Bedwas High School

End of Year Letter

Results Day Arrangements – August 2022
Collection times:
GCE (A-Level & AS-Level) Level 3 & L3 BTEC) Results for years 12 & 13 will be available for
collection on Thursday 18th August 2022, from 9:00am until 12:30pm.
Mrs Hudson and other members of the leadership team will be on hand to help with important
decisions that may need to be made regarding university placements for year 13 students.
GCSE & Level 2 Results will be available for collection on Thursday 25th of August 2022 during
these time slots:
 Year 11: 9:00am - 12:30pm
 Year 9 & 10: 10:00am - 12:30pm
Mr Morgan and Mrs Hudson will be available to support any important decisions that may need to
be made regarding Sixth Form and College applications.
Emailing of Results
If students are unable to attend, results can be emailed to a student’s email address. To do this you
must inform us by completing the form (https://forms.office.com/r/YJN7Pj0NeM).
Hard copies of results will not be posted out on/after or prior to results day.
The process for collection of your results:
 Entry to site will be strictly reserved for pupils attending to collect results. Other
pupils/parents/carers or other visitors will not be authorised to enter the campus without
prior appointment/agreement. 
 Students are to enter the school through the main school gate, following the signs to the
results collection area.
 Students’ results envelopes will be in alphabetical order according to your surname. Once
the students have checked their results they might want to discuss them with a teacher. Mr
Morgan, Mrs Hudson and other members of the leadership team will be available to support
all students.
 Key members of staff (such as the Mrs Hudson and Mr Morgan) will be available for sixth
form registration, course advice, etc.
 Pupils will only be allowed access to their results area, the toilets or the hall for advice. The
toilets in A and C Block will be open. No other part of the school will be available for access.

Please see the first edition of The Bedwas Chronicle, written by our students.

Dear Parent/Carer
At Bedwas High School we strive to be an inclusive school community where we use the power of learning and teaching to develop confident, happy, resilient and independent learners. In our safe, secure and nurturing learning environment everyone is valued equally, regardless of difference and disadvantage. Positive relationships ensure that, by working together, we raise aspirations, realise our potential and secure our future.
In order to take full advantage of the opportunities on offer and ensure pupils are successful, they should attend school regularly, at least 95% of the time, and be on time every day unless the reason for absence is unavoidable.
The Welsh Government has reintroduced Fixed Penalty Notices. Under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996, the Local Authority has the power to issue parents/carers with a Fixed Penalty Notice for each of their child/children, who fail to attend school regularly.
Working within a code of Conduct the Local authority can issue Fixed Penalty Notices to parents/carers if their child/children misses a number of sessions without permission. The criteria are:
● At least 10 sessions (5 school days) are lost due to unauthorised absence during a rolling 12 week period. These do not need to be consecutive;
● Unauthorised absences that include 10 consecutive sessions (5 school days) due to leave of absence/holiday taken in term time or delayed return from an agreed holiday without a reasonable explanation;
● Persistent late arrival at school, i.e. after the register has closed, during a rolling 12 week period. “Persistent” means at least 10 sessions of late arrival (absence code U);
● Circumstances where the parent or carer is judged capable of securing their child’s regular attendance or whereabouts but is not willing to take responsibility to do so, e.g. parent/carer is unwilling to sign a support plan or contract with the school and attendance is below an acceptable level (as set by the school) over an agreed period of time, without reasonable justification;
● Truancy, where the child has come to the attention of the Police or public during school hours for being absent from school without an acceptable reason.
You could receive a FPN of £60, if paid within 28 days of receipt of the notice, rising to £120 if paid after 28 days but within 42 days of receipt of the notice.
We aim to promote, encourage and instil good habits of punctuality and attendance in all our pupils. Whole week attendance benefits from our class charts rewards system, attendance target weeks and half termly rewards will be given as an incentive to encourage these positive habits and ensure greater value is placed on attendance being the key factor to pupils achieving their full potential and success.
The most convenient way to track your child’s attendance is through their planner, as this is recorded on a weekly basis. You can report any absence from school by contacting the school attendance number. If you would like to discuss issues relating to your child’s attendance please contact our attendance and wellbeing team in the first instance.
Yours sincerely
The Wellbeing and Attendance Team

