This term, we have been incredibly busy serving our community, and we are proud to share some of the highlights and successes from the past few months.

One of our standout events was Coffee and Create – Spooktacular Edition, which brought together students, parents, and staff in a creative and welcoming environment. We were delighted to see a significant increase in parental engagement, demonstrating the strength of our school community and the value of coming together to share experiences.

We also celebrated our first-ever Community Concert, a truly special occasion where Bargoed Choir and our students from all backgrounds joined forces to deliver a spectacular performance. The event not only showcased the talents of our students but also raised funds for our PTFA and broader school community. Seeing everyone come together to support a common cause was truly heartwarming.

This year, we have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside our partners, Bargoed Masons and Bargoed Council, whose generosity has made a real difference in the lives of our families. For the second consecutive year, Bargoed Masons provided essential items to support our community during Christmas, while Bargoed Council, alongside the Mayor, supported both the Christmas Hamper Appeal and the Community Concert.

Adding a festive touch, a group of our students enthusiastically took on “elf duties”, helping to prepare and deliver the Christmas hampers. They brought joy and festive cheer directly to the doorsteps of our families, embodying the true spirit of giving and community support. Their dedication and energy made a real difference and left a lasting smile on many faces.

Awards Evening | Noson Wobrwyo

Our annual Awards Evening was a wonderful celebration of pupil achievement across the school. The event recognised excellence in a wide range of areas, from academic success and creativity to leadership, resilience, and contributions to school life.

It was fantastic to see so many pupils being acknowledged for their hard work and dedication. Each award reflected the talent, effort, and commitment shown by our learners, and the evening was a fitting tribute to their achievements.

Special Awards | Gwobrau Arbennig

Samantha Harding Award for Resilience – Leo Button‑Hilton

Leo has shown remarkable resilience in the face of challenges during the past year. He has successfully navigated school life both socially and academically, demonstrating determination and endeavour throughout. Well done, Leo.

Lyn Williams Award for Endeavour – Tyler Rees

Tyler is a highly motivated, conscientious, and tenacious individual. His strong work ethic has enabled him to balance a busy sporting and academic schedule with great success. Despite facing extremely difficult personal circumstances towards the end of his time in school, Tyler rose to the challenge with maturity and positivity, achieving an excellent set of examination results.

Citizenship Award in Memory of Councillor Harry Andrews – Lucas Tamcken

Lucas has made an outstanding contribution to citizenship within the school and beyond. His dedicated work with the School Senedd has driven positive change, while his involvement with the county youth forum reflects his leadership, responsibility, and passion for giving young people a stronger voice. Lucas embodies the very best of engaged and compassionate citizenship.

Bargoed Male Voice Choirs Performing Arts Award – Lucas Tamcken

Lucas has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication to the performing arts. His passion and talent have been matched by his commitment to supporting peers and using his skills to bring about positive change in the school community. His creativity and leadership make him a deserving recipient of this award.

Award for Artistic Endeavour – Hannah Banks

Hannah’s creativity and passion for art have left a lasting mark on the school community. Her ability to express herself through a variety of mediums is inspiring, and this award recognises her dedication to artistic excellence.

Sheena Parry Award for Female Sporting Achievement – Freya Perry

Freya has shown outstanding commitment to rugby, and her determination to pursue sporting ambitions is commendable. Her move to Llandovery College to further her rugby development demonstrates courage and dedication. Freya continues to inspire her peers through her leadership, work ethic, and passion for sport.

Clive Williams Award for Academic Achievement in Physical Education – Mae Rose Watkins

Mae Rose has worked tirelessly to develop a deep understanding of PE theory. Her curiosity, perseverance, and passion for learning have set her apart, making her a worthy recipient of this award.

Alderman Hancock Award for Achievement in Sport – Rhys Wood

Rhys has shown exceptional dedication to training and representing Wales in rugby league, travelling regularly to St Helens to pursue his ambitions. He is a fantastic role model, balancing sporting commitments with schoolwork and social life in exemplary fashion.

Susan Hamer‑Thomas Award for History – Sameer Nasrum‑Mazumder

Sameer has consistently demonstrated a genuine passion for History. His achievements at both GCSE and A Level reflect his commitment and enthusiasm, and his thoughtful contributions in class highlight his love for the subject.

M A Hughes Award for Multilingualism in Memory of Mr Ian Blunt – Dawid Wator

Dawid achieved excellent grades in French, Polish, and Cymraeg, showcasing his dedication and ambition as a language learner. His multilingual skills enrich his studies across subjects and highlight his tenacity and talent.

Miss L Watkins Award for Cymraeg – Gwennan Bartlett

Gwennan achieved an A grade in Cymraeg and secured the highest overall mark in her year group. This award recognises her outstanding achievement and commitment to the subject.

Award for Resilience and Effort in WBQ – Jay Vokes

Jay has shown consistent dedication to the WBQ course and a strong enthusiasm for current affairs. His insightful contributions to class discussions, particularly around politics and global issues, have been invaluable. His knowledge and commitment will serve him well in future studies.

JJ & SJ Davies Technology Award – Hannah Banks

Hannah has demonstrated exceptional creativity and skill in Design and Technology. Her imaginative ideas, practical ability, and attention to detail shine through in every project. She approaches tasks with maturity and independence, making her a true ambassador for the subject.

