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Education

Milford Haven: Major award presented to Gelliswick School

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A SCHOOL which has put family and community engagement at the heart of school life has been recognised with a prestigious national award.

Gelliswick Church in Wales VC Primary School was announced as the winner of the ‘Closing the Gap’ category in the 2019 Inspire! Adult Learning Awards.

The school was nominated by Springboard, a Learning Pembrokeshire
project which runs a wide range of courses for adults and families in targeted areas.

Laura Phillips, Springboard Co-ordinator, said family activities take place at the school every day of the week and the community room is the very first thing you can access when you enter the building.

“When the local authority took the decision to close the two schools serving the communities of Hakin and Hubberston there was some resistance and uncertainty,” she said.

“Before the new school’s official opening, the Headteacher secured funding to support projects to build bridges between the communities, who were anxious about their children moving to a new school.”

Headteacher Nick Dyer said the challenge was to ‘reach out to parents in a way that would bring the community together and to do this in a way that would mean not just a smooth transition to the new school, but would be transformative in terms of skills, ambition and future prospects’.

“That’s why we made a commitment from the outset to support family learning,” he said.

Enjoying family learning at Gelliswick School. More than 70 courses have been delivered at the school since September 2017.

More than 70 courses have been delivered at the school since September 2017, engaging 187 adults aged between 18 and 81.

Courses help adults develop their essential skills and their capacity to support their children in English and Maths. The school has also funded a range of courses that embed essential skills in a creative way.
In preparation for the launch of the new school, the community also came together to produce stained glass windows, a photographic legacy book and a community choir also emerged.

Nick Dyer explains, “Leaders at the school recognise that for children to truly learn, they must be motivated by knowing that others, and most importantly their families, believe in them.

“It is a powerful thing for children to see adults choosing to learn. It is especially powerful if those adults are their own parents and they are learning together.”

Carol Mayled from Springboard is responsible for engaging families on the courses, “I see my students battle all weathers to come into school and learn new skills, either for themselves or with their children,” she said.

“Gelliswick School is a place where my students feel comfortable coming to. They come because they want to and because they want to make a difference.”

Community engagement at the school is now so strong that parents have helped to raise over £16k to support family activities. Parents are volunteering their time as crèche workers to support other families to access family learning and others are qualifying to become Learning Support Assistants in the school.

Laura Phillips added: “Gelliswick School has put the community at the heart of its development and thanks to that, the heart is pumping stronger than ever!”

Enjoying family learning at Gelliswick School. More than 70 courses have been delivered at the school since September 2017.

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Education

Don’t miss out on help with school essentials

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88% of those eligible have claimed their free School Essentials grant to help with costs like school uniform, shoes, bags, sports kit and equipment. Have you claimed yours?

Children of families on lower incomes who receive certain benefits, those seeking asylum and children in care can claim £125 per year to help with school costs. Because of the extra cost families might face when their children start secondary school, £200 is available for eligible pupils going into year 7. It could also mean extra funding for your school.

There’s still time to check eligibility and apply for this year’s funding now before applications close on 31 May.

You can apply every year for each of your children. Pupils from all kinds of education settings are eligible as long as they are aged 5-16. This applies to pupils in all schools and settings, including special schools and pupil referral units.

Headteacher of Ysgol Gymunedol Trimsaran, Steffan Jones, explained how the grant helps pupils at his school: “You want every child to be treated the same, and you want every child to have the same experiences. These grants do help, so that all children can get involved and enjoy their time at school, not just those who can afford it.”

The grant can be used to pay for:

  • school uniform, including coats and shoes.
  • school activities, like learning a musical instrument, sports kit and equipment for after school activities.
  • classroom essentials, like pens, pencils and bags.

Even if your child already receives a Free School Meal, you still need to check eligibility to access the School Essentials Grant and extra funding for your school. To find out more about the Schools Essentials Grant and to check eligibility, visit Get help with school costs | GOV.WALES

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Charity

Bags of Books returns to Milford Haven and surrounding areas this Easter

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THE INFAMOUS Bags of Books is set to return to Milford Haven and surrounding areas over the Easter holidays.

Milford Haven School who launched the project with Milford Youth Matters over 3 years ago are continuing in their bid to improve literacy skills and encourage a love of reading for pleasure by giving away over 700 books.

Thanks to funding from the South Hook LNG Community grant they have purchased books for young people of all ages and reading abilities and will be hanging them on the fences of the schools in their catchment area.

The community are invited to come and choose a book from the following locations over the Easter holidays:

  • Neyland Community Primary School – Monday 25th March
  • Johnston Community Primary School – Tuesday 26th March
  • Coastlands Primary School – Wednesday 27th March
  • Gelliswick Primary School – Tuesday 2nd April
  • Milford Haven Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April
  • St Francis Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April

Milford Haven Secondary School will also hang over 150 books on their fence after the Easter Holidays on Wednesday 10th April for those in our community who cannot attend the other locations.

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Education

Milford Haven School’s Aspire Celebration Evening 2024 

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THIS week, Milford Haven School celebrated the achievements of Year 11 pupils from the Class of 2023 at the Milford Haven School’s Aspire Celebration Evening.

Chair of Governors Dayle Gibby opened the evening by welcoming past pupils, parents and carers and guests from the community as they joined together to proudly celebrate the outstanding achievements of their past pupils. Mr Gibby said “Tonight is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate your achievements academically, and achievements that go far beyond the classroom like sporting, musical, through drama, enterprise, environmental and those that reach into the heart of community. Throughout your time here you have all showed, resilience, determination, and aspiration. With these attributes you have set yourself targets and goals to achieve, manage difficult problems and overcome unexpected events.”

The annual Aspire Celebration evening recognises the exceptional talents, dedication, and hard work demonstrated by these pupils throughout their academic journey. The evening was an enjoyable one that showcased the remarkable accomplishments of the young people, highlighting their academic excellence, leadership skills,and contributions to the school and wider community. Among the many accolades awarded were prizes for outstanding academic achievement, extra-curricular participation, personal development and services to the community.

One of the highlights of the evening was the inspiring address from guest speaker and former pupil of the former Milford Haven Grammar School Ms Makala Jones. Pupils, staff and guests were captivated and inspired by her stories of cold water swimming and how joining the world renowned Blue Tits changed her life and played a big part in her accomplishments of recently swimming the English Channel completely solo. Her motivational speech, insights and personal anecdotes resonated deeply with the entire audience, encouraging them to pursue their passions fearlessly, love themselves completely and embrace opportunities that lie ahead. 

As pupils received their well-deserved awards, there was an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment filling the room. Headteacher Ms Morris said “This evening is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our young people. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and the positive impact they have made on our school community. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the prize winners. I have no doubt that you will continue to excel in whatever task you choose to do next. I am personally proud of each and every one of you and wish you continued success in your future endeavours.”

For more information and a full list of prize winners please visit: www.milfordhavenschool.co.uk/aspirecelebrationevening 

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