As we reach the end of a very busy and exciting half term, we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the incredible range of learning experiences our children have enjoyed. From the School Council making decisions to improve aspects of school life, to the Criw Cymraeg promoting Welsh language and culture, and our sports teams representing the school—there is so much to be proud of. We’ve also taken part in important initiatives such as the Race Against Hate and continued our work with the PARCH and Family Engagement teams to strengthen our school community.

Thank you to all the families who attended parents’ evenings last week and for providing valuable feedback via the questionnaire. We will be collating the responses and sharing key themes and next steps after the half term break.

We are planning a wide range of parent and community events and concerts as we build towards the Christmas period. Please refer to the dates outlined at the bottom of the newsletter. 

Please remember that Monday 3rd November is an INSET day, so we look forward to welcoming everyone back on Tuesday 4th November. Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable half term!

Excellent attendance and punctuality are vital aspects of our school expectations; we know that missing school can have a significant impact on children's wellbeing, progress and achievement.  

We want to ensure that parents and carers are aware of the support available to families if attendance or punctuality are challenges. Please get in touch with Mrs Julie Jenkins or Mr Raymond to discuss how best we can support: juliejenkins@pencoedprimary.co.uk or araymond@pencoedprimary.co.uk

We monitor attendance and punctuality regularly and work closely with the Education Welfare Service (EWS); if we have concerns about a child's attendance then a referral may also be made to this service to support raising your child’s attendance.

Secondary School Admissions

The admissions process for pupils moving from primary school (year 6) to secondary school (year 7) in September 2026 is now open. 

ALL year 6 parents/carers need to apply for a secondary school place using the link BCBC admissions 

Deadline: Friday 16th January, 2026.

reception pupil Admissions

If you are the parent/carer of a pupil entering Reception in September 2026, you must complete a school admission application. Even if your child is currently attending Nursery here, there is no automatic right to a place in Reception. You are able to apply online. If you have already signed up to My Account on the Bridgend County Borough Council website, you will need to log in and you can then complete an online application for a Reception year place. Apply here from Monday, 10th November 2025 at 10am. Please note that the deadline date for completed applications is Friday, 13 February 2026.

Harvest assembly

Many thanks to you all for your generous donations to our Harvest collection—your kindness will make a real difference to those in need. To celebrate, we held a special Harvest assembly where we put some of our staff’s acting skills to the test in a lively retelling of The Enormous Turnip. The performance was full of fun and laughter, with Mr Raymond stealing the show in his role as the determined farmer—his natural flair had us all wondering if the West End might be calling! It was a joyful way to come together as a school community and reflect on the importance of sharing and gratitude. 

race against hate 

We were thrilled to have been part of the  ‘Race Against Hate’ event where local schools and the community came together and demonstrated their commitment to fighting hate. The theme ‘Race Against Hate’ was to educate and raise awareness around the treatment of everyone in our community regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability. The children were fantastic and we were proud of everyone's efforts during the races and their behaviour whilst spectating. Highlights of the day included watching our Stargazer children all race and receive a special medal, seeing the year 5/6 boys podium dominated by PPS children (Well done Lloyd y6 and Zachary y5), and gaining two team awards for y3/4 boys and y5/6 boys.  A BIG thank you to Mrs Jo Jenkins for organising our involvement with this great event! 

Our goal as Criw Cymraeg, is to promote Welsh language and culture around the school. Throughout the year, we will be helping and encouraging all pupils and staff in Pencoed Primary school to achieve targets, which will lead us to our Silver award. 

We will be releasing a 'phrase of the month' for pupils, parents and staff to use as often as possible.

This month, our school celebrated ‘Shwmae day’ in which all members of the school were encouraged to start a conversation with ‘Shwmae’ and many exciting Welsh activities took place. 

In light of this, this month the phrase is ‘Shwmae’ and ‘Sut wyt ti?’, both meaning how are you? We encourage everyone to try to use these phrases in and around the school as much as possible.

Diolch yn fawr

Tîm Criw Cymraeg

Meet our Therapy Dogs

Having a therapy dog in school can make a big difference to children’s well-being and learning. Research shows that spending time with a calm, friendly dog can help reduce stress and anxiety, boost confidence, and encourage positive behaviour. Therapy dogs also support reading and communication skills—children often feel more relaxed reading aloud to a dog than to an adult. Most importantly, they bring joy and comfort, creating a warm and welcoming environment for everyone.

Griff and Angel visit the school each week and the children are always excited to see them.

POLITE REMINDER: NO other dogs are allowed onto the school site. Thank you for your support. 

Save the Dates

• Tuesday 4th November - pupils return to school

• Monday 10th November- Odd Sock Day to mark the start of Anti-Bullying Week - pupils can wear odd socks to school

• Thursday 13th November - School Photographs (A sibling photo request form will be shared after half term)

• Friday 14th November - Children in Need - pupils can wear non-uniform to school, monetary donations welcome for the charity

• Tuesday 18th November - Pantomime for Reception, Lower School and LRCs

• Thursday 11th December - Christmas Jumper Day

Christmas Concert Dates: 

Nursery - 9th December - 9:30am 

Reception - 10th December - 9:30am

Year 1 - 9th December 2:30pm

Year 2 - 10th December 2:30pm

Middle/Upper School - Community Carol Service -  click here

Inset Days:

• Monday 3rd November 2025 

• Friday 19th December 2025

• Monday 20th July 2026 

One further day to be allocated

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).  In addition, advice can be sought from Mrs A. Williams, Designated Governor for Safeguarding.

• 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/ 

Contact Us

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 

• contact@pencoedprimary.co.uk 

• Phone: 01656 815730