Margaret Kerslake Award for Science – Jake Thomas

Jake is recognised as one of our most enthusiastic scientists. His hard work in lessons and regular participation in the STEM club highlight his passion and commitment to the subject.

Professor Baroness Finlay Award for Achievement in Science – Florent Charron

Florent has excelled in GCSE Science, achieving at A‑level standards while still in Year 11. His natural talent, combined with hard work and determination, makes him a deserving recipient of this award.

Dr R.J. Williams Award for Mathematics – Sarah Banks

Sarah’s passion for mathematics is evident in the way she dedicates her spare time to the subject. Working well above GCSE level in Year 10, she has shown exceptional ability and commitment.

Richard Green Award for Achievement in A‑Level Mathematics – Elena Jones

Elena has worked extremely hard at both GCSE and A Level, attending extra lessons and completing extensive independent study. Her positive attitude and perseverance, even when faced with challenges, resulted in excellent grades.

Public Speaking Harry Andrews Award – Lucy Evans

Lucy is a confident and articulate pupil who can speak sensitively on a wide range of topics. She demonstrates empathy and the ability to challenge viewpoints constructively, making her an outstanding public speaker.

Dudley Thomas Writing Prize – Charlotte Heywood

Charlotte is a creative and accurate writer, producing work for a variety of purposes with assured style. Her writing often features ambitious and thoughtful vocabulary, reflecting her talent and dedication.

Cllr David Carter Award for Poetry – Bethan Thomas

Bethan is a diligent pupil who responds thoughtfully to literature. Her mature and perceptive approach to texts highlights her passion for poetry and makes her a worthy recipient of this award.

WH Coleman Award for Attitude and Achievement – Kadie Baker

Kadie’s determination and resilience have set her apart this year. Through consistent hard work, she has surpassed her aspirational target grades and become one of the cohort’s highest achievers. Her success is a testament to her focus and perseverance.

R I Wade Award for A‑Level Achievement – Harrison Reeve

Harrison excelled in History, Biology, Chemistry, and WBQ, and is now continuing his studies in Chemistry at Bath University. His achievements reflect his dedication and academic ability.

Headteacher’s Award for GCSE Examination Performance – Freya Perry

Freya achieved an outstanding set of GCSE results, with 9 A* grades and 4 A grades. This award recognises her exceptional performance and commitment to excellence.

Family Assembly | Cynulliad Teulu

We are incredibly proud of the outstanding accomplishments of our pupils across every subject area. Their hard work, creativity, and resilience have shone through, and today we come together to recognise and applaud these amazing achievements.

Design Department Row of Remembrance | Rhes Coffá Adran Ddylunio

During the week, all pupils had the opportunity to create an acrylic poppy to contribute to the Remembrance Exhibition. Each poppy was proudly “planted” outside the school, forming a beautiful field of remembrance and paying tribute to those who gave their lives in service. Staff and members of the local branch of the Royal British Legion also made and planted poppies, further enriching the display and strengthening the sense of community involvement.

Christmas Dinner | Cinio Nadolig

On 11th December, Maria and the kitchen team served a delicious Christmas dinner that was enjoyed by pupils and staff alike. It was a lovely occasion, and we are grateful for all the effort that went into making it special for everyone.

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda from all at Heolddu! 🎄

Children in Need | Plant Mewn Angen

Heolddu pupils and staff showed incredible generosity in support of Children in Need. Together, we raised a fantastic total of £658.86. Our Sixth Formers did an amazing job leading the fundraising, while our KS3 pupils enjoyed getting creative with colouring activities, which alone raised £120.

A huge well done and thank you to everyone who contributed. Your efforts made a real difference and highlighted the wonderful community spirit.

STEM Engineering Update | Diweddariad Peirianneg STEM

The school has qualified for a grant from the Engineering Council for the second year running. We have now received close to £6,000 from them, spread over two years. This has allowed us to invest in five 3D printers for use in Technology and ten data loggers with various sensors for use in Science lessons.

In addition to this, our Year 10 Engineering class has been taking part in a competition where they had to build a robotic arm and then program it to remove items from a production line and arrange them ready for packaging.

This has given the pupils the opportunity to improve their team‑building and problem‑solving skills by applying what they have learned to a “real‑world” problem. Engineers from local employer Norgine have visited the school to introduce the event and will be returning to judge the pupils’ superb efforts. The skills that the pupils have been using will be directly transferable to those employed by engineers in many companies worldwide. The effort that has been put into this project by these pupils has been incredible — they have given up many lunchtimes in order to complete the project. They should all be hugely proud of what they have achieved.

Coding Club | Clwb Codio

Our Coding Club from last year has continued into this year. So far, the club has learned basic Python programming skills, and they have also built and tested two robots.

The current project is learning to program and use some sound engineering kits that were donated to the school by the UK Electronics Skills Foundation. This will allow them to further develop their programming skills and their ability to build and test electronic projects. They will also gain experience in creating and editing sound files

UK University & Apprenticeship Fair | Ffair Prifysgolion a Prentisiaethau’r DU

In October, our Year 12 and 13 pupils travelled to Cardiff City Stadium for the UK University & Apprenticeship Fair. It was a successful day filled with helpful seminars that left us with lots to consider, plenty to think about, and a fair few freebies too!