Dear Parents and Carers

I do hope you are all safe and well. Today Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education announced her plans for the further opening of schools in September. The guidance for how this will be organised and arranged safely will be issued by the Welsh Government in the next few days. As soon as we have received this guidance and formulated a clear plan, we will contact you with how the new academic year will be arranged. All plans will be based on the advice we receive and will be focused on keeping all pupils and staff safe. I will write to you before the end of term with our plans. Keep well and I will speak to you soon.

Neil Foley - B.Sc. MA.
Pennaeth Headteacher

Return school ‘hugely successful’ as pupils, parents and teachers are relieved to back at school

Prestatyn High have now welcomed back a wider number of pupils as part of the ‘Check in, Catch Up, Prepare for summer and September’ Welsh Government scheme.

Neil Foley, Headteacher at Prestatyn High school, said: "The wider opening of the school has been hugely successful. Both staff and pupils have quickly adapted to the changes and we are delighted to have them all back. A school is nothing without pupils and they have been missed greatly. We appreciate the support and cooperation of our fantastic parents and the wider community.”

PHS has been open every day since lockdown began for keyworker and vulnerable pupils and this has prepared us well for the challenges we faced in opening up further. Pupils, parents and teachers at Prestatyn High have all said they were relieved and happy to be back at school.

A Year 10 pupil said: ‘I was really nervous about returning to school, but going into Year 11 I felt was important. I didn’t need to worry at all, yes school is different but I feel safe and supported.”

As well as key worker children, 60% of pupils from Years 7-10 are now back in school. Year12 students are in everyday to make sure they are catching up, ready for their exams next year.

Sam on twitter said: “Your communication, organisation and reassurance has been fantastic 👍🏻  Well done!! My son (Y7) has missed school so much, he’s had so much encouragement from his teachers virtually, it’s been so well managed..”

Angela Evans said: “My son, mars 9, enjoyed his first day back in school on Monday Thumbs up 👍🏻”

The school has conducted robust risk assessments ahead of the wider opening in line with Department for Education guidance to ensure the safety and protection of children, staff and adults. Assessments included protective and hygiene measures, staffing, site and premises assessments, learning considerations, as well as two-way communications with parents.

Prestatyn High school will continue to provide home learning resources for children not attending school. The school is now on mission to make sure the pupils catch up and get ready for any challenges ahead.

If you were disappointed when the Big Bang fair you registered for was cancelled, we think we’ve got something to put a smile on your face!

We’re bringing together a day of inspiring online sessions to give young people a front row view of the incredible contribution of scientists, healthcare professionals, engineers, technicians and students in responding to Covid-19.

Big Bang Digital 2020 – science, engineering & Covid-19 takes place on Tuesday 14 July and celebrates the amazing work of scientists and engineers in a pandemic.

TV & Radio Science Presenter, Podcaster & YouTuber Greg Foot will be hosting live, exploring the topic with a range of guests, putting your questions to the experts and bringing his usual energy and enthusiasm to the day.

Hear from the people using their skills and experience to fight Covid-19 on the frontline, to keep things moving, keep the lights on and keep food in the shops. Discover how people have been supporting the environment and promoting wellbeing. Sessions include:

• The worldwide race to develop a vaccine (GSK)
• New habits to protect the planet: the environmental impact of staying at home (Plastic Oceans)
• Young talent against Covid-19 (Big Bang Competition winners)
• Designing a social distancing lanyard (RS Components)
• Rebuilding a greener future (The Environment Agency)
• Keeping the water flowing (Thames Water)
• Designing a low-cost ventilator (Imperial College London)
• Feeding the nation (Harper Adams University)

Check out the latest line-up

Big Bang Digital 2020 is going to be an inspiring day of upbeat sessions to show young people the amazing things you can achieve in STEM and includes interactive polls and live Q&A sessions.

Students (11+) can join #BigBangDigital from school or from home on desktop, phone or tablet, so get the date in the diary and bookmark www.digitalbigbang.co.uk.

Internet Safety - New guidance added  for Digital safety during COVID-19

A key element of pupils returning to school is their teaching and learning. Welsh Government have said that the aim of the check in, catch up and prepare time is get pupils learning fit. In Prestatyn High School we believe that means learning regarding wellbeing, and the essential skills of literacy and numeracy. Pupils will be taught by one teacher for the entire day who will prepare them in these three areas. Due to Year 10 being halfway through their GCSEs we have allocated them two days as it is essential for their studies.

