Information

This school acts in accordance with Gwynedd Education Authority’s admission policy, as follows:

• Nursery: Part-time at the beginning of the Autumn Term, following their third birthday.
• Reception: Full-time at the beginning of the Autumn Term, following their fourth birthday.

Transfer from Nursery to Reception is not automatic and since Gwynedd Education Authority is the Admissions Authority, the Authority considers all applications. If more people choose to send their children to the school than there are places available for them, the following criteria shall be considered in order or priority:

1. the number of children we’re able to accept at the school (i.e. the school’s admissions number or each school year). 2. whether the parents have indicated their priorities in writing.
2. the usual geographical area of the school (i.e. the defined catchment area) according to the Local Education Authority
3. whether the prospective pupil has any siblings at the school.

Therefore, to apply for a place at the school, applications must be submitted to Gwynedd County Council, before 1st February each year. The appropriate forms will be available online on Gwynedd Council’s website. For more information visit Gwynedd County Council’s website.

Mynediad ysgolion / Symud ysgol (llyw.cymru)

At the end of Year 6 your child, unless you wish otherwise, will transfer to Ysgol Ardudwy, Harlech. Relevant details will be sent to you before the end of the final term and the children will be invited to spend three days at the school. You, as parents, will also be invited to meet the Headteacher and the Deputy Head.

Children are expected to arrive punctually before 9:00am but no child is allowed to be on school premises unattended before 8:50 a.m. (except for pupils who attend the school breakfast club.) The Headteacher nor any other staff members are responsible for the safety of any child who is on school premises before 8:50am.

Parents should collect their children at the times listed above (depending on school year). Remember to inform us at the school, and the child, should there be any changes in the usual arrangements for collecting children from school.

The school has a ‘Home / School Agreement’ which notes what we expect in terms of parent / guardian and pupil engagement to supporting the school, as well as the school’s engagement to providing the best service for parents / guardians and pupil.

Information is regularly provided on the term’s activities through letters, e-mails, social media (Facebook and Instagram) and the school app: Ourschool app. This app is free for parents to download from the app store. All correspondence will be bilingual. You are kindly requested to carefully read all correspondence.

ANGEN LINCS I’R CYFRYNGAU YN FAMA

The school has an official school uniform that pupils have worn traditionally. Although it is not compulsory for pupils to wear it, we feel that a school uniform nurtures pride towards the school and a feeling of belonging to it, and therefore, we hope very much that you, the parents, will be willing to support the school’s official uniform.

These can be ordered by contacting Lake digital at https://lakedigital.co.uk/cy/products/Ardudwy-Catchment-Area-c143812994

To facilitate matters, everyone is asked to label their child’s clothes with their name.

Physical Education

Suitable clothing is required for physical education / games lessons. Which are:

• Shorts/jogging trousers,
• t-shirt/sweatshirt,
• suitable footwear,
• and swimming costume on occasion.

The school is cash free. The school have set up a system to allow parents to make online payments for items such as school lunch, school visits etc by using the internet on any device. The name of the system is School Gateway. Online payments are easier and safer.

The Childcare Club opens at 08:05am until 08:20am every weekday morning for pupils of the Nursery class and older. There is a charge of £1.00 for your first and second child for the childcare element before the breakfast club. There is a discount for families with 3 or more children in primary school who use the childcare club.

The Breakfast Club is open daily between 08:20am and 08:50am for children 4 years and older. During this period, children can go to the canteen to enjoy some toast and fruit juice as well as cereal.

Milk (1/3 pint) is provided free of charge to all pupils From Nursery to Year 2.

A water bottle will be provided for each child as they start at school. Children are encouraged to fill their bottles with water throughout the day. Pupils will not be allowed to bring opaque bottles to school nor to fill bottles with any drinks apart from water. Replacement bottles can be brought at the school for £1.50 Children and parents should take responsibility for cleaning the bottles daily at home.

We encourage children to live healthily, therefore only fruit will be allowed at playtime.

We ask that grapes be cut lengthways to avoid the risk of choking.

We are a nut free school because we have learners who are allergic. This allergy can be a life threatening condition.

Lunch is cooked in the school kitchen. From September 2023 children in Reception to Year 6 automatically get free school meals.

Children who will be attending the Cylch Meithrin and choose to have school dinners will need to pay £2.50 a day (£12.50 a week).

The school kitchen ensures our pupils get a nutritious meal. It’s just as important to make sure the lunchboxes that children take to school provide a healthy, balanced lunch. This means plenty of foods that contain the nutrients that children need, and fewer foods that are high in sugar and saturated fat.

A balanced packed lunch should contain:

• Starchy foods. These are bread, rice, potatoes and pasta etc.
• Protein foods. These are meat, fish, eggs, beans etc.
• A dairy item. This could be cheese or yoghurt.
• Vegetables or salad, and a portion of fruit.

Visits are arranged based on the term’s educational theme. The class teachers research appropriate visits which will enrich effective teaching and learning. Visitors are invited to the school to address the children.

Pupils benefit from participating in field work and educational visits. By extending the school’s curriculum and joining in such visits, pupils are given the opportunity to engage in activities that they would otherwise not experience and enables them to develop important life skills and perhaps to create happy memories.

