Dear Parents and Carers,
I would like to thank you for your support during the past academic year and to say how much we are looking forward to welcoming your son/daughter back in September for the new academic year.
Please note, all pupils are due back to school on Monday 6th September in time for an 8.50am start.
The school has worked extremely hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all its pupils throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so even as restrictions continue to ease. Further information on arrangements for schools will be shared with us shortly and we will update parents and carers accordingly, however there are some alterations that we are already able to plan and to make. Our Key Stage 3 pupils will, for example, now be able to attend lessons in classrooms throughout our site rather than remaining in one classroom base.
Our arrangements for keeping our pupils safe rely heavily upon all in our community ensuring that no one attends the school site if they are experiencing Covid symptoms and taking account of the current guidance, which outlines the following essential measures:
A requirement that people stay at home and self-isolate if they:
have symptoms of COVID-19, whether they feel unwell or not
have tested positive, even if asymptomatic
have been advised by NHS Wales Test Trace Protect (TTP) to do so
are household members of a positive case, even if that case is asymptomatic
are required to self-isolate for travel-related reasons
The guidance is updated regularly and can be found here: https://gov.wales/operational-guidance-schools-and-settings. Guidance will also be shared via the school’s social media accounts immediately prior to the start of the school term.
Whilst we will be reviewing all aspects of our extensive risk assessments in the initial weeks of the term, the arrangements for the beginning of the school day will remain in place for the start of the term, specifically that each year group will continue to have a separate entrance to the site. This arrangement has significantly improved the road safety and traffic management around the school. Each entrance has clear signage. Locations are also listed at the end of this letter.
On Monday 6th September:
Our new Year 7 pupils will be welcomed by their new teachers at their gate and directed to the school’s Main Hall for a further welcome and for allocation to tutorials.
Pupils in Years 8, 9 and 10 are asked go to last year’s tutorial base when the bell sounds at 8.50am. They will be met by their tutors and taken to their new tutorial rooms.
Pupils in Year 11 and Year 13 should go to last year’s tutorial base when the bell sounds at 8.50am.
Year 12 pupils should go to the Sixth Form Common Room when the bell sounds at 8.50am. From there, they will be welcomed and allocated to their new tutorial groups.
Please can I ask you to note that the school operates a two week timetable cycle? There will be regular reminders for pupils as to whether it is week one or week two of the cycle and it will be clearly indicated in the homework planner. The first week back is week one.
I enclose for your information the school uniform list. Items of uniform are available from:
Bergoni, Tower Court, Unit 8, St.David’s Road, Swansea Enterprise Park, Swansea SA6 8RU. Telephone: - 01792 796880/771070.
J&S Products, 74 Tycoch Road, Swansea, SA2 9EQ. Telephone: - 01792 206658.
There is, however, no obligation to purchase from these sources.
Once again, I should like to take the opportunity of thanking parents, guardians and pupils for their co-operation in these matters which ensures that Bishop Vaughan has an enviable reputation for the smart appearance of its pupils and their conscientious approach to study. We can never be complacent however and I ask, please, for the co-operation of everyone in maintaining these high standards.
I wish you and your family a happy, relaxing and safe remainder of the summer break, and I look forward to welcoming all of our pupils back at the start of the new academic year -
Yours faithfully,
Mrs Pole
Headteacher
Year Group Entrances to the School Site: September 2021
Year 7: Passenger gate - Mynydd Garnllwyd Road
Year 8: Caemawr Road gate, near Music Block
Year 9: Caemawr Road gate, near Music Block
Year 10: Caemawr Road gate, near the Health and Wellbeing Base (Hwb)
Year 11: Caemawr Road gate, near the Health and Wellbeing Base (Hwb)
Sixth Form: Main gate - Mynydd Garnllwyd Road
