School News
Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,
What a wonderful first week back it has been. The school has felt alive again, and it has been lovely seeing all the children return with big smiles, ready for a new year of learning. Staff have thoroughly enjoyed hearing all about their summer holidays — the trips, adventures, bike rides, and precious family time in the sunshine. The children have shared their stories with such enthusiasm, and it has been a delight to listen. Our new Nursery children have settled beautifully. They have shown confidence and curiosity as they explore their new environment. We are also thrilled to welcome several new pupils across the school. It has been wonderful to introduce them to our lovely school community, and they have already made a fantastic start.
Summer Reading Challenge Superstars
We are incredibly proud of all the children who took part in the Summer Reading Challenge. Their commitment to reading at least six books over the holidays shows fantastic determination and a real love of stories. Every child who completed the challenge earned their medal, 20 dojo points, and a dip in my prize box — very well deserved.
A special mention must go to Sophie, one of our youngest pupils, who read an astonishing 51 books over the summer. What an achievement.
Reading regularly has a huge impact on children’s learning — according to the National Literacy Trust, reading for pleasure is strongly linked to higher attainment in vocabulary, spelling, and maths.
Congratulations to all our readers.
WOW Day !
The enthusiasm and excitement during our WOW Day was incredible. The effort put into costumes was outstanding, and the children threw themselves into a wide range of creative and inspiring activities, including:
- Fruit tasting
- Fitness circuits
- Using Welsh to communicate likes and dislikes
- Science sugar investigations
- Stop–motion productions
- Art inspired by famous artists
A particular highlight was seeing the children take on challenges set by Healthy Hetty, one of our Four Purposes superhero characters. She encouraged pupils to make healthy choices, stay active, try new foods and think about their wellbeing — and the children rose to her challenges brilliantly. These activities have already sparked curiosity and excitement for the learning ahead. I am very much looking forward to seeing the children’s pupil-led topic plans, full of their ideas, interests and ambitions for the term.
Summer Sporting Success
We would also like to congratulate all the children on their fantastic sporting achievements over the summer. It has been lovely hearing about new medals, taekwondo belts, boxing matches, and so many personal milestones the children have proudly shared. A huge well done to Afon, who trialled and was successfully chosen to represent Rhymney Valley and Caerphilly districts for rugby again this year — an outstanding achievement and a testament to his hard work and dedication. What a brilliant start to the year.
Uniform Ap preciation
A huge thank you to all parents for supporting us with our uniform policy. The children looked incredibly smart this week, and it really helps set the tone for a positive start to the year.
A gentle reminder to label every item — jumpers, coats, water bottles, lunch boxes, and anything else that travels between home and school. We understand how costly uniform can be, and labelling helps us return lost items to their rightful owners quickly.
Kind regards,
Mr Lloyd, Mrs Lloyd and the Derwendeg team
Important Dates
Key Dates for 2025-26 – Term Dates
Autumn Term: Tuesday 1 Sept – Friday 18 December 2026
Half Term: Monday 26 Oct – Friday 30 Oct 2026
Spring Term: Monday 4 January – Friday 19 March 2027
Half Term: Monday 8 February – Friday 12 February 2027
Summer Term: Monday 5 April – Tuesday 20 July 2027
Half Term: Monday 31 May – Friday 4 June 2027
Please remember these are the dates of the school year ,but below are the dates for the Insets to reflect when the children are in school.
INSET Dates
Tuesday 1st September
Friday 5th February
Friday 2nd October
Monday 5th April
Monday 19th July
Tuesday 20th July
September
Tuesday 1st Sept – Inset Day
Wednesday 2nd Sept – Children return to school
Thursday 3rd Sept – Whole School Wow Day
Wednesday 16th September – Meet the teacher meetings 9.00-10.00
Thursday 17th Sept – Individual School Photos being taken
Friday 25th Sept – Science in Schools Interactive Performance
Monday 28th September – Harvest Festival Celebrations
October
Thursday 1st Oct – Y3-6 Caerphilly School’s cross country event
Friday 2nd Oct – Inset Day
Wednesday 7th October 9:00am – Early years phonic workshop
Monday 12th-14th October – Parent consultations.
Friday 16th October – Wear it Red – Show Racism the red card.
Friday 23rd Oct – Flu Spray for whole school
Friday 23rd Oct – Break up for half term
November
Mon 2nd Nov – Children return to school
Wednesday 11th November – Year 5/6 Remebrance Service – Dosbarth Porffor.
Friday 13th November – Children in Need
Friday 13th November – Anti-bullying Assembly – Dosbarth Glas.
Thursday 13th November – ALN Coffee afternoon
Mon 23rd Nov – Snow White Pantomime in School
December
Christmas events TBC
Monday 14th December – Christmas party week
Friday 18th December – Pupils finish for Christmas
School Menu
Click here to see the school menu.
Week beginning Mon 7th Sept will be Week 2
Attendance Matters
The United Nation Article 28 states ‘every child has the right to have a primary education’. We are linking our attendance performance to this article.
We want our children to have the best possible education to give them the best chance in life. If your children aren’t in school we can’t give them this opportunity and can’t give them the opportunity to ‘be the best they can be.’
School target: 93%
Annual % to date: 91%
Weekly total
(Week ending 17th July): 89%
Dosbarth Oren: 82%
Dosbarth Melyn: 93%
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: 80%
Dosbarth Glas: 92%
Dosbarth Porffor: 93%
Dosbarth Enfys: 94%
It is important all of the children are in school every day to ensure they aren’t missing out on important learning.
Heroes of the Week
Dosbarth Oren: Lucah-John R & Madison B
Dosbarth Melyn: Koby W & Chloe M
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: Hunter B & Hallie-Rose MP
Dosbarth Glas: Keelan O’B & Teddy H
Dosbarth Porffor: Lucy B & Keoni C
Dosbarth Enfys: Summer I & Ava M
Hot Chocolate Superstar!
This week’s Headteacher Awards go to:
Sophie W
Layla P
Amiya E
Bodhi G
These children were chosen for displaying our school values and will be treated to a hot chocolate and a chat with Mrs Lloyd. Da iawn bawb!