Summer Term 2018

Welcome back to a new term at Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan.  We have had a lovely first week.  A member of staff came up to me at the end of the day on Friday and said how great the learners had been and what a positive atmosphere there was in the school -  It was great to hear.  We are very fortunate to work with the great learners that we do.  It made me think about the quote below

We will all be working hard this term to maintain a positive attitude so Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan is always a positive place to be.

 
 

Year 10
This week myself and Mr Williams attended the Year Ten assembly.  We have been preparing them for their examinations this term.  It is a really important time for the learners to make sure that there are well prepared for their final year.  I will be writing to all parents / carers this week so they are clear on how we will support their child at this crucial time.





Year 11
Year 11 continue to work hard in preparation for their examinations in summer.  We had a great turn out during the holidays to revision sessions and we will continue to do everything we can to help every young person achieve the qualifications that they deserve.

Skiing Trip

During the holidays we had a group of 40 learners go to Austria to take part in a week of skiing.  The learners were an absolute credit to the school and had a fantastic time.  It has been great talking to them this week.
I would like to thank all the staff who were involved in the trip for giving up their time and looking after the learners so well.  I would particularly like to thank Mr Blackford who organises this experience each year. 

The plans are in place for next years skiing trip to France and the letters are available!!

Sixth Form "Best ever results last year!"

We are still able to take application for our Sixth Form next year.  It has been great to see so many learners from year 11 express an interest in staying with us through to post 16.  We have also had a significant increase in external candidate wanting to join our school.
There is still time to apply for a place in our Sixth Form.  For external candidates please just download an application form from the website and return it to the school or email the school directly on info@emrysapiwan.conwy.sch.gov.uk requesting further information.  For candidates in school see Mr Seymour to discuss your options for Sixth Form.  We hope you found your recent interviews useful and we will be following up on these plans with you. 

Working Together

Over the last few days we have had learners from across Year 7 and 8 working with ASH Wales.

About ASH Wales

Our mission is to achieve a smokefree Wales by working for strong tobacco control policy. We work to raise awareness of the health, social and economic effects of smoking by working with communities, young people and partners across Wales.

We work on projects, campaigns and policy in order to achieve a reduction in, and eventual elimination of, the health problems associated with smoking and tobacco use.

Our key activities

• We communicate the issues relating to smoking and tobacco use in Wales
• We build effective networks of interested parties working in tobacco control in Wales
• We provide support and advocacy to individuals and projects in the tobacco control arena, and to those who are not adequately represented in public health policy or practice
• We lobby for public health measures to protect the health of all people in Wales from the harm caused by smoking and tobacco
• We research and develop policy and projects in the areas of smoking and tobacco control

The feedback we received back from our visitor was great
' I would like to thank you for accommodating ASH Wales over the two days.  Myself, Andrew and Khalifa really enjoyed delivering our smoking prevention workshops to all of your very well behaved young people.  The young people made the sessions; they were lively, engaging and excitable which made for a great learning environment.  Within my role over 4 years I have worked in many schools across Wales and England and I have to say the staff support provided in the sessions was fantastic.  All of the support staff, teachers and young people were a credit to the school. '

What a great piece of feedback for the whole school. 

Reflection on the Term

It is always good to be able to reflect on the half term and share with you all some of the great things that have been going on in Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan.  It is easy to forget the range of activities that our learners are involved in and the projects that we are working on.

Continued Examination Success

The term started really well for our Year 11's who received some of their GCSE results.  We were so proud of their achievements.  They are now preparing hard for their examinations in the summer and I am certain that they will do very well.  Parents should have received information about any additional support and further information will be out at the start of the new term.

Outward Bound

A group of learners took part in an outwards bound project in the last week of term.  This was a real test of their team work and resilience and I am delighted to say that the learners really did 'Dare to Achieve'.  They spent a week at Ogwen Cottage with the  Outward Bound Trust.  I have shared below the feedback we received from the centre.

' Our instructors; Steve, Dylan & Alice, have all told me that they thoroughly enjoyed working with your students, the students are a real credit to the school. As the course director for the experience it was a real pleasure to work with a school whose high expectations mirror our own. I hope the young people will remember and continue to draw on these experiences well in to the future.'

The learners planted trees as part of their work and so have created a lasting memory from their visit as well as take part in some challenging outdoor activities.

Transition

We have had lots of visits to the school from our Feeder Primary Schools this half term and have been able to meet many of the great young people who will be part of our school community in the future.  Its lovely to see them in our school and they are so used to the surroundings they feel very at home.

There have been so many extra curricula activities going on this term I couldn't possibly mention them all.  One new area we have been focussing on is Rugby Development.  The learners have had the opportunity to work with
highly qualified and experienced coaches as part of their PE lessons and also after school.  This is something we are looking to develop further and I will keep you posted.

Acts of Kindness

This week we have been focussing on the community element of the school vision in assemblies.  It has been great to see all the learners during the course of the week and their positive attitude has shone.