Dear new Year 7 Bedwas High School pupil!
I hope you enjoyed your recent visit to our school and feel more relaxed about starting high school in September. As
we are now very close to the end of the Summer term and therefore you becoming a Year 7 student at Bedwas High
School I want to take the opportunity to welcome you to our school community and also update you on a few final
details about the arrangements for September. Please make sure you look at the videos and information on the
transition page of our website so that you know what to expect and can familiarise yourself with some key staff,
especially your form tutor.
We will see you on Monday the 5
th of September for an 8.30am start. There will be lots of staff around to help you and
direct you to the hall from where you will go to meet Mrs Thomas and your form tutor. You will then do some
activities to get to know your form class and form tutor better and also have a tour of the school. On this day we will
explain how things work, such as how the cashless system in the canteen works to where to go if you have lost
something of feel worried about something. One thing that you may wish to do over the summer holiday is to write
down some questions you may have and bring these with you to ask your form tutor – no question is a silly question!
Please make sure you are dressed smartly in your new Bedwas High uniform (please see our website for more
information). Our suppliers are Safewear in Cardiff and TSS Sports in Caerphilly and they are taking orders through
their website, over the phone or by visiting their shops. Please be mindful when your parents or carers are buying
trousers and black shoes/trainers for you from shops as some shops label items such as leggings or jeans as school
uniform, which they are not. Please get your parents/carers to contact us at school if you or they have any doubt
about the suitability of any item of clothing or footwear before they spend money on it.
In high school, we expect all pupils to bring their own equipment to school every day. This includes a black pen, pencil,
sharpener, ruler and eraser. Having this equipment is very important to support your learning. Being organised like
this and bringing your equipment in a school bag is so important.
If you are catching school transport to our school that is provided by Caerphilly then they should be sending you a bus
pass that can be used in September. Please be sure you are aware of the exact time and location for morning ‘pick-up’.
The bus will drop you back at this stop after school has finished.
There is a lot to look forward to, and I hope you are excited about joining us, as we can’t wait for you to be part of our
school. I hope you have a brilliant last week in your Year 6 class and you can look back fondly of your time in your
primary school and how much you have learned and developed with the support or your fantastic teachers and staff at
the school.
No doubt you will be a bit anxious about joining us, I am always nervous about the new school year too. I see this as
not a bad thing, more that I want it to go well. You can have every confidence that the teachers at Bedwas High School
have prepared in detail for your move to our school and that the start of the new school year will be as positive, happy
and successful as you would want and expect it to be. To help you prepare for the move to high school please take
some time during the summer holiday to try out our ‘Bedwas High Transition Challenge’ tasks. It would be great to
hear about how you are doing with these, through photos, Tweets and emails from your parent/carer.
Have a lovely, safe summer and I can’t wait to see you in September!!
Best wishes
Mr S Diehl
Headteacher

Pupil Development Grant (PDG) – Access 2022/2023

Get £225 (except for year 7 which is £300) to buy school uniform, equipment, sports kit and kit for activities outside of school for your child.

The scheme for the 2022/23 academic year will begin on 1st July 2022 and end on 30th June 2023

Please note that the value of the grant has been increased by £100 as listed above for one year only (22/23) per learner eligible for free school meals.  This applies to all compulsory year groups (Reception – Year 11), Looked After Children, and those who are classed as No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

Learners currently eligible for free school meals can apply for this grant if they are:

• entering reception, year 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in primary school in September 2022
• entering year 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 in secondary school in September 2022
• aged 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 in special schools, special needs resource bases or pupil referral units (year groups as detailed above)
• For Year 7 learners the grant is £300, recognising the increased costs associated with starting secondary school.

This funding is for pupils currently eligible for free school meals and does not extend to pupils who receive free school meals under the transitional protection or universal offer. If you have submitted an application for Free School Meals then you must await the decision before applying for the PDG Access grant.  

If you believe you are eligible for Free Schools Meals and have not already submitted an application then please complete our online Free School Meal application form. You MUST await the outcome of this before applying for the PDG Access grant.

The Funding is available to ALL Children looked after (CLA), also known as Looked After Children (LAC) of compulsory school age, irrespective of FSM entitlement. In a change to last year’s application process, please note a claim will need to be submitted.

The funding can be used to purchase:

• School uniform, including coats and shoes; 
• School sports kit including footwear;
• Uniform for wider activities, for example sports, scouts and guides;
• School equipment  where new curriculum activities begin such as design and technology; and
• Equipment for out of school hours trips such as waterproofs for outdoor learning.
• Laptops or tablets to assist with remote learning. Welsh Government advice families to contact their child’s school/setting to discuss loaning equipment before purchasing.

Mobile phones are excluded from this funding.

If you have already purchased the items, you can still apply and receive the funds retrospectively.

How to apply

The online form will be available on the CCBC website from Friday 1^st July 2022.

If you do not have access to the online form or require assistance please telephone the helpline number 01443 863052 This number will be available from Friday 1^st July 2022 between 9am – 5pm Monday to Thursday, & 9am – 4.30pm Fridays. 

Further information about this funding is available on the Welsh Government website