Dear all parents and carers

We come to the end of what has been a very challenging 18 months for education, for our community and for the world. As a whole school community, we have done amazingly well to contain the virus, continue to educate our young people and stay safe. Whilst other schools have sent multiple year groups home multiple times, we have only lost a small amount of learning time. Indeed, it was only until two weeks ago that TTP instructed us for the first time to send an entire year group home to isolate due to a positive case in Year 10. We are exceptionally proud of what we have all achieved over the past 18 months and I would like to thank all staff, governors, parents and carers for their support over these difficult times. Our goal was to minimise the impact of the pandemic on our learners education and with your support we have done this exceptionally well.

We now turn our focus towards September and the new academic year. A year we hold lots of hope for, a year of normality, a year of normal systems in school, a year of school trips and school clubs restarting. We will try to return to normal as soon as possible in the new term including uniform standards, behavioural expectations, attendance and also what we expect in lessons through teaching and learning. We want to make a fast start next year so that any missing gaps in education due to COVID-19 over the last few months will be bridged immediately. We will have a single focus which is getting back to great education and preparing our examination classes for their GCSEs and A-levels.

We have received the operational guidance from Welsh government and PHW for our return in September 2021. Many of the arrangements will remain the same when we return after the summer with some significant changes. The main changes are;

• • Pupils will not be required to wear facemasks in classrooms
• • Facemasks must still be worn in communal areas for the first two weeks until the school has had the chance to review the risk of infection locally and taken advice from PHW
• • The requirement to bubble classes into contact groups is removed from September
• • Those pupils who have signed up for testing are asked to complete an LFD COVID-19 test before they return to school. Pupils are not however, expected to test throughout the summer break.

Most other COVID-19 rules and measures will stay in place until we hear otherwise. As soon as we can, we will change our risk assessment so that we can remove other COVID-19 measures. If we receive further guidance over the summer, I will write to you over the holiday to inform you of any additional changes for September.

All teachers and staff return back on the 1st September in order to carefully prepare for the term ahead. I look forward to seeing all of our pupils on Friday 3rd September so we can make a great start to what promises to be a great year.

I wish you a very pleasant summer break and I hope you have a restful and safe holiday ready for a new start in September.

Best wishes

Neil Foley - B.Sc. MA.

Pennaeth Headteacher

The Welsh Government has made available funding to make free school meal provision available during school holidays.

Denbighshire County Council have made arrangements for these payments to be made weekly during the summer holidays (21^st July through to the 31^st August), with the first payment to be paid direct to parents on the 19^th July.

Dear Parents / Carers - 16th July_closing early v2 (1)

This year has been tough, gruelling at times and we have been grateful for every minute we have managed to keep our amazing pupils and students in face to face teaching. We are so proud of the whole community in allowing us to keep the number of days missed by all year groups down to a minimum. The school and the community have played their part in making sure that the infection rate has been kept to as low as possible. This effort throughout the year is something we should all celebrate and I would like to thank everyone for their vigilance.

As in previous years, and in recognition for the hard work our pupils have put in over the year, I am pleased to announce the school will be closing early at 12.20pm on Friday 16th July. This day will also be a non-uniform day. A donation of £1 is expected which will be donated to WCD young carers; click www.carers.cymru/wcdyc to find out more about the service they provide. The £1 donation is to be made via ParentPay.

Pupils are expected to attend school and lessons as normal. The school has made all the necessary arrangements for school buses/taxis to be at school early to transport pupils home.

School re-opens for new term: The school re-opens for students on Friday 3rd September. The 1st and 2nd of September are staff training days.

I look forward to seeing our years 13, 12 and 11 during the summer holidays as they collect their examination results; more information will be available on our website.

I’d like to wish everyone a lovely and safe break, and I look forward to welcoming our students back in September in full uniform, refreshed and ready to achieve.

Yours faithfully,
Neil Foley - B.Sc. MA Pennaeth/Headteacher

Please find attached a letter from Denbighshire CC. This is an update on the current situation of COVID-19.

View and download the letter - 20210625 Letter for Parents v1

Dear all parents and carers

Download the letter - School Year Arrangements next year

Add the calendar to your device - calendar (7)

School term dates 2021/2022

I do hope this letter finds you well. We are currently planning for next year and we as a community have considerable hope that the disruption that we have seen over the past 18 months is now a thing of the past.

Please find on the back of this letter the calendar of term dates and INSET days for the next academic year for the Prestatyn cluster. Term dates are fixed by Denbighshire CC and the INSET days have been agreed by the six cluster schools.

Autumn term 1

INSET days (1&2) - Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd September 2021

Pupils return to school - Friday 3rd September 2021 to 22 October 2021

Half term – 25th October to 29th October 2021

Autumn term 2

Monday 1st November to Wednesday 22nd December 2021

Christmas Holiday – 23rd December to 5th January 2022

Spring term 1

INSET days (3&4) - Thursday 6th January and Friday 7th January 2022

Pupils return to school - Monday 10th January 2022 to 18th February 2022

Half term – 21st February to 25th February 2022

Spring Term 2

INSET day (5) – Monday 28th February 2022

Pupils return to school – Tuesday 1st March 2022 to 8th April 2022

Easter Holiday – 11th April to 22nd April 2022

Summer term 1

INSET day (6) – Monday 25th April 2022

Pupils return to school – Tuesday 26th April to 27th May 2022

Half term – 30th May to 3rd June 2022

Summer term 2

Monday 6th June to Wednesday 20th July 2022

End of the academic year. Please note that the calendar of events for the year will be published in September 2021. Please contact the school if you have any questions about the dates provided.