In the first week we will focus on wellbeing, with pupils gaining an understanding of their own wellbeing, the situation and how it has affected them and others as well as giving them skills for managing their own wellbeing.

In the second week onwards each day will be split into three sessions. One session will supplement their work from the first week with additional activities which will support wellbeing. The second and third sessions will be working to make themselves ready for continued learning after the summer break. This will focus on the essential skills of literacy and numeracy. Pupils will be working to improve their abilities in literacy and numeracy through a range of carefully prepared tasks and activities prepared by highly skilled and specialist teachers. We will be building in resilience and independence in with these sessions as well in order to support distance learning.

With blended learning likely to continue beyond the summer we are mindful that pupils need to continue working on their distance learning work to supplement the one day a week pupils are in school. Pupils will continue to be set work on Microsoft Teams, however, knowing that pupils are in once a week they may opt to focus on non-core subjects.

Important changes to our Model Engagement and Behaviour Policy COVID

Read more

Dear Parents and Carers - Letter - 25th June 2020

This will be the final time I write to you before we further open our doors to all pupils. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the overwhelming number of emails and responses of support for our plans for wider opening. This has been a mammoth task as I am sure you are aware, a task which has called for every part of the school to be reorganised and changed so that we are as safe as we possibly can be. No stone has been left unturned in this process and I am fully satisfied that we are fully compliant with the COVID-19 guidance and also ready to deliver high quality pastoral and academic catch-up sessions to our pupils.

Over the past week we have also received several questions about next week and clarification on a few points. Below is a summary of the questions and corresponding answers.

Q: Will every pupil receive a free meal even if they are not in receipt of free school meals?
A: Yes, all pupils will be entitled to a free meal everyday they are in school.

Q: Will my son/daughter be able to bring a bag into school?
A: The advice we have received is to limit the items pupils bring into school. This will minimise any potential virus spread as there will be fewer belongings and surfaces that can be touched. Pupils wishing to bring in their own lunch, medication or other essential items are asked to do so in a disposable plastic bag. We would like pupils to also bring in a pen/pencil and a water bottle. If any pupil cannot carry these items without the need for a small disposable bag then we will allow them to bring one in. Any stationery brought into school can be kept in the pupil’s packs that will remain in their allotted classroom.

Q: Does my son/daughter have to bring in hand sanitiser and cleaning wipes?
A: No, these are completely optional. If they do choose to bring them in then please try to make sure they are pocket sized so they can be stored and transported easily. The school will provide all of these items in large quantities around the school.

Q: Why are Year 10 in twice a week but the rest of the year groups are in only once?
A: Due to the need for Year 10 to prepare and catch up on their GCSE studies, Year 10 are having as much time as possible in school to help them catch up. The letter sent out to all pupils returning was for first day arrangements. The arrangements for their second day and all other days after this are exactly the same.

Q: Will the arrangements for pupils be the same for weeks 2 and 3?
A: Yes, all arrangements will be same except for the end time of the school day. In the first week pupils will leave after lunch, in weeks 2 and 3 pupils will begin to leave at 2.15pm onwards Q: Will the transport arrangements be the same as before lockdown? A: All students who are eligible for school transport will be picked up and dropped off on their allocated day(s). Denbighshire pupils will be contacted directly by DCC to explain any differences in pick-up point or time. Only pupils who have requested and are eligible for transport will be allowed on the bus. Flintshire pupils will not be contacted directly by FCC but I have been advised that the pick-up points will remain the same but as the school day starts a little later the buses will arrive 10-15 mins later. Again, only pupils who have requested and are eligible for transport will be allowed on the bus. Please note that those students accessing the key worker/vulnerable student hub will not have access to this transport. School transport is running at a greatly reduced capacity. Students who normally pay to access the Voel bus from Dyserth etc., will now not have access to this bus.

If there are any other questions that you have before your son or daughter returns to school, please contact the school for further guidance. I wish you all well and I look forward to seeing all of our pupils retuning next week.

Neil Foley - B.Sc. MA. Pennaeth
Headteacher