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April 2026

There has been so much to celebrate recently at Pencoed Primary, with the final weeks of the Spring term leading seamlessly into a busy and productive April. From our fantastic third-place finish at the Bridgend Swimming Gala and our creative Easter celebrations to the recent energy of the Mini Marathon and tomorrow's Calan Mai activities, our pupils have excelled.

This term also brings a moment of change for our school community as we will prepare to say goodbye, to a much‑valued member of staff, Mr Raymond. While he will be greatly missed by pupils and colleagues alike, just as we encourage our children to grow, challenge themselves and move on to new chapters, it is something to celebrate when our staff progress in their own careers.

With new staff joining our team and a wealth of interactive learning taking place, the school is buzzing with activity. Thank you to our staff, volunteers and families for your continued support in making this such a successful start to the Summer term.

Dr. Sarjeant

Attendance & Punctuality

Regular school attendance ensures that children have the best possible experiences at school and make the best possible progress in their learning. We want to work with families whose children are struggling to attend regularly - please do not hesitate to reach out if you feel you need support.

We have had a very high number of requests for holidays in recent weeks. Please be reminded that all requests for holidays must be completed on the school's holiday request form by parents/carers. The BCBC policy states that a child's attendance % must be 95% or above in order to authorise a holiday request. BCBC can issue fines (fixed penalty notices) for parents whose children have more than 5 days of unauthorised absence, including holidays. The fine is £120 unless paid within 28 days when it will reduce to £60.

Thank you for your continued support in enabling your child to attend school regularly and on time.

Sun safety

It has been wonderful to see the sunshine. However, please remember the dangers associated with over exposure to the sun.

Please ensure that your child has a sunhat and water bottle during sunny weather.
Please apply long lasting (8 hour+ protection) sun cream in the morning to avoid the need for reapplication.
Sun safety station - there is sun cream available at the front of the school if you need to apply it to your child at the start of the day.

Food and fun

Pencoed Primary School are pleased to announce that we will be running the Food and Fun programme in the summer holidays.

Food and Fun is a Welsh Government funded programme that provides food and nutrition education, physical activity, enrichment sessions and healthy meals to children during the school summer holidays, all free of charge! The programme also supports families by ensuring children have access to healthy food during school holidays, helping them return to school ready to learn, active and happy.

Children in Years 3 to 5 can apply to attend the scheme, with possible limited spaces for siblings in year 1 and 2 available.
We will be running the scheme Monday to Thursday from 9.30am to 3.00pm from Monday 20th July to Thursday 6th August 2026.

For more information and to apply for this fully funded programme please fill in the following form:

Food and Fun programme 2026 - Google Forms

Staffing updates

congratulations mr raymond

We would like to share some news regarding Mr Raymond, who will be embarking on a new chapter in his career this September. He has been appointed as a His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) with Estyn, the education inspectorate for Wales. While we will be sorry to see Mr Raymond leave the school, we are delighted that he has secured this position.

Since joining us, Mr Raymond has been an inspirational leader and a key part of our school community. He has worked across several senior leadership roles, including Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, and most recently Acting Headteacher during Dr Sarjeant’s secondment with the Welsh Government.

Mr Raymond has had a significant impact on the school. He has led school-wide improvements in teaching and learning, consistently placed the best interests of the children first, and built positive relationships with families and the wider community.

Mr Raymond will remain with us until the end of the academic year. In the meantime, the governors have begun a thorough recruitment process to appoint his replacement. There will be a formal opportunity to reflect on Mr Raymond’s contribution to the school and to say goodbye, but we wanted to share this news with you at this time.

We will miss his energy and leadership greatly, but we are incredibly proud to see him take his expertise to a national level in support of schools across Wales.

welcome to mrs coombe

We are so pleased to have Mrs. Coombe join us as our new Senior Learning Support Officer. She brings years of fantastic experience across the primary age range and will be supporting pupils throughout the school. We can’t wait to see our pupils benefit from her expertise!

welcome to our community FEO

We hope you will join us in welcoming Bethan Evans, not only to Pencoed Primary School but to the wider Pencoed Cluster. Bethan joins us as our Community Family Engagement Officer and will be working alongside Julie Jenkins to support our Family and Community Engagement initiatives. Bethan will be based with us every Wednesday—please do say hello if you see her around the school!

