Parkland Parent Association (PPA)
The PPA continue to work tirelessly to raise funds for the school. The Fathers’ Day gift event was another success, building upon the recent new venture for mums. The summer fete was a great success, despite the poor weather the event was fantastically orchestrated by the chair person and everyone who helped andraised £2200.00. I would like to thank all of you who volunteered and helped. Your help is greatly needed and really very much appreciated.
School Council
What a fantastic year school council have had! They have worked diligently all year, fundraising, reviewing policies, supporting fetes and meeting with the school governors. A huge well done to all involved and enjoy your summer break.
Celebration
Our Year 4 class have taken part in an ESDGC project along with Sketty, Pen-Y- Fro, Cila and Olchfa schools to produce a Fairtrade recipe book. The book was launched in Olchfaand the proceeds from the book will be put back into the schools to fund further projects.
Musical Routes Opera Project – our Year 5 children took part in a community project sponsored by the Arts Council of Wales, with the Swansea Opera Company. Parkland Primary performed and danced with Professional Opera Singers and three others schools in the area at the National Waterfront Museum.
Primary Partners – the school orchestra performed live on stage at the Swansea Grand theatre as one of the Swansea Schools, in this year’s Primary Partners Concerts. All the children involved, experienced the thrills of waiting back stage, felt the rush o adrenalin as the curtain went up to reveal a packed out theatre and played their hearts out brilliantly. What a wonderful opportunityfor them all.
Staffing
We say goodbye to a number of staff this year who have all played key roles within Parkland. Mr Mark Dennis is going to pastures new, to be the headteacher in Blaenymaes Primary School. We wish Mr Dennis the best of luck and hope to hear of successes in his new venture. For the next academic year Miss Poole and Mrs Leahy, Key Stage Two and Foundation Phase leaders will be the acting deputy headteachers in Parkland. We also say goodbye to Mr Tony Humphries, who has worked very energetically in Parkland for the past four years, Mr Humphries is going to pursue a career in social services. Mrs Elizabeth Meade is leaving to have a baby and Emily Stephens is joining the teachers in St Helen’s Primary School. Joanna Jones, who has worked in the Specialist Teaching Facility is leaving to study for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, to become a teacher and Mr Jack Horgan who has covered classes during a long term absence and maternity leave who will be starting a new role, teaching in the Specialist Teaching Facility and personal and Social development to year 7 pupils in Dwr y Felin Comprehensive School.
Premises
The multi-media room is almost complete. We just need to finish decorating and the room has now been furnished. An electronic screen has been fitted which will be used for green screening. It has been renamed by the Digital Heroes as the Digi Room and will be used by the children to use digital technologies to undertake research, develop green screen films and make pod casts.
Once again, during the summer holidays we will be undertaking developments to the premises. The remaining old door into one of the nursery classes is being replaced and will match all the other new doors I the building. New screens are being erected in both halls to store the dining tables in, as these tables are unsteady. Parts of the roof will be repaired and the chain link fencing on the school field is partially being replaced.
Additional security measures have been installed. A new gate and fence to secure the area by the side entrance of the school has been sited between boiler room and the fence to the neighbouring house has been erected, this will enable the children in school to use the area during operational hours. Other areas of the school’s perimeter has been made more secure; a large gate has been placed towards the Gabalfa Road entrance, the hedge by the car park will be made more secure during the holiday period and the small gate by the shed, leading to the nursery class will be replaced with a higher gate to secure the site more when children are using the outdoors.
Health, Safety and safeguarding
Please note that parents/carers who allow their children to play on any of the school equipment, in the trees or on the school grounds before or after the school day, do so at their own risk. Please do not allow children to play and/or walk on the wall by the infant path, to run and/or walk on the grass behind the wall or climb the trees. The risk of falling is significant.
