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It has been an incredibly busy and rewarding few months at Pencoed Primary, filled with opportunities that showcase the talent, resilience, and community spirit of our pupils.

From the vibrant celebrations of our school Eisteddfods and the wonderful success of our pupils at the Urdd Eisteddfod, to the adventurous spirit shown during the Year 6 residential trip to Liddington, there has been so much to celebrate. Our school recently came alive with the sounds of Welsh culture, and it was a privilege to share those traditions with both a local male voice choir and our International visitors.

This month has also highlighted our strong community links, including the wonderful Generation Games with our Reception families and the heart-warming celebrations for our therapy dogs, Griff and Angel. Whether on the rugby pitch, the netball court, or performing on stage in the Middle School production, our pupils continue to represent Pencoed Primary with pride.

Have a lovely Easter break,

Dr S. Sarjeant

Attendance & Punctuality

As part of our attendance policy and processes, it is vital that parents and carers report pupil absence immediately. Please do so using the following options.

How do I report my child's absence?

If your child is unwell you can let the school know using any of the following:

Call the school office - 01656 815730
Email the school office - admin@pencoedps.bridgend.cymru (note - please don't email contact@pencoedprimary.co.uk with attendance related updates)
Text using the School Comms Gateway App
These can also be used to inform us about upcoming medical appointments etc.

staffing updates

Welcome back mrs Cottrell

We are delighted to announce the return of Mrs. Cotrell, who joins us this week following her maternity leave.

Mrs. Cotrell will be joining the Upper School team for the duration of this term. She has shared how excited she is to see so many familiar faces again and is eager to get back into the classroom.

School News

Community governor vacancy

We have a community governor vacancy.

Please note, this position cannot be filled by a parent/carer of a pupil at the school but we would be grateful if you could share the advert below with anybody who you feel may be interested:

Pencoed Primary Needs You!

Pencoed Primary is a vibrant, friendly and fully inclusive school. We pride ourselves on valuing every child while providing exceptional opportunities for learning and development.

We are looking for a passionate member of our community to join us as a Community Governor. We welcome applicants who bring skills such as strategic thinking, community work, finance, HR, safeguarding, education, or simply a passion for supporting children and families.

Being a governor is a deeply rewarding voluntary role: you will help shape the vision and direction of the school, support its continued improvement, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of our children and families.

You do not need prior experience; just enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to helping our school thrive as a community focused, nurturing environment.

Please contact the school at admin@pencoedps.bridgend.cymru if you would like any further details.

clubs update

There will NOT be any clubs for the first week back after Easter whilst we complile the summer timetable. Further details will be shared the week beginning Monday 13th April. Thank you to staff for volunteering to provide these opportunities for our pupils.

world book day 2026

Our school was transformed into a living library as we celebrated World Book Day, a fantastic day dedicated to the joy of reading where stories truly came to life. One of the highlights of the day was the incredible atmosphere on the yard, which was filled with a vibrant and excited array of characters. The creativity on display was simply wonderful, with the playground playing host to everyone from a charming Paddington Bear, several Hermiones and Harry Potters to a truly impressive, walking giant copy of The Hobbit that certainly turned heads. It was a joy to see the children celebrating not just the characters they love, but the magic of the books they come from.

new book release

On World Book Day, 6AW joined a live session with an author, Jamie Gregory, whose book, Bone Head, will be released in June. We learned about some of the characters in his book and had a draw-along session with him. Here are some of our drawings.

Year 6 residential Trip

Our Year 6 pupils embarked on an action-packed three-day residential trip to the PGL centre in Liddington. It was a whirlwind of adventure as the children pushed their boundaries with a range of thrilling activities, including climbing, zip-wiring, archery, and laser tag. Of course, no PGL trip would be complete without a turn on the infamous giant swing, which provided plenty of screams and smiles in equal measure!