Sports day

Please see the dates for this year's Sports Days:

Thursday 11th June:

9.30am - Early Years (Nursery, RHH, RER-MR)
11am - Lower School (1GP, 1EM, 2NS, 2CJ)

Thursday 18th June:

9.30am - Middle School (2/3ME, 3JM, 3SM, 4CD, 4HC)
11 - Upper School (4/5LR, 5MC, 5/6LA, 6AW, 6KM)

Reserve Dates:

Early Years & Lower School - Monday 15th June
Middle School & Upper School - Friday 19th June

LRC Classes:

Will communicate arrangements for their class directly to parents.

If you have any queries, please email contact@pencoedprimary.co.uk

pupil News

Congratulations to Rosie in year 4 for recently achieving her 'Bronze' award in swimming! Da iawn!

Congratulations to Phoebe in year 2 who was recently awarded player of the week for her club Pencoed Boys & Girls. Da iawn!

Congratulations to Charley in year 6 who was given the opportunity to go onto the pitch at the recent Cardiff City open day. Charley also won a stadium tour and met player Nathan Trott. What an experience!

School news

eggcellent easter designs

Congratulations to the winners of our Easter Egg Decorating Competition. The quality of entries this year was exceptional, making the School Council’s final decision very tough. We would like to thank everyone who entered for their hard work and "cracking" creativity. Well done to all!

church visit

Year 6 recently enjoyed a visit to St David's Church. Father Phillip and his team of wonderful volunteers brought the Easter Story to life through a series of engaging, interactive stations. Our pupils had the opportunity to explore different chapters of the story at each stop, gaining a deeper understanding of the season through this hands-on experience.

Meet our daily mile ambassadors

These pupils will be leading the way by encouraging their peers to stay active and make the most of our Daily Mile sessions. They will also be playing a key role in supporting our upcoming Mini Marathon challenge. Thank you for your leadership and enthusiasm!

Lower school Beach Academy Visit

Lower School had a fantastic visit from Alison at Beach Academy this week. The children loved learning all about starfish and how to care for them, and they made a pledge to protect them if they spot them at the beach. The session was highly interactive, with hands-on activities where pupils explored different objects and textures, followed by a fun game rescuing starfish using spades. It was an engaging and memorable experience for both Year 1 and Year 2.

Swimming Gala success

On the final day of the Spring term, a talented team from our Middle and Upper school headed to Ynysawdre Swimming Pool to compete against five local schools. Our swimmers were in fantastic form, securing podium finishes in the majority of their races! After a series of thrilling final relays, we were delighted to finish third place overall. A huge well done to the entire team for their effort and sportsmanship.

swimming

Learning to swim is an important life skill and we are lucky to have a swimming pool in our local community. This term our year 4 pupils and pupils in our Learning Resource Classes will benefit from swimming lessons, where they will work on improving their swimming skills, as well as learning about important life saving messages. Well done to those classes who have already completed their course and achieved their certificate. Please see your child's Class Dojo page to find out when your child's class will attend. (Year 4, Sunbeams & Stargazers only this term).

Click here to find out more about free swimming sessions at Pencoed Swimming Pool during May half term.

Welcome to our New starters

This term, we were delighted to welcome the newest members of the Pencoed Primary family as our April ‘Rising 3s’ began their journey. Mrs. Roberts and the Nursery team are thrilled with how well they have settled in; they are already a wonderful addition to the school. The children have been busy making new friends and love exploring their new learning environment!

We would also like to extend a warm welcome to the new pupils and families who have joined us in other year groups recently. We are so pleased to have you with us!

