Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant 

Dear Parent/Guardian,

At the end of another busy school year, it is a privilege to have the opportunity on behalf of my fellow governors to share some comments in this foreword. As governors we are fortunate to be able to see and experience all the improvements that are happening across the school. Indeed, it was a privilege, along with pride, to note the progress in many areas of the curriculum. As governors we have been involved in learning trips, scrutinizing books and listening to the voice of the pupils through the School Council, the Eco Council and in conversations with a cross section of pupils of all ages.

It goes without saying that there is more to the development of the confident pupil and extracurricular activities are an essential part of school life and to the development of every pupil. A number of the pupils competed in the Urdd eisteddfod and also in the world of sport where there was considerable success. Several pupils visited camps in Pentywyn, Llangrannog and at the Urdd center in Cardiff Bay - unforgettable experiences.

The pupils benefit greatly in the outside area, which now includes the teepee, the vegetable and flower garden and also the polytunnel. A special opportunity for the pupils to understand the work of nature and growth and how to nurture and care for the produce of the garden. During the year the "big food box" was launched which has been very successful where some of the produce from the garden has been sell them.

During the year the Headteacher, Mrs Clwyd Davies was allowed to take a period of secondment. Mrs Helen Garland, the Deputy Head was asked to step up as Acting Head, with the approval of the Governing Body. We must thank her for the commendable work she has done to ensure good leadership and maintain the expected standards. As a Governing Body we are proud of the quality, enthusiasm and dedication of all the teaching staff where the education and welfare of the children is a constant priority. Also to the assistants for their support and willingness to go the extra mile. Indeed, the success of a school depends on all its stakeholders and we are lucky in our caretaker, the cleaners and the kitchen staff.

The Governing Body is still fighting for a purpose built new building which has been promised by the County Council for many years. We are still pressing County officials for an update, but have not received any concrete news so far.

Looking ahead to the new academic year we are aware that the pressure on education services is increasing more and more and each school is responsible for keeping a close eye on the school's finances. Our main priority as Governors will be to ensure that this squeeze does not affect the standards and progress and that the welfare and safety of the children is paramount.

We look forward to seeing and experiencing the success of all the pupils to achieve their full potential within a happy school where respect for each individual is important.

Yours faithfully, 

Michael Bassett

Chair of the Governing Body

When it is necessary to elect parent governors, digital election forms are distributed to all parents in the school and when there is more than one nomination an election is held. Parents nominate and elect parent governors and they represent parents' views on the body.

If you have any queries or comments that you would like to share with the governing body, please feel free to write to the Chair by letter or email  admin@dewisant.ysgolccc.cymru We welcome your contribution at all times.

An annual parents' meeting is no longer held, unless parents wish to hold a meeting. Three meetings can be held each year by submitting a petition with 10% of the school's parents' signatures and an explanation as to why they want to hold a meeting.

September 23- July 24

Headteacher: Mrs H Garland

Assistant Head: Mrs S Davies

Leadership Team : Mr S Owen, Miss R Evans, Mrs R Rees, Miss E Roberts and Miss H Land

Peripatetic Music Teachers

Mr J Morgan

Miss S Rees

Mr P Shingler

Mr R Walters 

Mrs G Conock-Evans

Mrs H Evans

Lunchtime Supervisors

Mrs S Hanbury

Miss J Hopkins (A)

Mrs A Osbourne-Yip

Miss M Davies(A)

Miss A Morgan

Mrs R Peregrine

Mrs K Hillier

Mrs B Pound

Mrs D Phillips

Mrs R Purdue

Miss C Arthur

Miss A James

Miss E Latham

Mrs H K Thomas

Miss M Fisher

We are here to support children and young people with additional learning needs by promoting achievement and well-being for all. The system for supporting children and young people with additional educational needs and disability in Wales has changed. The Welsh Government has introduced a more flexible and responsive system of meeting the needs of children and young people with additional educational needs or disabilities and is striving to provide a fully inclusive education system for Welsh learners. The new Additional Learning Needs system has been gradually introduced from September 2021.