After such busy days in the great outdoors, the evening silent disco was a much-welcomed treat, allowing everyone to dance the night away and celebrate their achievements.

Beyond the adrenaline, what truly shone through was the character of our pupils. Our staff were immensely proud to receive high praise from the PGL instructors, who specifically commented on the outstanding levels of support and encouragement the children showed one another. It was a joy to see them cheering each other on through every challenge.

A huge thank you goes out to all the staff members who volunteered their time to accompany the pupils and make this memorable experience possible.

Urdd Eisteddfod

We are incredibly proud of all our pupils at Pencoed Primary School who took part in this year’s Urdd Welsh Learner Recitation competitions.

The first round, held at the Tabernacle in Bridgend, was a fantastic success for our school. In both the Year 3–4 and Year 5–6 categories, our pupils performed brilliantly, with Pencoed Primary taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in both competitions.

In the Year 5–6 Welsh Learner Recitation, Ffion, Flossy, Ava, Isla, and Eleri all represented us wonderfully. Isla won the first round and went on to compete in Maesteg Town Hall against pupils from across South Wales. After another excellent performance, she is now heading to Anglesey during half term to compete in the national finals against the rest of Wales. We are all cheering her on and wishing her the very best of luck.

In the Year 3–4 Welsh Learner Recitation, Jessica, Isla, Grace and Sophia also did a fantastic job in the first round. Isla-Rose came first and progressed to the second round in Maesteg Town Hall, where she achieved a brilliant second place finish.

We are extremely proud of Isla (Y6), Isla-Rose (Y4) and every pupil who took part. Their hard work, confidence and enthusiasm are a real credit to them and to our school.

St david's Day & Celebrating our welsh culture

Our school recently came alive with the spirit of Wales as we held two dedicated Eisteddfods for our younger and older pupils. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our rich heritage through a variety of traditional competitions, including Welsh poetry, recitation, and folk dancing.

The creativity of our pupils was on full display in the art and handwriting contests, while the sound of Welsh singing filled the halls, culminating in a powerful rendition of the National Anthem.

We were particularly honoured to be joined by a local male voice choir, who shared our musical traditions with our older pupils and our special guests from America. It was a proud week for the school, showcasing the very best of our culture.

big walk and wheel fortnight

Thank you to those of you who have been taking part in the Big Walk and Wheel. Riding, scooting or walking to school is a great way to start the day!

little stars - st david's day fun

The children in Little Stars had a lovely week enjoying lots of St. David’s Day activities. They spent time colouring the Welsh flag, building their own daffodils out of Duplo, and making bright craft daffodils to decorate our classroom. We also made our very own playdough Welsh dragons, which the children loved creating. Another highlight was playing instruments in class to Welsh songs, a fun and lively way to celebrate the day.

In our observation class, it was wonderful to see everyone joining in at their own pace and engaging so happily with each activity. The children took great pride in celebrating St. David’s Day together and exploring all the activities linked to this special day.

SSCE Cymru Service Pupil Promise Event

Schools across Bridgend took part in a special event to share the views and experiences of Service children.

Pupils contributed their voices to help shape the new Service Pupil Promise, developed with SSCE Cymru.

The local authority reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Armed Forces families and recognising the unique challenges they face.

This collaborative event ensured Service children were heard, valued, and represented in future planning.

Click the link for more information

https://sscecymru.co.uk

Save the Date: Month of the Military Child

April is the Month of the Military Child, a time to honour the resilience of children supporting our Armed Forces. As a Services Silver Award school, we are proud to celebrate Purple Up Day on Friday, 24th April.

How We Will Celebrate:

To ensure the day is stress-free and inclusive for all families, we will mark the occasion in school:

Purple Ribbons: Provided by the school for every pupil to wear on their uniform.

Learning activites will take place around the expereinces of military families.

Why Purple?

