Latest News from St Martin's School
The Caerphilly School Based Counselling Service have a team of seven counsellors offering a counselling service for pupils in year six of primary school and all secondary schools. For more information, please click here.
Welsh Government have recently extended the 2020/2021 PDG Access Grant for pupils currently eligible for Free School Meals to 30th June 2021, adding additional year groups (Year 1 & Year 5 in Primary, & Year 8, 9 & 11 in Secondary). This funding is for pupils currently eligible for free school meals, and doesn’t extend to those pupils who receive free school meals under the transitional protection arrangements. The year groups now eligible until 30th June 2021 are:
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Reception, Year 1, Year 3, Year 5
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Year 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11
Families of eligible pupils can ONLY receive one PDG Access grant for that pupil in a School year.
Therefore If you have already claimed this grant for pupils currently in reception, year 3, year 7 & year 10 since 27th July 2020 you are not eligible for further funding in this school year.
The grant is for £125, with the exception of year 7 (£200) and can be used to purchase school uniform, sports kit and kit for activities outside of school for your child. The terms and conditions also now allow the purchase of laptops or tablets to assist with remote learning.
Details of how to claim this grant will be published on the Caerphilly County Borough website week commencing 22nd March 2021
PDG Access claims for September 2021 School Year
Welsh Government have yet to confirm which year groups are able to claim this grant for September 2021. Further details will be published on the Caerphilly County Borough Council website by 15th July 2021. No claims can be made prior to this date.
Please see the following letter with information about Year 7 parents' evening.
Please see the following letter for Year 10 parents' evening. Please note we are launching a new online system for this event, we have included a video tutorial for you to watch. Appointments will go live from 25th February at 8am and will close an hour before the event on the 4th March.
Letters have been emailed to all Year 10 parents today.
Please find below Year 8 Options information for parents and learners.
Our December newsletter is now available to view below.
Dear Parent/ Guardian,
Following the Welsh Government’s announcement, in regard to the arrangements for the new term in January, 2021, I am writing to confirm the approach for St Martins School in line with all other schools in Caerphilly.
This decision has been based upon the increasing number of staff shortages due to positive cases and self-isolation across Wales together with the concern that these numbers are, of course, unpredictable for the first week of term.
As a result the first two days of the new term 4th and 5th of January will be used for reviewing our risk assessments and ensuring we have safe staffing levels and procedures in place to manage our school safely and care for the learners on their return to face to face teaching.
On these days teachers will provide live online lessons for all learners to ensure that there is continuity of learning. Following these distance learning days, face to face provision will be available for eligible key worker childcare and vulnerable pupils, and we will contact other groups/classes of learners to begin their learning on site as soon as is safely possible and prioritising examination classes first.
All pupils will be back in school for face to face learning by Monday, 18th January, 2021, at the latest, with the exception of classes closed due to self-isolation or staff shortages.
Other points to note
The local authority is currently reviewing eligibility of previous childcare applications so that parents/carers can be informed of the outcome next week. Please contact the educationwelfare@caerphilly.gov.uk mailbox to apply if your circumstances have changed since March, 2020, e.g. school, occupation, etc., or it is a new application
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE STATEMENT FROM THE LOCAL AUTHORITY
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE STATEMENT FROM THE WELSH GOVERNMENT
Please see the following video and presentation from the Health and Wellbeing faculty.
Mock examinations are scheduled for years 10 - 13 starting on 11th January 2021
Please find attached St Martin's School Governors' Report to Parents 2019-20
We have updated your Teaching and Learning section by adding the 'Supporting your child at home' document.