Ysgol y Llys Prospectus 2024-25

Dear Parents

I should like to welcome you and your child to our school and hope that you will find this pack helpful.

The information enclosed gives an outline of our educational philosophy and school organisation but it is the spirit in which these are carried out that is important. We believe that education should be conducted in a happy and pleasant atmosphere and we endeavour to create within the school an attitude, which fosters this belief.

Please remember that we are available to answer queries and relieve anxieties. Should these arise please do not hesitate to contact us and we shall do our utmost to help.

We hope that the time you and your children spend with us will be both happy and rewarding.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Rhys G Griffith

Headteacher

Our Vision

This is our vision for Ysgol y Llys:

• Celebrate and promote our Welsh Pride.
• A happy and safe school.
• Creating a caring and supportive atmosphere.
• Respect the school, the community and the world.
• Confidence to venture through rich experiences.
• Build resilience to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.
• Lles Gwerin Llys Agored.

It is vitally important that we are suitable role models for the pupils: we set high expectations in terms of behaviour, attitude, positivity towards work, and are excellent linguistic role models.

The main purpose of Education and Teaching within the curriculum is to help each individual to make progress at their level; to help the children ahead of us to make progress, to meet their individual needs, not to plan according to their age or our expectations of them. One pupil's progress can look completely different to another pupil's progress, but we celebrate everyone's progress equally, and recognize the right of every child to receive care, guidance and support.

Headteacher

Mr Rhys G Griffith (ysgol.yllys@sirddinbych.gov.uk)

Chair of Governors

Mr Mike O'Meara (OMearam6@hwbcymru.net)

Director of Education and Culture

• Corporate Director Lifelong Learning,
• Denbighshire County Council,
• Council Offices
• Wynnstay Road,
• Ruthin,
• Denbighshire,
• LL15 1YN

Phone: 01824 706016

Support Staff

Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HTLA's)

• Mrs Bethan McCabe
• Mrs Carys Bunnell
• Miss Hanna Hughes

Teaching Assistant

• Mrs Rhianwen Rees Mason

Learning Support Assistants

• Mrs Joyce Doyle
• Miss Megan Davies
• Miss Lowri Hughes
• Miss Abby Peake
• Miss Catherine Roberts
• Miss Laura Jones
• Mrs Ceri Thomas
• Mrs Gemma Coe

Admin Staff

• Mrs Julie Lloyd
• Mrs Angela Thomas

Lunchtime Supervisors

• Miss Catherine Roberts

Cook

• Ms Lorraine Wood-Jones

School Caretaker

• Mr Steve Corbett

Cleaners

• Linda Oliver
• Samantha Lloyd
• Sam Seiga
• Michelle Simpson

Academic Dates 2024-2025

Nursery - 9.00am - 11.30am and 12.30pm - 3.00pm

Infants - 8.55 am - 12.00 : 12.55 - 3.00 pm

Juniors - 8.55 am - 12.00 : 12.55 - 3.15 pm

Hours of actual teaching time

• Infants - 22 hours 15 minutes
• Juniors - 24 hours 10 minutes

Parents of the morning Nursery children are asked to bring their child to the Cylch Meithrin gate close to the Under 5 Unit Classes. The Cylch gates are opened at 8:55. Admittance will not be allowed before then. Parents collecting their child from Nursery at 11.30 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. are also requested to wait outside the same gate where their children will be transferred into their care.

Reception class children will be transferred from the ‘Gareth Bale’ gate which is visible on the school playground. In the morning Reception class pupils are to be brought to the Cylch gate at the back of the Under 5 Unit. The gate will be open from 8.55 – 9.00 a.m.

School Meals and Milk

Meals are prepared on the school premises daily. A set meal is served for all pupils but milk is only available for the Foundation Phase pupils during the mid-morning break. As of September 2023, all statutory aged pupils from Reception to Year 4 will be offered a free school meal as part of the WAG initiative. This will be rolled out further more to pupils in Years 5 and 6 after Christmas 2023

Online Communication

The school has a useful website www.ysgolyllys.cymru . It is updated regularly with information and photographs about the school as well a calendar of events for the year. We also have an official X account - @YYllys, and an official Facebook Group which is regularly updated and Instagram account.

