Executive Head Teacher Welcome
Dear Parents/Carers,
We are absolutely delighted you have made the decision to send your child to one of our schools within the Fern Federation (Cefn and Craig yr Hesg) we understand that this is a decision you have not taken lightly, and we regard it as an honour and a privilege that you have entrusted your child’s education to us. In 2013 Craig Yr Hesg and Cefn Primary School’s came together to form the Fern Federation, by federating we have strengthened both schools teaching and learning opportunities and have created more cohesion across our community.
This prospectus is designed to give you information about the Federation’s aims, ethos, policies, organisation , and curriculum. Here in the Federation, we have an excellent team of staff who are committed to providing a high-quality learning environment where children can achieve, enjoy, and excel in all areas of school life through fun, purposeful and contextual learning experiences. In the Fern Federation we are a family and as such bullying, racism, and any other form of negative behaviour will not be tolerated. Teachers and support staff all work hard to maintain a safe and happy environment where all children are encouraged to become enthusiastic and lifelong learners. Children are valued as members of the Federation community and our behaviour policy places emphasis on celebrating success and taking responsibility for their actions. The Federation offers an enriched, broad, and balanced curriculum that strives to give children lots of opportunities not only academically but socially and emotionally too.
As parents and guardians, we want you to be active partners in your children’s learning, we will endeavour to do this through:
- Effective Communication- Dojo, Seesaw, Website, Twitter, Parent Facebook groups, emails, parent reports, parent meetings, newsletters.
- Home to school learning- Homework, reading books, creative tasks, family trips, family learning workshops, One Page Profiles.
- Celebrations- sports days, assemblies, concerts, shows, class visits, PTA activities.
Our Federation benefits from the effective support of an active Governing Body who ensure that the Federation fulfils its duties and provides value for money. They challenge the Federation to ensure that all children achieve high their potential and make progress within the spirit of the agreed school aims. I am proud to be part of this Federation family where your child is at the heart of everything we do and by working together we will all prosper!
Mrs S. Haggett Executive Head Teacher Fern Federation
Our Values
The Fern Federations 12 Values chosen by the staff, children, parents, and governors for the 2023-2024 academic year.From teaching our 12 Values we have now condensed these down into 6 Key Values that we believe are important for our pupils to develop not only through school but life also.
Representatives from the School Council worked with CISP Multimedia Ltd to create our new Values Shield. They discussed the values as a group , talked about what each meant, drew some illustrations to capture their ideas and these were digitized by the company to create the shield below.
SCHOOL UNIFORMS 2024 - 2025
We do not expect any parent/carer to go to any expense for school uniform, there is no expectation for you to add any logos to the uniform. Supermarket comparisons show that Tesco has 2 school sweatshirts in blue and red for £4, Asda has 2 white polos for £2.50, Asda has a 2 pack of navy trousers £6, Tesco has 2 pack skirts/pinafores for £6, Asda and Tesco both have shoes for £6. Total cost per 1 uniform including shoes- £12.25
See below for the uniform required for both schools:
The curriculum has 6 areas of learning known as Areas of Learning Experiences (AOLE’s) these are:
- Expressive Arts-incorporating dance, art, drama, film, digital media, and dance.
- Humanities- incorporating geography, history, RE, business studies and social studies.
- Health & Wellbeing- this covers physical, psychological, emotional, and social aspects of life.
- Science & Technology- incorporating biology, chemistry, physics, computer science and design technology.
- Mathematics & Numeracy- pictorial, concrete, and abstract approaches to numeracy.
- Language, Literacy & communication- Welsh, English and English literature.
In addition, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital Skills are embedded throughout all curriculum areas.
Relationships & Sexuality Education (RSE) is mandatory in all primary schools, parents will no longer be allowed to withdraw pupils from these lessons. Lessons will focus on building relationships on mutual trust and developing mental and emotional wellbeing, resilience, and empathy. Religious Education (RVE) will continue to be compulsory.
In the Fern Federation, we deeply value every child's unique potential and understand that some children may have additional learning needs that require specialised support. Our primary schools are committed to fostering an inclusive and nurturing environment where all children can thrive. We recognise that these additional learning needs can vary greatly and may include conditions such as dyslexia, autism, speech and language disorders, or other challenges.Our dedicated teachers and support staff work closely with parents to identify and address these needs, ensuring that each child receives the tailored support they require to succeed academically and socially.We believe in open communication, collaborative partnerships, and a person-centered approach to education, where the individual needs of every child are at the forefront of our efforts.Together, as a community, we are committed to empowering every child in our care to reach their full potential and embrace a bright future.I
f you require any further information or are concerned about your child then please contact the schools to make an appointment with Miss E Lewis the Federations Additional Learning Needs Co Ordinator.
