School News
Attendance and Lateness
At Derwendeg Primary School, we believe every school day counts. Our school motto is ‘Be kind; be ambitious; be the best you can be.’ 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 chance to ‘be the best they can be.’
Holidays
We are currently having a lot of holiday requests. Please avoid taking holidays during term time. Absences for holidays can have a big impact on your child’s education. Holidays will not be authorised if your child’s attendance is below 95% for the previous 12 months.
If your child has continued unauthorised absences the school can request that the LA issue a FPN (Fixed Penalty Notice). Fixed Penalty Notices may be considered appropriate when:
- At least 10 sessions (5 school days) are lost due to unauthorised absence within a rolling 12 week period. These do not need to be consecutive;
- Unauthorised absences of at least 10 sessions (5 school days) due to holidays taken in term time or delayed return from extended holidays.
- Persistent late arrival at school.
Lateness
Last week, pupils arrived late to school, resulting in a total of 190 minutes — that’s 3 hours and 10 minutes of lost learning time. Last term the total amount of time lost through lateness was 2,714 minutes – 45 hours and 14 minutes. Arriving on time helps children start their day calm, confident, and ready to learn. In contrast, arriving late can leave children feeling rushed and unsettled, making it harder to focus. Late arrivals also disrupt the class, affecting everyone’s learning. Please ensure your child arrives on time every day — every minute counts!
We’re here to support you. If you’re facing challenges with attendance, please reach out – we’re happy to help. Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to your child’s education.
Important Dates
Upcoming Dates
Friday, 14th March – Dosbarth Melyn trip to Cardiff Museum
Thursday, 20th March – Girls football tournament (Years 5 and 6)
Friday, 21st March – Red Nose Day (non uniform day)
Tuesday, 8th April- PTA Easter Disco
12th – 16th May – Spanish schools visit to Wales
School Holiday Dates
Friday, 11th April 2025 – Break up for Easter
Monday, 28th April – Return to school
Friday, 23rd May – Break up for half term
Monday, 2nd June – Return to school
Friday, 18th July – Break up for Summer Holidays
INSET Dates 2024-25
Friday 4th July 2025
Monday 21st July 2025
Weekly photos
Heroes of the Week
This week’s heroes are:
Dosbarth Coch: Kanley & Scarlett Rose
Dosbarth Oren: Brody & Bodhi
Dosbarth Melyn: School trip
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: Reyansh & Kaedey
Dosbarth Glas: Olivia & Millie
Dosbarth Porffor: Evie & Tate
Dosbarth Enfys: Freya, LJ, Imogen, Daisy, Preston, Ashon & Penny
Headteachers Award
This week’s Headteacher Awards go to:
Oliver. K
Bodhi. G
Jessica-Mae. H
Harry. W
These children were chosen for displaying our school values and will be treated to a hot chocolate and a chat with Mrs Wangiel. Da iawn bawb!
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: 93%
Weekly total
(Week ending 7th March): 94%
Dosbarth Oren: 93%
Dosbarth Melyn: 96%
Dosbarth Gwyrdd: 93%
Dosbarth Glas: 93%
Dosbarth Porffor: 94%
Dosbarth Enfys: 95%
Congratulations to most of our classes for surpassing our school target of 93%. It is important all of the children are in school every day to ensure they aren’t missing out on important learning.
Weekly Items
This half term’s value is
Collaboration
Links to termly learning overviews and homework menus:
| Coach Nursery | |
| Oren – Reception | |
| Melyn – Year 1 | Melyn – Year 2 |
| Gwrydd – Year 2 | Gwyrdd – Year 3 |
| Glas – Year 3 | Glas – Year 4 |
| Porforr – Year 4 | Porfor – Year 5 |
| Enfys – Year 5 | Enfys – Year 6 |
Online Safety – Supervision
It is important that children of all ages are supervised when using a device that can access the internet. There are settings on an iPad and other devices that can stop children accessing apps or websites that could be harmful to them. One of these settings is called ‘Guided Access’ on an iPad. Guided Access locks the app and stops children from going into any other app. Please click here to find out more. (There will also be similar settings on other tablets and devices)
Criw Cymreig: Brawddeg yr Wythnos (Phrase of the Week)
Ga i ddefnyddio ……..? (Can I use…..?)
The Criw Cymreig are going to teach the staff at our local Magnum store some Welsh. They are working on a script so the staff can help our community with Welsh.
School Menu
Click here to see the school menu.
Week beginning 17th of March will be Week 2