School Concerts/Special Aassemblies

There are many occasions when parents and friends are invited to concerts and Special Services and their support are greatly appreciated, not least by the children.

Transitioning to High Schools

Most of the pupils from Ysgol y Llys transition to Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd, St Asaph. Application forms are available online on the Denbighshire County Council website, for parents to complete, at the start of the academic year.

Pupils will visit Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd on a number of occasions from Year 5 onwards and parents are afforded the opportunity of visiting the school prior to the transition.

Equal Opportunity

The School Governors supports Ysgol y LLys’ Strategic Equality Plan. We do not discriminate against people on the basis of age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexuality or ability. For further details, please visit our school website: www.ysgolyllys.cymru

Disabilities

The school conforms to the Discrimination against Disability Act and has formulated an appropriate plan.

Attending school regularly and punctually is important but please do not send your child too early - not before 8.00 a.m. for Clwb Llawen y Llys. If your child does not attend any before school clubs, it is expected that he/she will arrive school after 8.40 a.m. If your child is home from school we would ask you please to contact the school by phone or letter as soon as possible or otherwise we are obliged to mark the child as an unauthorised absence.

You have a legal responsibility to make sure your child attends school. If your child misses school without an acceptable reason, you could be fined or prosecuted.

Most absences for acceptable reasons will be authorised by the school. These include:

• sickness
• unavoidable medical or dental appointments (if possible, you should arrange these for after school or during school holidays)
• days of religious observance
• exceptional family circumstances, such as bereavement
• an interview with a prospective employer or college

Your child’s school will not authorise absences for the following reasons:

• shopping during school hours
• day trips
• term time holidays
• birthdays

If your child misses school without an explanation from you, or if the school is not satisfied with the explanation, the absence will be recorded as ‘unauthorised’, that is, truancy.

Although you may provide a reason for the absence, it is the school that decides whether the absence is recorded as authorised or unauthorised. If you think there may be a reason why your child does not want to go to school, you should speak to your child’s class teacher for help and support.

Fixed Penalty Warning

If your child has 10 days or more unauthorised absences, or is late on more than 20 sessions (10 school days), you could be issued with a fixed penalty notice.

If you pay within 28 days, the fine is £60. If you pay after 28 days, but within 42 days, the fine is £120. If you have not paid the penalty fine in full by the 43rd day, legal action could be taken against you.

Healthy Eating

We encourage children to eat healthily and therefore we ask parent to supply a piece of fruit as a morning snack. Children are not allowed to eat chocolate, crisps nor other sweets during break times. We also encourage pupils to drink water during the day, and we discourage any flavoured drinks. 

Emphasis at Ysgol y Llys is put on every child’s emotional and social well-being and development. We believe that if this is in place, each child will have better environment to learn, develop and make progress socially and academically. We have an effective Inclusion Team- under the leadership of SLT and school ALNCO. Our Nurture Group is provision which is available to pupils who require emotional support, be it short term or long term.

Each child is placed in the care of a particular teacher, but the whole staff endeavour to take care of all pupils' well being. This school urges children to be self-disciplined and to respect others and we know that we can rely on the parents' support in this respect. Children are encouraged through praise e.g. stars, house points, etc. Ysgol y Llys has a pro-active Anti Bullying Policy and Strategy- full details on the policy can be found on our school website. www.ysgolyllys.cymru.

Ysgol y Llys Wellbeing Group

We are fortunate in Ysgol y Llys to have a Nurture group to support pupils, who at times, have experienced social, emotional or behaviour difficulties. Groups are held under the supervision of Miss Hanna Hughes, Mrs Bethan McCabe and Mrs Rhianwen Mason.

Additional Learning Needs (ALN)

Mrs Emma Robertshaw is the School Educational Needs Co-Ordinator. Mrs Robertshaw will be working closely with the staff in the wellbeing group. The school follows the new Additional Learning Needs code.

We are proud to welcome the New Curriculum for Wales, which has been statutory in primary school across Wales since September 2022. Staff have undertaken professional development and have conducted wholesale review of curriculum provision to ensure our revised thematic planning is in line with the new guidance. Essentially, we ensure that all curriculum planning keep in mind the 4 purposed of the New Curriculum. These are to ensure that our learners are given opportunities to be...