FERN FEDERATION APPROACH TO ATTENDANCE
Pupils need to attend school regularly if they are to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. The progress of pupils is affected by non-attendance at school. Children are expected to attend school every day and punctually, unless there is a valid reason for not doing so.
Authorised Absences
It is inevitable that there will be times when your child will need to be absent from school. It may be because of a visit to the hospital for example. Whilst we would ask that, where possible, appointments are made outside school hours, we acknowledge that in certain circumstances it is not possible. At these times, we ask you to notify the school in advance, either in a short note to the class teacher or by telephoning the school office. (Cefn -01443 400815, Craig Yr Hesg 01443 486830)
Should your child be absent through illness, we ask that you contact the school on the morning of the first day of absence so that we know that your child/children are safe at home (either leave a voice mail message or speak to the office Cefn – Mrs Morris, Craig Yr Hesg – Mrs Davies). We operate a first day calling system where, if the school is not contacted, by 9:30 Am, a member of school staff will contact you to check if we can help in anyway.
Holidays within Term Time
We ask parents to try their best to arrange holidays in official school breaks. Any requests for holidays during term time cannot be authorised (apart from exceptional circumstances). The school has an application form which will require information regarding the length and purpose of the holiday, with exact dates and any family circumstances. In some cases, Holidays in term time can result in FPNs being issued. More information can be found on our school website regarding Holidays in Term time.
Attendance and Wellbeing Officer (AWO) and Heads of School/Executive Head
The AWO visits regularly and can advise the Head of School/Executive Head on families with educational welfare problems. The Head of School/Executive Head will monitor the Federations punctuality, to check on persistent, unexplained absences, or to support families that we are concerned about, where more intense support is needed the AWO will be called.
Care of our Pupils
Ensuring your child is cared for and looked after, whilst at school, is of great importance to us. If you have any queries at any time, then you are very welcome to come and speak to your child's teacher. However, please remember that after school is the best time, as the teacher has his/her class to prepare for, and to look after, at the beginning of school. You should always go to the main office to ask if the teacher is available – in the interests of school security, please, do not enter the school to look for them. If your child’s teacher is unavailable, short messages can be passed on via the school office or sent directly via ClassDojo this should only be done as a last resort. If necessary, an appointment can be made for the earliest possible opportunity.
A New School For Glyncoch
We are currently in the process of our new school being built next to our Craig Yr Hesg Site. Below you will find the most recent projection of our proposed new school.
FERN FEDERATIONS COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS PROCEDURES
Complaints Procedure
The Governing Body of the Fern Federation take all complaints very seriously as we are committed to providing high-quality education. We have aimed to make the Federation’s complaints procedure easy to follow with three easy steps:
• Step 1 – Informal Stage.. You must contact the Headteacher- Mrs S. Haggett or Head of Schools- Mrs E. Byers (Cefn) or Mrs C. Smith-Thomas (CYH) of the school first as most complaints are resolved at this stage. Step 2 – Formal StageAll complaints will need to be in writing and addressed to the Chair of the Governing Body- Councillor Doug Williams. They will be thoroughly investigated, and a response will be made in writing. Step 3 – School Complaints Committee If you are unhappy with the investigation you must write to the Governors and request the Clerk to the Governing Body- Non Morgan (RCT), who convenes the Complaints Committee of the Governing Body to review your complaint.
Medical Concerns
In most cases, the school is unable to administer medication (See medicine policy on school website). However, if a child returns to school with a doctor’s consent, the Head teacher may agree to administer the required dosage if necessary. Where medicine is brought to school, the following conditions must apply:
- A written permission slip must be submitted.
- The child’s name must be clearly visible on the container.
- The dose must be clearly stated on the container.
- The medicine must be kept, locked, in the Main School Office (Unless it needs to be refrigerated and may have to be kept in the staff room fridge). Please contact the school’s before sending in any mediation of any sort. Further information about medicines can be found on the website
FERN FEDERATION GDPR
As a public body, there are certain tasks that will require us to process your child’s information under the basis of ‘Public Task’. During your child’s time in the Federation, we will process a large amount of information about them, in order to provide them with the best possible care and support within their education. In the Fern Federation data protection is given a high priority, and we do all we can to ensure that your information is held securely.
Please find below a brief overview of how we establish Data Protection procedures within the Fern Federation.
PROCESSING DATA
In the Fern Federation there are 6 core objectives that we adhere to when processing information about our pupils. As a Federation, we will ensure that all information held about your child will be:
- Processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner.
- Collected for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes.
- Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary;
- Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
- Kept in a form no longer than is necessary.
- Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data.
The collection of Personal Information
The Federation collects information about pupils and their parents or legal guardians when they enrol at either school. The Federation also collects information at other key times during the school year. Information is also received from other schools when pupils transfer. The school processes the information it collects to administer the education it provides to pupils. For example:
- Providing effective educational services to individuals.