We organise one residential visit every year for pupils in Years 5 and 6. Once every two years our residential trip is to our capital city, Cardiff. This is a fantastic opportunity for the children to get to know their capital city and to study a contrasting locality.

Every second year a weekend residential visit is organised to the Urdd camp in Glan-llyn for pupils in Years 5 and 6. Here pupils are given the opportunity to experience a variety of different outdoor activities under the guidance and supervision of the site’s experienced staff.

At our schools, we have taken a unique approach to homework by deviating from traditional assignments. Instead, we encourage and emphasize the importance of parental involvement in their child’s education. We strongly encourage parents to dedicate time each day to read with their children, fostering a love for literature and improving their reading skills. Additionally, we ask parents to go over times tables and the four fundamental mathematical procedures (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) with their children, ensuring a strong foundation in mathematics. By engaging in these activities together, parents play a crucial role in supporting their child’s academic growth and development.

You can also support your child –

• by holding interesting conversations not only about the school day but about other general matters / issues;
• by arranging occasional visits to interesting places;
• by making full use of the local facilities – e.g. park; beach; library; book shops; etc.

by playing interesting and stimulating games … and much, much more!

The school has a tradition of extra-curricular activities which are open to all pupils who are in the Head teacher’s opinion, are ready and mature enough to take part in them. Activities include competing in Eisteddfodau, performing in concerts, a sports programme and various clubs.

The school hopes to ensure the co-operation and the support of parents with all the additional activities arranged.

We will arrange various activities for the children to complement the curricular themes. This may include visits to places of interest, working with children from neighbouring schools, or workshops with subject specialists. We hope that this will enrich the children’s experiences whilst at the school.

URDD

The Urdd club meets occasionally after school for pupils at both sites. Members of the Urdd have an opportunity to compete in all Urdd activities, including Eisteddfodau and sports.

SPORT

We encourage children to enjoy all kinds of sport. There is a wide range of sporting activities undertaken during the year where children represent the school. These activities include swimming, Kwik cricket, netball, football, gymnastics, athletics, orienteering, and cross country running. We also have a Fitness Club on both sites which met occasionally.

Any child who participates represents the school and this is recognised as a privilege that is equal to academic and artistic achievement. It also fosters team spirit and the development of skills. We aim to give children of all abilities the opportunity to participate in competitive events.

There exists within our schools a scheme (Gwynedd Schools’ Music Service) which offers children the opportunity to learn to play a variety of musical instruments including the drums, piano and guitar.

The lessons are held weekly in the school by qualified peripatetic teachers and cost £30 per term (10 lessons each term).

Ysgol Cefn Coch has an established Friends Association called Y Cyfeillion. The Cyfeillion aims and objectives are to raise money for the school, provide interesting activities for the children as well as enable the parents to get to know each other better.

The Cyfeillion’s Annual Meeting will be held soon after the start of the school year in September. Any member of the school community is welcome to join. The more successful the Cyfeillion is the greater the benefit for the school.

LINK I  FACEBOOK CYFEILION

Both the support and assistance of parents and the community is an extremely important factor if the schools are to achieve success, and is greatly appreciated by the Governors, the Headteacher, and staff. Parents can both support and contribute to school life and its success in several effective ways:

• show enthusiasm and interest in your child’s development through attending meetings to discuss your child’s work with the teacher.
• in addition to individually visiting the school, parents also have formal opportunities three times a year to observe or discuss the work done at the school. A full report on pupils’ work is provided at the end of each school year.
• Support your child as he/she learns to read. Young children who spend regular periods with their parents looking at books, listening to their parents reading, and reading to their parents are more likely to master reading skills and come to enjoy and derive pleasure from reading as they grow up. This in turn, assists the child to develop language skills, a good vocabulary, and broadens the child’s horizons.
• Support your child to learn mathematics tables from memory. Children who understand bond numbers and thoroughly know their tables, find work involving numbers much easier. They are also able to adapt the information to learn new mathematical skills which provides a good foundation for their school career.
• Attend school activities and meetings – e.g., open evenings, Book Fair, Christmas Pageant and Concerts, Sports. Additional assistance is required for some of these activities, e.g., provide
  dresses for productions.
• Attend activities and meetings of the Cyfeillion (Friends of the School). The money raised by the Cyfeillion is used for the benefit of every child who attends the school – e.g., to pay for transport to take children on educational trips, purchase additional equipment such as   information technology equipment etc.
• Several parents and other members of extended families possess skills or specialized knowledge, or another personal experience that could be applied to a theme or a classroom or a whole school activity. The school occasionally invites qualified individuals to visit the school to share their experiences or skills, and we welcome any information on individuals who would be able to make such contributions.

The school and schoolwork are an integral part of a child’s life. Having a parent who is both enthusiastic and supportive of this element in a child’s life reinforces the important relationship between the child, the parent, and the school.  

TERM:

Autumn 2024 2 September 2024 – 20 December 2024

Spring 2025 6 January 2025 – 11 April 2025

Summer 2025 28 April 2025 – 21 July 2025

HOLIDAYS:

28 October – 1 November 2024 (Half Term)

23 December 2024 – 3 January 2025 (Christmas Holidays)

24 – 28 February 2025 (Half Term)

14 – 25 April 2025 (Easter Holidays)

5 May 2025 (May Day)

26 – 30 May 2025 (Half Term)

22 July – 29 August 2025 (Summer Holidays)