We watched the video below which shows an 'ordinary' young lady carry out twenty Random Acts of Kindness for her twentieth birthday.

In each assembly learners were asked to think about how being on the receiving end of these acts of kindness could make someone feel.  There were some great words, my personal favourite was 'gobsmacked'. 

We then thought about how we could make other people in our communities feel good.  Again, the learners had some great ideas.

At the end of the assemblies this week the whole school has been challenged to think about good causes we could support as a school throughout 2018.  We will let you know what the learners decide!!

Other Events

A new session of the popular after school activity 'Build Your Own Ukulele Club' with learners from Ysgol Reoledig Llansansior - St George. Before they learn how to play the instrument, they need to make it first!

 

 

This week was the Year 10 parents' evening.  It was good to see so many parents at this important event.  As we always say, the success of learners is through the partnership between the learners, parents and home.  It was good to talk to many parents and hear their positivity about the school.  I was particularly pleased to hear about 'Show My Homework' and how that is helping to make sure homework is set across the school more effectively.    

 



 

 

A Great Week

It has been great to be back in school and we have had a lovely first week back.  Already there has been too much to share on my blog.  Do remember that you can follow us on Twitter where there are more great stories from the week @emrysapiwansch
















The week started with learners from our Primary Schools coming into school and taking part in a range to STEM activities.  It was great to see so many Year 5 and 6 learners in school and excited about the activities and their learning.


Results 2016/17

As many of you will know, from my recent letter home to parents, we have had confirmation that our GCSE and A Level results compared very well with other schools and nationally last year.  Some of the headlines are;

• 5A*-G at GCSE was 100% - This was exceptionally good.
• Learners performed well on the new Numeracy GCSE with the performance of the learners in the school being in the top 50% of similar schools.
• English performance at GCSE was also good being in the top 50% of similar schools - This was a challenge with the new GCSE but a great result.
• Learners achievement in the Skills Challenge was exceptionally high 25% above the national average.
• The performance in Science was in the top 25% of similar schools and Year 10 also achieved a good set of results in the summer.
• The Capped Point Score (The measure of the performance of learners across five core areas and four other subjects) placed the school in the top 25% of all schools.
• Attendance- Last year the school achieved its highest ever attendance. Our attendance placed us in the top 25% of similar schools and was above the county and Wales averages for the first time.

Year 11 Results

This week we were delighted with the performance of Year 11 who received their Maths and English

results from the November examinations.  The individual performances were generally very good and many learners were delighted with their results.  As with all sets of results there was some disappointment however, we have a plan and in Assembly on Monday we will be sharing with Year 11 what will happen next to make sure that every individual learner leaves having met their potential.

I was able to share with the year group that they had already achieved higher grades than the previous year 11 and that they still have some time before their Summer examinations.  It was a great message to be able to share.





 

Sixth Form @ Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan

The Sixth Form @ Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan

This week we are hosting the Open Evening for the Sixth Form.  I just want to be able to tell you a little bit about our Sixth Form and our plans for the future.

Standards

Level 3 - The number of learners who achieve two good A level passes. 
The school achieved higher than the average in Wales and the LA with 100% of learners achieving this measure for the second year running.

The percentage of learners achieving 3A*-A or equivalent
This is considered the gold standard of performance at Advanced Level.  In 2017 the school achieved it highest percentage of learners achieving this standard of pass and was higher than the LA average and the Wales average. 

The Evening

The evening will commence at 6.00pm and will allow learners and parents / guardians the opportunity to gather more information about specific courses. Each subject area will have a staff representative present who will be able to give details and answer any questions you may have regarding their subject. General advice and guidance relating to sixth form life will also be available.  The evening will also include a brief presentation at 6.30pm in the Prys Jones Theatre about sixth form life and option choices. Current sixth form students will also be on hand to speak about their experiences.


Come and see what's on offer

We are looking at new courses for September 2018 including Law, Computer Science and Textiles.

I look forward to welcoming you to Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan and seeing what we have to offer.

All Different All Equal

This week has been anti-bullying week and we have worked as a school to make sure that everyone
in our school feels safe and happy.  Every Friday morning I meet with groups of learners to talk about the school and what is going well and what we need to focus on next.  It was great to hear from Year Nine this week telling me how happy they are in school.  This is so important.  The learners were keen for me to look at how older learners could support younger learners, maybe as peer mentors or peer listeners.  This was a great idea and something we will look at this term.  What was also great was that learners were really clear on who they would talk to if they had a problem. 

If there are ever any problems with school we always appreciate parents / carers phoning the school directly so we can work together to solve any issues.

Sixth Form Welsh

For the first time in the schools history we have been able to deliver A Level Welsh.  We are very proud of this as a school.  It shows how much the area has developed in the school and how committed learners are to the development of their Welsh Language Skills. 

This week learners have been on an immersion course and had a great time and learned a great deal.

A number of learners have been involved in raising money for Children in Need 2017.  We will let you know how much the school has raised as soon as we have counted it all.