Welcome to week 18 of the school year.  The new school year is off to a flying start with lots of exciting learning taking place across the school.  

Netball Match

Today our netball teams were delighted to host Mynydd Cynffig. The school yard was buzzing with excitement for the first netball game of the year.  18 children from year 6 represented Oldcastle Primary today with all enjoying game time.   Well done to you all for playing such great games. We are very grateful to Mynydd Cynffig for travelling to us.  Thank you also to the parents who came to support the team.

• Game 1 - Oldcastle 13 -  Mynydd Cynffig 1 Players of the Match - Lottie and Effie 

• Game 2 - Oldcastle 2 -  Mynydd Cynffig 2 Players of the Match - Fara and Seren

Rugby Match

Our rugby teams were also excited to host Mynydd Cynffig in Newbridge Fields today.  A squad of 28 players represented the school in a number of games braving the wintry conditions.  Well done to you all for playing such great games. We are very grateful to Mynydd Cynffig for travelling to us.  Thank you also to the parents who came to support the team.

We had two fantastic games of rugby today against Mynydd Cynfig. It was great to be able to play 28 children, across years 4,5 and 6. Many thanks to Mr Baldwin, Mr Durston, Mr John and Mr Burns for their help with our rugby squad. 

Parent Governor Vacancies

We currently have vacancies on our school Governing Body for parent governors.  The position of school governors is an important role and we hope parents will consider applying.  

To apply please complete the application form on the link below and return to school by 27th January 2026.

Please click here for more information on our governing body. School Governors  If you would like to discuss please do not hesitate to contact the school office

Job Vacancy - Relief Supervisory Assistant 

We are seeking to appoint a Relief Supervisory Assistant to work during the lunchtime period, between 11.30am to 1.30pm as and when required, Monday to Friday, term time only. Working as part of a team, the successful candidate will be required to undertake the supervision of the children in all areas of the school including the school canteen and play areas. You will be required to actively engage with pupils, including play activities on the yard.  Experience of working with children, and the ability to encourage good behaviour and play amongst pupils would be an advantage, but not essential as training will be provided.   An Enhanced with Children's Barred list criminal records check by the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) is a requirement for this post.  Closing date 28th January 2026.

Please apply via the BCBC website - click here.

Schools Cross Country - Years 3 to 6

The Schools Cross Country competition will start back on 31st January and will take place at Porthcawl Comprehensive. The event is open to all children in years 3 to 6.  Children and parents should meet at the venue at 9.30am for a 10am start.  School staff will be in attendance to coordinate the events. Please note no dogs are allowed on site.

T-Shirt Sponsor - Thank You

Thank you to the following company who have provided sponsorship towards the t-shirts for our year 6 children to wear during the preparation of their end-of-year production - Psychedelic Cinderella. We are grateful for the support. We have also been provided with additional sponsorship from another organisation which we will announce next week.

Nursery Open Day for children starting in September 2026

Thursday 12th February 2026 at 10am and 4pm

We are delighted to invite families to the Oldcastle Primary School Nursery Open Day! This is a wonderful opportunity to explore our safe, nurturing environment where your child’s early learning journey begins. Meet our friendly staff, see our engaging classroom, and learn about our play-based curriculum designed to inspire curiosity and confidence. 

Come along to see our lovely nursery facilities for children aged 3 years on Thursday 12th February. We have two sessions - 10am and 4pm. You will be able to view our facilities and speak with the nursery teacher and senior members of staff. The sessions will last for no more than 1 hour.

Please book a space by completing this short form or scan the QR code below.

https://forms.gle/osm19KyFhnpCQqm18

Community Food Pantry

The food pantry has been restocked this week and will be restocked every week on a Monday. We invite parents and carers to pop in and fill a bag with 15 items for £5.  The food pantry is available to everyone and we hope that you can make use of the items.  Why not pop in and take a look at the type of items available in the pantry.  At Oldcastle Primary School, we are proud to support our community through our food pantry, which currently has plenty of food available for families who need it. If you or someone you know could benefit from this resource, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us privately. Together, we can ensure no one in our school family goes hungry. 

Community Room

We invite parents and carers to make use of our Community Room and enjoy a cuppa and a chat.  Why not call in after the morning school run or before the pick up and get together with other parents and enjoy a cuppa. We hope you can enjoy this warm space to get together with friends or meet new people.