The school premises are open for children to be on site from 8.40am. We have noticed that some children are entering the school grounds or are on the pavement by the junior entrance before 8.40am. Any children on site before 8.40am should be attending breakfast club. Please note that there are no staff on the yard prior to 8.40am and therefore children should not be entering the school grounds. Similarly, there are no adults outside the junior gate who have responsibility for supervising children. It is not safe for the children to be outside the school gates, unsupervised prior to 8.40am. Sketty Park Drive is a very busy road, please do not drop your children off on the yellow zig zag lines, please park in a space which does not cause congestion and ensure the children step out of the car onto the pavement at all times. As an extra precaution to safeguard the children, staff are manning the school gates between 8.40am and 8.55am. Please note that the Key Stage 2 yard is manned from 8.40am and children in Key Stage 2 can come onto the site on their own, if this is preferable. However, the Foundation Phase yard is not manned. As a result, please do not leave Foundation Phase children unattended.
The gates providing access to the school for the end of the dayare openedat 3.15pm in readiness for the end of the day at 3.20pm.
Disabled Access
Please note that if you, or someone accompanying you to the school has a disability you are welcome to park in the staff car park and use the main school entrance to access the building. If you require assistance to enter the building or additional consideration during events please let us know and we will make arrangements to enable your safe and comfortable access, time in the building and exit.
School Meals and Dinner Money
You will have already received information about the new online payment system, sQuid from September for school meals. We are encouraging all parents to register for this if their child is having school meals.
The City & County of Swansea are adopting a clear no-debt policy relating to school meals, this means you will no longer be able to let your child’s school meal account fall into arrears.
The school will no longer be responsible for the collection of dinner monies and will no longer be sending out reminders about dinner money payments you will have to ensure that there is enough credit on your child’s account for them to have a school meal. If you do not have the credit your child will need to bring a packed lunch to school.
From September the price of a school meal will be £2.25 per day, £11.25 per week.
Free School Meals
If you think you might be entitled to claim Free School Meals for your child/children please contact the school office for an application form. The kitchen supplies children with hot and cold food, including sandwiches. If you do not wish your child to receive a school meal, but feel you may be entitled, please consider claiming it as the school receives an additional £1050.00 in its budget for every child registered as being entitled to free school meals.
Reporting Absences
When leaving messages to report your child’s absence please inform us of the specific reason for absence. Leaving messages which inform us that children are ‘ill’ provide us with insufficient information. Also, when collecting children for appointments please bring the appointment letter or card for the school’s records.
Punctuality
Can I politely remind parents / carers that school starts at 8.50am and that children should be ready to enter the classroom as soon as the first bell sounds. The second bell sounds to inform teachers it is time to close all doors promptly at 8.55am. If the 8.55am bell rings as you are bringing your child/ren to school you are already late and your child will be given a late mark on the register. In inclement weather doors allowing access to the school will open at 8.40am. The junior gates open at 8.40am and the yard is supervised by staff, therefore children can come onto site in the juniors from this time, in readiness for the beginning of the day. The infant yard is not supervised so we request that for safeguarding reasons younger children are not left on the infant yard.
Attendance
We are working hard to ensure the school has good attendance. As of yet we have not issued any penalty notices and we are trying very hard not to do so. However, we are still receiving a significant number of requests for holidays. I would ask that you support me in avoiding the use of penalty notices. The school target for attendance is 96% or above.
Child Protection
The Child Protection officer for the school is Anne Lloyd, the Headteacher, and in her absence Mrs Rachel Leahy or Miss Felicity Poole, the Acting Deputy Headteachers. The Governor with responsibility for child protection is Mr James Ellis, the Chair of Governors. In the event of child protection needs arising, the school must follow procedures and report this to social services. There may also be a need to share information with other agencies.
Appointments during the school day
May I remind parents that we do not encourage any medical appointments during the school day, although, I do know on occasions that this cannot be avoided. If your child does have to attend an appointment during this time we will need to see evidence of the appointment. Please bring either the confirmation letter or the appointment card to school at the time.
Diary Dates:
First day of the autumn term-Tuesday 5thSeptember 2017
October half term holiday begins- Monday 30th October 2017
First day of the 2nd half of the autumn term- Monday 5th November 2017
Last day of the autumn term- Friday 22nd December 2017
We have arranged the following InSET Days fornext year:
Monday 4th September 2017
Monday 23rdJuly 2018
Tuesday 24thJuly 2018
There are two more InSET days to arrange for next year. You will be notified of these dates as soon as they have been arranged.
We hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you next academic year.
To contact us:
Email –
Telephone – 01792 205462