Purple symbolises the unity of the Armed Forces, blending the colours of the Royal Navy, RAF (Blue), British Army (Green), and Royal Marines (Red) into one symbol of shared strength.

rugby news

A massive well done to our rugby team for their fantastic performance at the Urdd Rugby Tournament!

The team showed incredible skill and determination, winning four out of their five group games to secure a place in the knockout stages. In a hard-fought and tense Quarter Final, our pupils played their hearts out but unfortunately narrowly missed out on the win. Thank you to Mr Hopkins and Mrs Halse for co-ordinating the arrangements, and to the parents involved with supporting with transportation.

Cross Country

Our runners have been in fantastic form recently! Huge congratulations to our Year 4 duo, who dominated the boys' race to secure 1st and 3rd place for the second consecutive event. We also saw a brilliant performance in the Year 3/4 girls' race.

Special shout-out to one of our Year 5 pupils for an incredible triple-header: a 5k PB at Porthcawl Parkrun, a strong cross country finish, and a 2nd place PB at Junior Parkrun all in one weekend!

📅 Upcoming Dates:

April 18th: Final league race at Coleg y Dderwen.
May (TBC): Fun Run at Pencoed Comp—including a race for Year 2 pupils!

For more information on school or community athletics, please contact Mrs. Jo Jenkins.

Netball news

It has been an incredibly busy few months for Miss Abell and our netball teams!

Girls’ Tournament

Our girls’ team—a fantastic mix of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils—showed immense spirit against some very tough opponents. They secured two spectacular wins (10-0 and 11-0) and fought hard in two narrow losses (4-5 and 2-5).

While it was a "bitter pill to swallow" seeing the two teams that beat us progress to the next round, Miss Abell was exceptionally proud of the girls for giving 100% in every match. A huge thank you to the parents who helped with transport—without your support, these opportunities wouldn't be possible!

Mixed Netball Tournament

In March, we entered two teams into the mixed netball tournament. It was a pleasure to see so many boys trying the sport for the first time!

The Green Team: Faced some very difficult opposition. Despite only winning one game, their resilience and attitude were excellent throughout.

The Yellow Team: Had a superb run, winning all their group games and a nail-biting Quarter Final that went to extra time! They were eventually knocked out in the Semi-Final by a very worthy opponent.

All the pupils involved represented Pencoed Primary School superbly. Well done to everyone! Thank you to Miss Abell for co-ordinating these events and to Mrs Morris for supporting with training.

Table tennis news

Our Table Tennis teams competed at the South East Table Tennis Championship this month. Congratulations to the boys involved who overall finished 4th, 8th and 9th. Thank you to Mr Hopkins and Sam (Barney's Mum ) for co-ordinating arrangements and the other parents involved with transportation.

Archaeologist visit

Year 2 recently enjoyed a fascinating visit from Mrs Bellamy, an archaeologist, who came to enrich our learning about the Celts. During the session, Mrs Bellamy explained what archaeologists do and how they learn about the past by carefully studying objects and evidence left behind by ancient people.

Mrs Bellamy brought along a wonderful collection of artefacts that had been discovered at sites across Wales. These included a variety of items that helped us understand what life might have been like in the past.

The visit helped bring our history topic to life and gave us a real insight into how evidence from the ground can tell stories about ancient cultures. The pupils asked thoughtful questions and were excited to see real objects that had been found right here in Wales.

A huge thank you to Mrs Bellamy for sharing her expertise and for giving us such an engaging and memorable experience that has deepened our understanding of the Celts.

middle school show

What a spectacular way to end the term! Our Middle School classes delivered truly outstanding performances in their latest production, taking us on a vibrant journey through music across the eras.

From the iconic sounds of The Beatles and Tom Jones to some hilarious "TikTok" cameos from our very own Middle School staff, the audience was thoroughly entertained. The talent and enthusiasm shown by the pupils was simply amazing.