Contact details - Have any details changed?

Please ensure we have up to date contact details for you to make sure you keep up to date with school news and we are able to contact you during the school day if required.  You can either email us with change of details (ask@oldcastleprimary.co.uk) or complete the change of details form.   We will use email and our School App to send messages to parents about activities or events.

Attendance

We are committed to promoting good attendance at school and have a target of whole school attendance of 95%.  This week's attendance was 94.3%.  For more information on the importance of good attendance and how we manage attendance as a school, please look at our website.  Attendance | Oldcastle Primary School 

Nut Free School

Please can we remind parents that we strive to be a nut free school as we have a number of pupils who have a severe allergy to nuts.  

This includes nut products such as peanut butter and nutella. 

• September - Respect and Responsibility 

• October - Compassion and Hope 

• November - Friendship and Forgiveness 

• December - Understanding and Patience

• January - Determination and Perseverance

• February - Honesty and Trust 

• March -Learning and Effort 

• April - Community and Service 

• May - Co-operation and being a good citizen within society

• June- Showing Gratitude and Care and Generosity

• July - Taking and managing risks 

At Oldcastle, we are proud of each other and ourselves. We nurture all of our community so that we grow as confident, responsible and happy people. Oldcastle school is more than just learning.

• We try hard for each other

• We act responsibly

• We treat people how we’d like to be treated

• We work as a team

• We trust and respect each other

• We listen and learn together

• We share knowledge and experience

Together we make the difference

Together we shape innovative experiences 

More information on our values and visions can be found on our website.  Visions and Values

We love to hear about all of the exciting achievements of our pupils during out of school activities. Please share any successes with us at ask@oldcastleprimary.co.uk and include a photograph and details of the achievement to be included in future newsletters. 

Swimming Achievement

Well done to Maisy in year 6 for her fantastic swimming success last weekend!

Dance Achievement

Well done Aurelia from year 4 for your dance achievements last weekend.

Year 2 Symmetry and Maths

Year 1 have been practising their Welsh reading this week.

Reception have been planting seeds and enjoying playing in the mud kitchen!

Nursery have also enjoyed the mud kitchen this week.

Toddler Group

At Oldcastle Primary School, we’re delighted to offer a welcoming toddler group designed especially for our babies, toddlers and and their families. Each week, little ones enjoy engaging activities that promote early development, social skills, and fun exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

We invite parents and carers to join us and be part of this wonderful community experience. Let’s grow and learn together!

Our babies and toddlers had lots of fun this week.

Free Art Sessions in Carnegie House

• 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th January and 5th February - Year 6 Swimming

• 12th, 19th February, 5th, 12th and 19th March - Year 5 Swimming

• 16th to 20th February - Half Term

• 23rd February - Welsh Week

• 2nd March - Eisteddfod

• 13th March - Inset Day

• 25th to 27th March - Year 6 Residential

• 27th March - Term Ends

• 30th March to 10th April - Easter Holidays

• 13th to 15th April - Parents' Evenings

• 4th May - Bank Holiday

• 15th May - Years 1 to 6 Sports Day

• 21st May - Nursery and Reception Sports Day

• 22nd May - Inset Day

• 25th to 29th May - Half Term

• 9th June - Class and Team Photos

• 15th June - Careers Week

• 20th June - Oldcastle Rocks

Inset Days for 2025 / 2026

The inset days for 2025 / 26 have been approved by school governors and these are as follows:

• Monday 1st September 2025 

• Friday 21st November 2025

• Monday 5th January 2026

• Friday 13th March 2026

• Friday 22nd May 2026

• Monday 20th July 2026

Health and Wellbeing / PE Days for 2025/26

PE will take place on the following day for each year group.  Children should attend school in their PE kit on their allocated day.

• Nursery - Thursday

• Reception - Monday

• Year 1 - Tuesday

• Year 2 - Thursday

• Year 3 - Wednesday

• Year 4 - Monday

• Year 5 - Tuesday

• Year 6 - Friday

In the event that you have a concern regarding a child please follow this procedure:

• During school hours please contact Mrs Ceri Littlewood, safeguarding lead at Oldcastle Primary School.

• Out of school hours please  contact  the  out of hours Emergency Duty Team Tel No 01443743665

More information on Safeguarding at Oldcastle can be found on our website.