As the academic year draws to a close, please be advised that the school will be closing early at 12.20 pm on Friday, July 18th. This day will also be a non-uniform day. Pupils wearing their own clothes are encouraged to make a £1 donation (in cash) which will be donated to a local food bank to support the Prestatyn community.

Annwyl Rhieni / Gwarcheidwiaid / Dear Parents / Carers

I am pleased to inform you that we have had another successful academic year at Prestatyn High School. Throughout the year, we have focused on ensuring that all our pupils make good progress, achieve positive outcomes and receive the support they need to thrive academically and personally.

As the academic year draws to a close, please be advised that the school will be closing early at 12.20 pm on Friday, July 18th. This day will also be a non-uniform day. Pupils wearing their own clothes are encouraged to make a £1 donation (in cash) which will be donated to a local food bank to support the Prestatyn community.

Pupils are expected to attend school and lessons as normal. The school has made all the necessary arrangements for school buses/taxis to be at school early to transport pupils’ home.
In the last few weeks, we have allowed pupils to not wear their blazers due to the very hot weather.

Please remind your son / daughter that we expect all pupils in full uniform when they return in September.

School re-opens for new term:
I would also like to remind you that the school will reopen for pupils on Wednesday 3rd September. The 1st (Monday) and 2nd (Tuesday) of September are staff training days.

I look forward to seeing our Years 13, 12 and 11 during the summer holidays as they collect their examination results; more information will be available on our website.

With the summer holidays approaching, I urge you to remind your child / children about the importance of staying safe during this time. Encouraging them to follow safety guidelines, practice good manners, and make responsible choices will help ensure a joyful and secure break for all. Should you have any queries during the summer break, please do not hesitate in contacting the school office via email at info@prestatynhigh.co.uk

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation throughout the year. We look forward to welcoming your child back to school in September.

Yn gywir / Yours faithfully

Mr. G. Turner
Deputy Headteacher

Annwyl Rhieni / Gwarcheidwiaid /Dear Parents and Carers,

All schools are advised to put in place emergency arrangements in the unlikely event of an incident requiring a school to use a lockdown procedure to ensure the safety of the pupils and staff. In order to support this process, we are going to undertake our annual lockdown rehearsal with all pupils, staff and visitors in school on Tuesday 8th July in the afternoon. This rehearsal will allow pupils to become familiar with the procedures as they are different to our fire evacuation procedures. This is an annual rehearsal and should take no longer than ten minutes it is important to practice our procedures with our learners.

We have done many things to reduce risk to our pupils in school including putting up additional fencing, gates and changing our procedures. We update our Emergency Plan each year, part of this emergency plan involves lockdown procedures. The lockdown procedure is a response to any incident that has the potential to pose a threat to the safety of pupils, staff and visitors in the school. The procedure may be used in situations such as an incident or civil disturbance in the local community, terrorist action or threat of terrorist action or an intruder on the school site.

When the school is in lockdown, all those on site will be required to follow the procedures. Staff and pupils will be required to go to or stay in the nearest classroom where the door will be locked or blocked to prevent access. Windows will be closed and phones need to remain in the pouches. Senior members of staff in school will coordinate the lockdown procedures to ensure the safety of all areas of the school. We will establish contact with emergency services and the local authority until such time as it is appropriate to end the lockdown procedures.

The school will communicate to parents that lockdown procedures are in place via the school website and other social media platforms. We would request that in such circumstances, parents do not use the phones to contact the school as we would need to keep phone lines clear for communication with emergency services. There will be no access to the school other than to emergency services. During a lockdown, the school retains loco parentis and pupils will not be released to parents until the lockdown has ceased. These procedures are a precaution and are nothing to be alarmed about.

We will discuss our procedures with pupils to prepare them for this rehearsal but we would be grateful if you could reinforce the message that this is nothing to be concerned about but allows additional safety arrangements to be made in school should we need to use the lockdown procedures. Should you have any questions in relation to this, please direct them via your child’s Head of Year.

Yn gywir / Yours faithfully,
PJ Hill
Mrs PJ Hill
Assistant Headteacher/ Pennaeth Cynorthwyol

The school library is recalling all loaned books back, for an end of year stock check. Each book costs, roughly, around £10, so it's important that we have them all back and can account for them. Please, return all PHS library books back next week.

Annwyl Rhieni / Gwarcheidwiaid / Dear Parents / Carers

In recent weeks we have witnessed an increase in the number of gulls around the school site, particularly during break and lunchtime. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a number of pupils losing their food as the birds have swooped down in an attempt to steal it. Understandably, this has caused distress amongst our pupils and there have been instances where some pupils have sustained minor scratches.

In order to discourage gulls from snatching food we have implemented new measures regarding the consumption of food on school grounds at break and lunchtime. In an attempt to stop the gulls no food or ice pops will be permitted to leave the school diner or snack centre during break and lunch times. We believe that this step will significantly reduce the likelihood of further incidents and promote a more enjoyable mealtime experience for our students. We are also encouraging pupils who bring in a packed lunch to eat their food in the diner / snack centre.

We are also in touch with Denbighshire County Council to see what other measures can be undertaken to humanely manage the number of gulls on school site.

We would appreciate your support in discussing the matter at home. Your reinforcement of these new measures will result in a more enjoyable time for all pupils at break and lunchtime. Should you have any concerns or require further clarification on this matter, please contact your son’s / daughter’s Head of Year.

Yn gywir / Yours faithfully,

Mr. G Turner
Deputy Headteacher

Annwyl Rhieni / Gwarcheidwiaid / Dear Parents / Carers,

As this term draws to a close, I wanted to send out essential reminders so that our pupils can prepare for their return to school after the Easter holidays. There has been no change to the expectations that we have for our pupils in terms of uniform. We are aware that some parents may need support to buy items of uniform; if this is the case, please contact the school and we will be able to help.

In September, we introduced the mobile phone holders; this has had a positive effect on learning. Thank you for your support with this. It is important that all learners are responsive, respectful, and that they comply with our expectations. This is so that we can get on with what matters most: educating our young people. Successful education starts with the basics, and that means all pupils and parents supporting our expectations. For example, ensuring that all uniform and shoes are correct, that the rules on make-up, nails, piercings, and mobile phones are followed. It is also important that pupils bring a bag with them to school every day. As we prepare for the new term, we will insist on all of our learners complying with these expectations. Failure to follow these simple rules will result in sanctions. However, we are aware that as we move into the summer, the temperature may change and we will adapt our uniform expectations accordingly.

It is important that our learners are in school each and every day to ensure that they are not missing out on learning time. Pupils must also be on time to school and to their lessons.
Please remember to enjoy your Easter holidays safely. All of our learners need to be socially responsible citizens in
our fantastic community.

Yn gywir / Yours faithfully,

Mrs Pam Hill
Assistant Headteacher/Pennaeth Cynorthwyol