Yours faithfully

Neil Foley - B.Sc. MA.

Pennaeth Headteacher

Dear Parent/ Carer,

Please find attached information that has been published by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board on wider symptom testing for COVID 19.

Free COVID-19 test if you have a wider range of symptoms

You can now go for a free COVID-19 test if you have a wider range of symptoms.  As well as the three cardinal signs: fever, a new continuous cough or a loss/change of taste and smell; people are now able to get a test if they have other symptoms too.

These wider symptoms are:

• Flu-like symptoms, which are not caused by a known condition such as hay fever, including: myalgia (muscle ache or pain); excessive tiredness; persistent headache; runny nose or blocked nose; persistent sneezing; sore throat and/or hoarseness, shortness of breath or wheezing
• Generally feeling unwell and a history of being in contact with a known COVID-19 case
• Any new or change in symptoms following a previous negative test

The change is happening to help find hidden COVID-19 cases in our communities, and drive down the numbers of onward transmissions. The more tests carried out, the easier it will be to spot early clusters of cases and possible virus mutations. This will help with easing restrictions in the future.

Residents are asked to consider taking a test if they are experiencing any of these wider symptoms and they are new, persistent and/or unusual symptoms for them.

Individuals who take a test because of these other wider symptoms are not required to isolate while they await their test result.  This includes children and school pupils who can continue to attend schools and childcare settings while they await a test result. However, children and adults with diarrhoea and or vomiting should remain off work or school and not attend childcare settings until they are symptom free for 48 hours even if their Covid-19 test is negative.

If individuals then receive a positive Covid-19 result, they and their household must then isolate. Households must also isolate if anyone develops any of the 3 cardinal Covid-19 symptoms while waiting for a test result taken on wider symptoms to come back.

But if you are experiencing one or more of the three most common COVID-19 symptoms (new persistent cough, fever and/or loss of taste or smell) you must continue to follow the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect guidance on testing and isolation and self-isolate with your household whilst you await a test result. 

Frequently asked questions can be found at:

https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/covid-19/testing-broader-covid-19-symptoms/wider-symptom-testing-faq/

Yours sincerely

Mrs Claire Turner

Deputy Headteacher

Dear Parents and guardians,

After what has been one of the most challenging years in education it has been great to welcome all pupils back into face to face lessons since the Easter break. We are proud to have done everything within our power to keep pupils safe, and it is thanks to the hard work of our staff, you the parents and our pupils that we have been able to do so.

In all our decisions on how we operate as a school we have tried to balance the priorities of keeping everyone safe, whilst ensuring the best quality education for all our pupils and students. We have monitored the situation both locally and nationally very carefully, to see where we can make changes which meet both of these priorities. We have amended our risk assessment when needed to react to the changing guidance and safety concerns during the pandemic.

We are very proud of the fact that we are one of only a few schools that have not been instructed by TTP to send any year groups home due to an outbreak of infection. We are only in this position due to the hard work and resilience of all staff and pupils at PHS and the conscientious way our community has operated during these difficult times. I am delighted that we are now in a position, due to a variety of factors to make some significant amendments to our operational procedures here at Prestatyn High School.

These changes are possible because:

- The plans and risk assessment we have in place have been robust to keep people safe.

- There are low virus rates in the community.

- All staff and many pupils are testing twice weekly.

- Y11 and 13 leave on 28th May meaning we have 400 less students on site.

- Due to ongoing refurbishment work, the narrow Science corridor is blocked off allowing a safer flow of traffic with more travelling outside.

Therefore, on our return after the half term break on the 7th June pupils will return to moving between classrooms for their lessons. This means that lessons can take place in specialist classrooms which will be better for all pupils. For Year 7 pupils there will be the chance to get used to how secondary school works before we hopefully return to full normal operations in September.

We will make sure all Year 7 pupils are guided to any rooms that they have not yet visited. Pupils will receive new timetables with their rooms on during the first day back. We will continue to ensure that all desks and chairs are wiped down thoroughly between lessons, that there is good ventilation in all rooms and that sanitiser is available and used regularly by pupils and staff.

We will continue to separate pupils into their year groups where possible, including at lunchtime. However, we are able to make some alterations to lunchtime procedures. From 7th June Year 7s will go for lunch at the standard time of 12.20, which will allow them access to a full lesson 3. In preparation for next year Year 9 will move to the KS4 lunch time of 1.20-2.00pm. Pupils will be reminded of their year group’s location on their return.

Other measures such as separate entrances for different year groups, separate toilet facilities and separate diner times will remain. Face masks will remain mandatory in all areas of the school until the Welsh Government relax this measure.

Reminder: All pupils and students in Years 7 to 10 and Year 12 are to continue to test using the Lateral Flow kits over the half term.

I wish you and your families a restful half term break.

Neil Foley - B.Sc. MA.

Pennaeth Headteacher

This is a learner resource that provides information on assessment arrangements in summer 2021 - 19-05-21-summer-2021-results_eng_new

Your school or college (what we refer to as your ‘centre’) will award your GCSE, AS and A level grades based on their judgement of your attainment in a subject. These are called Centre Determined Grades.

This means you should be able to move on to your next stage of learning or employment. Our guidance for centres, alongside detailed guidance from WJEC, has all the information schools and colleges need. It confirms which decisions teachers need to make, how they should make those decisions and what types of evidence they can use when they award grades for each qualification.

Centre determined grades are for Wales only approved qualifications, there are different arrangements for GCSE and A levels offered in England that are also taken by some learners in Wales. You can find out more about these on Ofqual’s website.