- Monitoring and reporting on pupil’s educational progress.
- The provision of Welfare, pastoral care, and health services.
- The giving of support and guidance to pupils, their parents, and legal guardians.
Personal Information Held
The sort of personal information that will be held includes;
- Personal details such as name, address, date of birth.
- Pupil identifiers and contact details for Parents and Guardians.
- Information on Performance in internal and National assessments
Organisations who may share Personal Information
Information held by the school, LEA and the Welsh Government on pupils, their parents or legal guardians may also be shared with other organisations when the law allows, for examples with:
- Joint Education Services (JES). Other education and training bodies, including schools, when pupils are applying for courses, training, school transfer or seeking guidance on opportunities.
- Bodies doing research for the Welsh Government, LEA and schools, so long as steps are taken to keep the information secure;
- Central and local Government for the planning and provision of educational services.
- Social services and other health and welfare organisations where there is a need to share information to protect and support individual pupils.
- Various regulatory bodies, such as inspection authorities, where the law requires that information to be passed on so that they can do their work;
Your Rights
You have certain rights under Data Protection Act, including a general right to be given access to personal data held about your child. The presumption is that by the age of 12 a child has sufficient maturity to understand their rights and to make an access request themselves if they so wish. A parent would normally be expected to make a request on a child’s behalf if the child is younger. If you wish to access personal data regarding your child, then please complete a ‘Subject Access Request’ form, available on the school website.
Please note that in some instances, particularly where Child Protection cases are involved, you may not be entitled to view all information held on your child for legal purposes.
Keep us up to date
It is very important that you keep the school informed of any changes to personal information, such as address, mobile number This will allow us to maintain our records in line with Data Protection guidelines. We will share with you the information we hold during Parents Evening (annual), for you to check that the information we hold about your child is accurate.
FERN FEDERATION EQUALITY AND SAFEGUARDING
In the Fern Federation we do not tolerate discrimination of any sort for example because of a person’s skin colour, culture, origin, creed, gender, and ability. We endeavour to further this objective by creating a happy, caring environment, where everyone is respected and valued. We aim to educate, develop, and prepare our pupils for life to enable them to co-exist in society as well-balanced, tolerant, open-minded individuals. If you would like more information on our Equality procedures in the Fern federation, our detailed Strategic Equality plan is available on the website.
The Federation are working in conjunction with Welsh Government on a UNCPRD Pilot which looks at disabilities and the rights of the child in the new Welsh Curriculum.
Safeguarding in the Fern Federation
In the Fern Federation the safeguarding of all our pupils is paramount. Safeguarding forms, a regular part of staff and governor training all of the senior Leadership Team (SLT) are trained to Level 3 and all other staff are trained to Level 1. There are regular updates within the Federation about issues arising regarding the safeguarding of our pupils and all issues are logged onto a system called ‘My Concern’. Before any trips are undertaken, they are risk assessed and uploaded onto RCT’s online ‘Evolve’ System.
All staff within the Federation are subject to enhanced DBS checks, which ensures that all staff in the school are free from any possible criminal convictions.
We pride ourselves on our security within the school which includes CCTV across the school site, telephone system throughout the schools, visitor sign in system and intruder alarm systems.
For Child Protection issues, please see the Executive Head Teacher Mrs S Haggett who is the Designated Senior Person in charge of Child Protection for the Federation. If they are unavailable, please ask to speak with to Mrs E Byers in Cefn and Mrs C. Smith-Thomas in Craig Yr Hesg who will be able to deal with your concerns. Any concerns about a child or parent are logged onto an online safeguarding system called ‘My Concern’.
FERN FEDERATION ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Admissions to School
The admission of children to schools is controlled and administered by an ‘Admissions Authority’. In the case of Primary schools in RCT, the admissions authority is Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council also known as the Local Authority (LA). Within the County Borough each school has its own designated catchment area. Most parents/carers send their child to the ‘local’ school, but some parents/carers exercise their right to state a preference for a different school. In all cases parents/carers of pupils who are due to change schools in September will need to indicate, in writing, their preferred school. Pupils who live in a defined catchment area of a school no longer have an automatic right to attend that school unless a written application is made. An appropriate form will be sent to all relevant parents/carers which will need to be returned to: Admissions, Schools Department, Ty Trevithick, Abercynon, CF45 4QUQ, 01443 28111 or apply online (see link below) in order to match parents’/carers preferences with the availability of places at the school of their choice. In most cases, we can accommodate parents’ preferences for admission into our school. There is an appeals procedure (to an Independent Appeal Committee) in place for parents of any pupil who is refused a place within the Federation.