• Enterprising ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives,
• Ethical creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work,
• Healthy, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world.
• confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

This means that in school he/she will follow a curriculum, which will:

1. develop the basic skills - speaking, reading, writing mathematical and I.C.T skills
2. give him an opportunity to study and to interpret his environment;
3. foster a healthy attitude towards his fellow beings;
4. enable him/her to gain varied experiences and to give expression to them.

Cyrhaeddir yr amcanion uchod drwy weithrediad y Fframweithiau Llythrennedd a Rhifedd yn ogystal a’r Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Ddigidol. Rydym yn mesur cynnydd disgyblion drwy gyswllt Camau Cynnydd y Cwricwlwm i Gymru ac yn credo mai cynnydd personol disgyblion sy’n allweddol.

The six fields of Learning and Experience recommended in the Donaldson review are:

• Expressive Arts
• Health and Well-being
• Humanities
• Languages, Literacy and Communication
• Mathematics and Numeracy
• Science and Technology

Our aim is to try to ensure that the child, by the time he is eleven years old is one who is fluent and able to read and write in both languages; who is aware of the world around him as well as being a child who in the course of his school career has had every opportunity to develop fully according to his age, ability and aptitude.

In addition, pupils in Years 2,3,4,5 and 6 will be assessed in National Tests in Numeracy, Reasoning and Reading. In order to aid Teachers Assessments, staff meet on a regular basis to standardise work, to hold professional dialogue on pupil progress. The overarching aim is to ensure that all pupils are progressing according to his/her ability against the Progression Steps which is a cornerstone of the New Curriculum for Wales.

Most of the lessons are taught by the class teacher but staff specialities are used to present some areas of the curriculum at Key Stage 2 Art, Technology and P.E.

It is ensured that children in each class are given differentiated work suitable to their capability, Pupils attainment is tracked and assessed formatively, and parents will be invited to discuss pupil progress on numerous occasions during the academic year.

Safeguarding Officers

Here at Ysgol y Llys we take the safeguarding of pupils and others seriously. We follow the national guidance and the Safeguarding policy is updated and reviewed regularly.

The Headteacher is the senior School Safeguarding Officer. In his absence any concern should be forwarded to either Mr Rhys Griffith, Mrs Sophia Rose, Mrs Ffion P Davies, Mrs Emma Robertshaw or Mrs Sian Jones.

Every member of staff has received safeguarding training on a yearly basis, with the senior safeguarding officers receiving further training to fulfil their role. Every member of staff understands which steps to take if a concern is raised or disclosed.

Looked After Pupils

Through close co-operation with outside agencies and the Local Authority the additional care pupils receive is effective in school. Mr Rhys G Griffith, Headteacher and Mrs Emma Robertshaw are responsible to ensure the support they receive is effective to promote their achievement. Regular meetings are held to ensure support and help to the pupils and their carers

It is ensured that children who need additional educational help are given special attention by the class teacher and additional support depending on their needs e.g. different work in the task. In addition to this the Additional Learning Needs Assistant works under the leadership of the class teacher. The Assistant supports children who have Additional Learning Needs weekly either within the class or in pairs/small groups outside. Parents can see the Special Needs policy and discuss their children's teaching plans at any time. Please see the parent’s Special Educational Needs information sheet.

Religious Education

The school has no direct or formal religious affiliation, but local Ministers/Priests are invited to the school from time to time to address the children. Services are held daily and classes take it in turn to conduct Services on Fridays.

Religious Education is also on the timetable of every class and children are expected to participate in all lessons and activities. We follow the New Curriculum for Wales guidance on Religious Education.

Physical Education

All pupils are expected to take part in P.E. and Games. Children in Key Stage 2 have swimming lessons between September and April. Children in Year 2 have an introductory period of swimming lessons during the Summer Term.

The Annual Sports Day is held during the summer term and the children compete to gain points for their houses - Arthur, Glyndwr, Llywelyn.

Key Stage 2 pupils also compete in areas such as football, rugby, cricket and netball Games.

We concentrate on the basic skills during our PE lessons, but we have after school clubs for netball, football, rugby, athletics, dance etc. Professional coaches/instructors are used wherever possible to reinforce the work of the school staff.