Transition

Our year 5 pupils will attend 'Sports Day' at Pencoed Comprehensive School as part of the transition programme on Friday 1st May.
Year 6 pupils will visit on Friday 15th May for Expressive Arts themed sessions.

lower school visit to st fagans

Lower School had a fantastic day at St Fagans National Museum of History. The children thoroughly enjoyed the Bryn Eryr Celtic roundhouse workshop and had plenty of time to explore the rest of the site. The visit was a wonderful way to round off the topic of The Celts, bringing the learning to life.

We were very fortunate with the weather, and the children’s behaviour was excellent throughout the day. A special mention to Miss Snow for securing a bursary, which meant the trip was free for parents. Da iawn!

family engagement

month of the miltary child

During the Month of the Military Child, we are recognising and celebrating the strength, resilience and sacrifices of children from Armed Forces families.

As an Armed Forces Silver Award school, we are proud to be marking Purple Up Day. On Friday 24th April, all children were given a purple ribbon to wear, allowing our whole school community to show visible support for military children. A huge thank you to Mrs. King for her dedication to supporting our Services children. Her passion for raising awareness ensures that the positive impact of the SSCE Cymru mission is felt across our school community, ensuring those from Armed Forces families feel supported and understood.

funky phonics assembly

We welcomed the parents of children in Reception in to school to celebrate the success of the ‘Funky Phonics’ programme. The progress from the beginning to the end of the programme that the children had made in their phonics knowledge and high frequency word knowledge was shared during the assembly. Well done to everybody who took part - it has made a huge difference to the children’s learning!

well-Being

StAFF RECOGNITION AWARD

Mrs L. Brocklesby - For building supportive, trusting relationships with pupils and staff, making a meaningful contribution to our school’s well-being culture.

Well-being CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE

Our teaching students;

Miss M. Williams, Miss I. Jenkins, Miss H. Thomas & Miss L. Davies - For their positive contribution to the children’s learning and their commitment to fostering a supportive and engaging classroom environment.

Dates for your diary

Friday 1st May - Year 5 Transition at Pencoed Comprehensive- more details to follow
Monday 4th May - Bank Holiday - School will be closed
Friday 15th May - Year 6 Transition - Expressive Arts - AM
Friday 15th May - Visiting Theatre- 'The Secret Garden' for Upper School Pupils PM
Tuesday 19th May - Year 5 Parent/Carer Llangrannog Information Meeting/ Upper School Football Tournament - deatils to be confirmed for selected players
Friday 5th June - Year 5 Transition - Humanities - AM
Friday 12th June - Careers Day
Friday 12th June Year 5 Transition - Humanities - AM
Friday 12th June - Upper School Football Matches - deatils to be confirmed for selected players
Thursday 2nd July - Year 6 Transition Day & Year 6 Parent/Carer Information Evening @Pencoed Comprehensive
Monday 6th to Wednesday 8th July - Year 5 Residential to Llangrannog
Thursday 9th July - Year 6 Prom
Wednesday 15th July - Year 6 Leavers Assembly- Parents/Carers invited to attend 9.30am.

Sport Day Dates - see above

Inset Days:

Monday 1st June 2026
Monday 20th July 2026

Safeguarding

At Pencoed Primary School, we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children. If you have a concern about the safety or well-being of a child, please report this immediately to either Dr. Sarjeant, Mr Raymond, Mrs Maund or Mrs Brennan (Designated Safeguarding Leads). In addition, advice can be sought from Mrs A. Williams, Designated Governor for Child Protection.
If you are a parent or a visitor to the school and you are worried about the safety or well-being of a child or family please ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Leads or a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Please access our child protection and safeguarding policy here - https://www.pencoedprimary.co.uk/school-policies-1/

Please let us know if you have any comments regarding the contents of this newsletter or any other matter relating to Pencoed Primary School. All issues will be dealt with in the strictest confidence. If you would prefer to make a personal appointment, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Email: admin@pencoedps.bridgend.cymru
School contact email: contact@pencoedprimary.co.uk
Phone: 01656 815730

For regular updates

please check Class Dojo

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