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Education

School banding system to change

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New Era: Schools to be colour coded.

New Era: Schools to be colour coded.

THE SCHOOL banding system for Wales is to change, following a recent announcement from the Welsh Assembly Government. A new colour coded system will replace the old number graded system in both secondary and primary schools. The system will now, according to Labour Ministers, use a wider range of data over three years, rather than just the one that is used at present.

From January 2015 schools will be rated from green (best rating), to yellow, amber and red (lowest rating). Those categorised as red will need ‘significant improvement’. School banding was launched in December 2011, with secondary schools grouped into one of five bands, and has been criticised by teaching unions who believed the system to be a failure, with the ATL union going so far as to accuse it of being ‘bonkers’. The new system will use exam results in key subjects, and will also include attendance levels, as well as self- evaluation.

Initially the top 25% of schools will be in the green zone, but if all schools do well they could, in theory, all move up to that section. Education Minister Huw Lewis said the aim was to ‘improve on the current banding system’, but denied it had failed. Plaid Cymru education spokesman Simon Thomas welcomed the new system, saying it was: “A step in the right direction for higher standards, but there is still a need for improvement in measuring and raising education standards. Plaid Cymru always warned that banding did not provide a whole view of a school’s performance.

We believe that pitting schools against each other is destructive and should not happen. I am glad that the Welsh Government has now seen sense and scrapped the system of banding. We have always called for support for under – performing schools and hope that the new system will provide this support”. NAS/UWT Wales Organiser, Rex Phillips, said of the proposed changes: “The new system at least has the merit of allowing all schools to go ‘green.’

However, the Welsh Government continues to miss the point that what’s needed is investment in the school workforce, not back-room bystanders”. Whilst NUT Cymru secretary, David Evans commented: “School banding had lost all credibility and it had clearly run its course. The Education Minister should be commended for recognising that and for putting in place a new model.” However, in 2012, the then Labour Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, defending the current banding system, had said he thought parents wanted consistency and that banding had enabled local authorities, head teachers, parents and pupils to focus on the consistency of leadership in their schools, citing the system ‘a great success’ and saying the system was there to ‘serve the interests of learners’ and that he was ‘pleased that the school improvement programme was starting to deliver for learners’. 

Angela Burns, Shadow Education Secretary and AM, said: “I welcome this long-awaited u-turn on a badly drawn up policy, which was fairly universally condemned by teaching unions, was confusing and failed to provide any clear information to parents on school performance and incensed hard working Head Teachers because it produced such arbitrary results. Labour’s banding policy was poorly planned and simply thrust upon the education sector in the face of universal opposition. Whilst I welcome Labour’s light bulb moment that they need to listen to teachers and parents and engage with them in developing school performance data I do hope these new rankings will not, like the previous banding policy, give schools a perverse incentive to recruit more pupils who qualify for free school meals at the expense of driving up standards. What parents want to see in robust school data is achievement in academia and key skills as well as evidence of which school will draw the best out of their particular child in order to help them succeed in the adult world.”

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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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