Headteacher's Fortnightly Update - 25th October
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of a busy and very successful half term, I wanted to share some reflections so far this year.
Firstly, we have had a very settled half term with pupils demonstrating resilience and commitment to their lessons. This was very noticeable when we spent time in lessons observing their attitudes to learning.
Behaviour across the school has improved significantly and we thank you for your ongoing support with the behaviour policy, the banning of mobile phones and the management of the toilets, all of which have contributed to a positive learning environment, allowing us to focus on achieving our ambition of Nurture, Growth and Success for All.
We have successfully introduced the new curriculum in Year 7, 8 and 9 that focusses on ensuring that pupils skills progress successfully in line with the four core purposes. The skills lessons in Year 7 have started well as well as the updated PSE curriculum. We have an incredible team of staff and I feel very lucky to be the headteacher of our amazing school. I would like to this opportunity to thank our staff for their commitment to providing the high-quality learning experience our pupils deserve. I would, in particular, like to highlight their commitment to providing a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities for pupils.
It is also pleasing to see the improvement in attendance across the school. Again, thank you for your support in ensuring pupils attend school every day possible as this is the foundation to a successful school experience and maximising outcomes.
Thank you to those of you who have supported the management of drop offs and pickups by not ‘3 point turning’ but using the bus bay turning area or the overflow car park at the end of the drive to turn around. This week I would request that in future we all avoid parking on bends in the road as this makes overtaking very dangerous, something I have experienced myself this week.
I would also like to share with you all that Siân Smith, Deputy Headteacher, has decided to leave teaching following successful breast cancer treatment.
Ms Smith, as Deputy Headteacher, was instrumental in leading the school to significant improvements and most notably, led the school in achieving the Betty Campbell MBE Award, in recognition of the work done to make the school an actively anti-racist community.
I know how much she loved her time working with the pupils, staff and community at Llanwern and deeply felt your support during her treatment and recovery. A huge thank you and best wishes to Ms Smith as she embarks on new challenges.
At Llanwern, we will endeavour to continue the journey as an anti-racist community including the introduction of a new annual ‘Llanwern Anti-Racist Activist’ pupil award funded by sponsorship money raised by Ms Smith.
We have lots to look forward to in the next half term and thank you for your ongoing support for the school. Working together we can achieve great things!
Translation Opportunity
We believe in the importance of inclusivity for all our students and their families. To support our diverse community, we offer a translation option on our website, ensuring that Parents/Carers can easily access important information in their preferred language. This initiative reflects our commitment to creating an accessible environment where every family feels welcome and informed. This can be accessed on the home page directly under the ‘contact us’ tab.
Rugby Success
We are thrilled to share the exciting news about our Year 9 rugby team at Llanwern High, who recently achieved a fantastic 31-15 win in the Newport Schools Cup. This remarkable victory not only highlights the hard work and dedication of our young athletes but also showcases the vibrant sports culture we cultivate here. We encourage all parents to support our teams as they continue to strive for excellence in their sporting endeavours.
A Special well done to Leo Price, Lucas Trezise, La’Kai Myles and Mason Wilkins for scoring the tries for Llanwern!
Fruit and Veg
We are delighted to inform you that we are one of 400 schools receiving free fruit and vegetables from Tesco this year. Tesco Fruit and Veg for Schools provides funding for schools to spend on healthy food for our pupils. As a result, we will be able to offer pupils a healthy snack completely free of charge - in our breakfast club, for events, at exams or to learn or cook with.
Mobile Phone Ban
As a school we have trialling a mobile phone ban, this will now be implemented as a standard procedure for the week commencing 4.11.24, to create a focused and distraction-free learning environment.
Pupils must have their mobile phones switched off as they enter the school gates and remain off for the remainder of the day, this also includes break and lunch time.
If pupils are seen with their mobile phone out, they will be asked to place it on the teacher’s desk. If they refuse this instruction on call support staff will be called to escort the pupil to R2L.
We appreciate your support in reinforcing this policy at home, ensuring that your child understands the importance of this initiative for their education and overall well-being.
Upcoming Dates
We would like to share with you some important upcoming dates for the rest of this term.
- GCSE Numeracy Exam (Tuesday 5th & Thursday 7th November Yr11)
- Awards evening (14th November)
- Sixth form Open Evening (21st November)
- Inset Day (Monday 25th November – Llanwern High School will not be open for pupils)
- Year 12 & year 13 Parents evening (Thursday 5th December)
- Flu Immunisations (Friday 6th December)
- Christmas Holidays (Friday 20th December)
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support.
Kind Regards,
Mr D Lawlor