Our intention is to give every child the opportunity to develop to their full potential, bearing in mind the needs and abilities of the individual. For the majority of pupils, those needs are met in the classroom. However, we recognize that a small number of children need additional support. We believe that early identification and appropriate intervention improve the expectations of children with Additional Learning Needs. Our aim is to create a school environment that fosters encouragement, acceptance, respect and sensitivity so that all children with Additional Learning Needs can experience success in accordance with their own individual limitations. We have a number of support strategies that can be designed to meet the needs of an individual child, including the needs of Looked After Children. If necessary, we will seek professional support from external agencies in order to fully meet the child's needs.

Miss Elliw Roberts is the school's additional learning needs co-ordinator.

The school promotes the importance of a healthy lifestyle and it is included in the education within the classes. We have a Healthy School Council which includes elected pupils who meet regularly to discuss issues on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. We encourage children to bring a healthy packed lunch to school and fruit as a snack, and the school's lunch menu is in line with the Local Authority's healthy eating provision.

Our prospectus can be read on the school's website. The school's policies and strategies have been reviewed in response to changes in the curriculum. 

The school has six blocks of toilets for the pupils and five toilets for staff which includes one disabled toilet. The facilities are cleaned daily by the Education Authority's cleaning service.

There are four purposes at the heart of all the school's activity in order to give every child the opportunity to develop into:

1. Ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives.

2. Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play their full part in their life and work.

3. Principled, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens in Wales and the world.

4. Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to live life realizing their aspirations as valuable members of society.

Pupils are taught mainly through inquiries and questions, where pupils' literacy, numeracy and digital competence skills are developed, together with their understanding and knowledge, cross-curricularly. The welfare of the pupils is included in planning and the basis of the activity is the statements within the six areas of learning and experience, namely:

• Expressive arts

•   Health and well being

•   Humanities (including Religious Education which should remain compulsory until age 16)

•   Languages, literacy and communication (including modern foreign languages in Wales, which should remain compulsory until the age of 16)

•   Mathematics and numeracy

•   Science and technology (including computer science).

We assess and track the pupils' progress in every aspect of their work and constructive feedback is provided to pupils on their attainment regarding purposeful opportunities for them to respond to the teachers' feedback in order to improve their work and their attainment.

Pupils of the school are taught per curricular year.

The development plan addresses the priorities arising from the school's self-evaluation procedures, national and local priorities together with an analysis of pupils' progress and standards. The school follows a robust self-evaluation system in order to identify strengths, areas of improvement and the way forward and the Governing Body is also part of monitoring the school's progress.

1. 1. 1. 1. Refine teaching to enable pupils to be more inquisitive and independent in what they learn and how they learn. 

1. 1. 1. 2. Raising the standards of pupils' Digital Competence skills and their ability to use them across all areas of learning and experience at an appropriate challenge level. 

1. 1. 1. 3. Developing children's writing skills by extending and promoting their learning experiences across the curriculum by using oral and reading skills as a tool to develop writing skills.

1. Developing effective assessment and feedback practices consistently across the school, ensuring that our learners have a solid understanding of their strengths and are confident to be able to improve their learning independently.

2. Reform our system of providing suitable and appropriate interventions to support the needs of our learners and ensure that all the various groups of learners make the best possible progress.

3. Leadership - Develop AoLE leaders to evaluate the impact of teaching on pupils' progress and plan strategically within their AoLE working groups to ensure follow-up and continuity across the school.

4. Strengthening pupils' mathematical fluency across the school including supporting parents with their pupils.

The school has a child protection policy which is based on national guidelines. The designated staff members for child protection are: Mrs H Garland, Mrs S Davies and Mrs G Griffiths. There are also designated members of the governing body with responsibility for safeguarding and protecting children.

There is one secondary school within our catchment area where our pupils continue their education at the end of year 6, namely Ysgol Gyfun Y Strade. The pupils have transition sessions during year 6 in order to familiarise themselves with their new school. Parents are required to apply online for a secondary school place  for their child. Full details can be found on the Carmarthenshire County Council website.

Net expenditure: 2023/24: £1,827,170 

Formula funding allocation:  2023/24: £1,667,320

Surplus brought forward from  2022/23: £157,530 

Surplus Carried forward to 2024/25:  £2,320