PARENT VISITS TO THE FEDERATION
In the Federation we understand that choosing a school for your child is a big decision. Should you wish to visit either school to see our facilities then we would kindly ask you to contact the school office when a date and time can be arranged for you to visit the school’s. We welcome any request to visit the school. Please note that, in most cases (apart from exceptional circumstances), visits will be arranged outside of school hours when pupils are not on site. This is to secure the Safeguarding of our Pupils. Nursery parents are invited to a meeting in the Summer Term, to visit our Nurseries ahead of their Child starting in September. These dates will be communicated to you via email.
A happy Federation for all
Our aim is that our pupils are happy during their time in the Federation and should respect themselves as individuals and as collective members of our school community. They must be encouraged to respect other people’s feelings, attitudes, and property. We believe the standards of behaviour within our Federation are exemplary Here in the Federation, we emphasise the positive reinforcement of good behaviour, as we feel that praise is the most powerful tool in maintaining good discipline. We strive to maintain a happy atmosphere, with the children being gainfully engaged, since disengagement and unhappiness are more likely to lead to unacceptable behaviour. Whilst the emphasis will remain on praise and rewards, there will still be occasions when a child’s behaviour needs correcting. Minor wrongdoings will be dealt with as caring parents would deal with their own child. More serious cases are dealt with by inviting the parents to the school to discuss matters before any further action is taken.
Charging and Remissions Policy
School Visits
Since the Education Act of 1988, schools have been unable to charge parents/carers for school trips and educational visits, which take place largely during school hours. However, to enable these visits to continue, we are allowed to ask for voluntary contributions. To date, we have had excellent support from our parents/carers and the children have, therefore, continued to benefit from some very valuable experiences on a regular basis. I trust that we will continue to receive this support from every parent/carer, to enable these trips to continue. As a Federation we will give notice of a proposed trip and if needed payment will be taken in instalments no cash payment will be taken all payments need to be made online.
Site Security
Cefn and Craig Yr Hesg Primary Schools have invested in ensuring that the school sites are safe for pupils and staff. There are several ways we have achieved this including:
- CCTV installed across the site to ensure all activity is monitored and recorded.
- Exterior lighting installed to provide adequate light during darker months.
- ID badges and visitor badges used throughout the school. All visitors are expected to make an appointment before visiting and sign in before entering the building.
Acts of Deliberate Vandalism
The parents/carers of a child, who wilfully and deliberately destroys/damages Federation property/equipment or fixtures and fittings, will be asked to either replace the item or pay a charge towards replacement or repair.
Eating in the Federation
Breakfast Club
The Federation operates a Breakfast Club for all pupils every morning from 8:10 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. Pupils must not be in school before 8:10 as they will not be supervised, and they must be in school by 8:30am to be given access to Breakfast club. Pupils who arrive after this time will not be given access to breakfast club. In addition to being offered a healthy choice of cereal, toast, fruit juice, milk etc., the children are provided with the opportunity to socialise and enjoy a variety of fun activities. Your child is welcome to attend on some or all days. Registration forms are available from the staff in breakfast club and must be received by the school before your child can attend breakfast club.
Lunchtime
There are two options regarding lunchtime arrangements for your child:
- School Meals. Your child may stay for school dinners at the cost of £2.55 per day this must be paid online no cash will be accepted please contact the school offices for information on how to do this. There is also a policy relating to free school meals, based on family income. For more information about eligibility for Free School Meals, please contact the school offices on 01443 400815 or 01443 486830.Menus are available on RCT website (click button below to visit this page)
2. Packed Lunches. Your child may bring their own packed lunch to school, if so desired, subject to the following rules:
- In line with our Healthy School status, we encourage parents to provide a healthy lunch – advice leaflets are available from the school website.
- No glass bottles are allowed, for safety reasons.
- A lunchbox of a reasonable size should be used with your child’s name clearly visible on the box / bag. These are stored in classrooms.
Snack Time
Please ensure your child has a healthy snack and drink for break time, no chocolate, crisps, and energy drinks, we respectfully ask that you provide children with fruit, vegetables, yoghurts, breakfast bars, milk, water and sugar free juices.
Water
Children are asked to bring a water bottle to school labelled with their name to ensure they keep hydrated throughout the school day.
Closing statement Chair of Governors Fern Federation
As Chair of Governors for the Fern Federation, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for considering our primary schools as a place for your child's educational journey.
Here in the Federation, we are more than just two schools working together; we are a vibrant community of dedicated educators, supportive families, and enthusiastic learners. Together, we share a common goal - to nurture, inspire, and prepare our children for a future filled with endless possibilities. Your trust in us is an honour, and we are excited about the potential for your child's growth and success. I encourage you to explore our prospectus, attend our open events, getting involved in Federation events and engage with our wonderful Federation community. We look forward to the opportunity to partner with you in shaping a bright and promising future for your child. Thank you for considering Cefn or Craig Yr Hesg as your partner in education.
Warm regards, Councillor D. Williams Chair of Governors, Fern Federation