than 70,000 posters and leaflets are classic school-style trousers. These should be being sent to secondary schools across The new GCSEs are being introduced in Wales straight legged and not a tight, ‘bootleg’, Wales for onward distribution to the following a review by Welsh Government. They have been rolled out over three years between 2015 ‘drainpipe’ or ‘jeans’ style nor should they be parents of pupils in Years 10 and 11, and 2017. ‘low-rise’. Trousers should not be made out of explaining what the changes mean to their children. a denim fabric or leather. Skirts should not be Northern Ireland, as well as England and Wales, are tight, have a slit, or be made of stretch fabric. Wales is reforming GCSEs and retaining also in the process of introducing changes to their The hem of the skirt should be no more than the traditional A*- G grades. England are GCSE examinations. also reforming their GCSEs, but a new 9-1 5cm above the knee. grading system is being introduced there. “Even though England is changing to a 9-1 grading system for GCSEs, it’s important for parents and “It’s important that GCSEs remain rigorous employers to remember that it will not affect the and relevant for today’s pupils while value of GCSEs in Wales,” said Mr Blaker. meeting the needs of colleges, universities and employers,” said Qualifications Wales “GCSEs awarded in Wales with A*- G grades will The Website Chief Executive, Philip Blaker. remain comparable to those taken in both England Please see our school website for more details and Northern Ireland.” “It’s equally important that these changes on uniform and on many other topics, are fully understood by the public, which is “Parents and employers can be confident that the including our recent clarification on the use why we have launched this information qualifications taken in all three countries will of mobile phones in school. campaign before the start of the Summer continue to be of the same size and accessible to the exam series.” same range of pupils.” Examination Results The arrangements for external examination Further information about the new GCSEs in Wales can be found results are as follows: http://qualificationswales.org/qualifications/gcses/ • Year 13 – Results Day 17 August You can download the posters and leaflet from – Collect from School from 8.30am http://qualificationswales.org/qualifications/gcses/astar-g-resources/ • Year 12 – Results Day 17 August – Results will be posted home to arrive on Notes: The first wave of subjects that were reformed and taught from September 2015 this day were Mathematics, Mathematics-Numeracy, English Language, Welsh Language, English Literature and Welsh Literature.