An event of this scale is a real team effort, and we would like to extend our thanks to:

Parents and Carers: For providing such fantastic costumes and for coming along in such great numbers to support the children.
Our Dedicated Staff: For the countless hours of "behind the scenes" work that goes into staging such a wonderful production.

It was a joy to see the children shine on stage. Well done, Middle School!

pupil news

Congratulations to Amalie:

Swimming

Congratulations to Ella:

Kickboxing

Congratutions to Caitlin:

Dance

Congratulations to Archie:

Rugby

Congratulations to Grace:

Musical Theatre

Congratulations to Grace:

Dance

Congratulations to Willow:

Dance

Congratulations to Jenson:

Kickboxing

Congratulations to Eleri

Football

Congratulations to Luna:

Dance

Congratulations to Freya:

Swimming

family engagement

Seesaw Viewing sessions

It was wonderful to welcome so many Nursery and Reception parents and carers into school recently to explore their child’s digital learning journey. Our youngest pupils took great pride in Seesaw to showcase their hard work, achievements, and favourite moments from the term. It was a lovely opportunity for families to sit together and celebrate all the progress being made in the classroom.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for these special sessions!

Adult learning wales

Parents/Carers enjoyed meeting Amy from Adult Learning Wales to discuss training and courses available to them held in the Rainbow Room…exciting times ahead!

If anyone wants to learn more about this contact Julie via Juliejenkins@pencoedprimary.co.uk

It has been a busy few months for our family & community groups! Our Baby and Toddler groups have been getting creative with new art skills, while the Pencoed Primary crafting group has been busy making beautiful Easter gifts for the local care home. We would love to see new faces, so please feel free to pop along and join the fun!

The Generation Games

Our Reception families have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Generation Games at St David’s Church Hall. This very special programme brings three generations together for a variety of fun activities, and it has been wonderful to see families connecting and learning together.

Sign Language & Paws-itive News

This month, our Year 6 Sign Language group led a fantastic assembly on the importance of signing. A huge thank you to our Governor, Mrs Bebb, who volunteers her time each week to teach this vital skill.

Our therapy dogs have also had a very exciting month:

Griff: Congratulations to Griff (and Mrs Bebb!) for his success at Crufts. The pupils loved making him celebratory rosettes!

Angel: We celebrated Angel’s birthday with plenty of "cwtches" shared across the school.

Global Connections

Finally, we were thrilled to share our work on Family and Community Engagement with special visitors from Florida and North Carolina, showcasing our school’s welcoming spirit to our international guests.

well-Being

Well-Being Award for Mrs Pickard, Mrs Newton and Miss Snow:

for their outstanding and proactive support to hep develop our Welsh language and culture.

Staff recognition Award to Mr Dawes: for making a positive contribution to our school's well-being culture.

Staff Recognition Award to 'Team Liddington': for supporting pupils during the year 6 residential.

International Women’s Day

March 8th International Women's Day - the day serves as an important reminder that gender equality benefits everyone. Progress towards a prosperous world free from poverty cannot be achieved without accelerating gender equality and the empowerment of all girls and women.

Dates for your diary

Monday 13th April - First day back
Monday 6th to Wednesday 8th July - Year 5 Residential to Llangrannog
Wednesday 15th July - Year 6 Leavers Assembly
1st May - Year 5 Transition at Pencoed Comprehensive- more details to follow
15th May - Year 6 Transition - Expressive Arts
12th June - Year 5 Transition - Humanities
2nd July - Year 6 Transition Day & Year 6 Parent/Carer Information Evening @Pencoed Comprehensive

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 S. Sarjeant, Mr A. Raymond, Mrs K. Maund or Mrs A. Brennan (Designated Safeguarding Leads).
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. In addition, advice can be sought from Mrs A. Williams, Designated Governor for Safeguarding.
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 a copy of our privacy notice and all GDPR related policies, please visit https://www.pencoedprimary.co.uk/gdpr/

For regular updates

please check Class Dojo

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