Annwyl pawb

As you know, we had Estyn at school this week for an interim visit, which is a new process they have introduced for all schools. The visit takes place between inspections, in order to check progress since last inspection. I'm pleased to say that the feedback from the inspection team after the visit was very positive, including very good progress on the recommendations of our 2023 report. 

As part of the visit, the inspectors met groups of students, and the feedback to us from those meetings was really lovely to hear. They described our students as "...articulate, engaged, polite, respectful and proud of the school." Something they said that stood out for me is that students described a feeling of kindness in school, with staff always approachable and willing to help.

For any sector or profession, a visit from the inspectorate always increases both workload and stress levels, but I am once again very grateful to all staff for all that they do. The success of the visit was a reflection of their hard work, which they put in every day.

Attention now turns to our school production of Shrek next week. Tickets are close to being sold out, so snap them up whilst you still can! I am really looking forward to seeing the show - it is a highlight in the school calendar.

All the best for a restful weekend.

Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher

Further congratulations to Lyra Swayne who came second last weekend at Lansdown, Bath in a 14 Under Grade 4 event.

Lyra had a tough semi-final which went to a match tie-break, where she was 5-8 down, then came back to win 11-9! Couldn’t quite clinch the final, but great effort, especially as it was snowing during the match.

Well done, Lyra.

The Welsh Youth Parliament have produced an Issues survey for young people to fill out and complete.

MCS student Isabelle Ravenhill, the local representative, has asked if we could share this with MCS students, as they need as many responses as possible to get a more accurate understanding of what young people want to change or prioritise over the next two years. This will be discussed in February at the first whole-parliament meeting.

There is a list of 22 issues to choose from on the form below, and you can choose up to three.   Email addresses aren't saved, unless students choose to provide one. The only personal thing in the survey is age groups.  Students should click on the link below to complete the survey, no later than 31 January.

https://forms.office.com/e/vsU8r2C1PC

Wednesday 29 January    7pm - 28 tickets left
Thursday 30 January        7pm - 22 tickets left
Friday 31 January             7pm - 4 tickets left
Saturday 01 February      2pm - 1 ticket left
Saturday 01 February      7pm - SOLD OUT

Concessions              £10  (students/children/Seniors)
General Admission  £12

Tickets may be purchased from:

TICKETSOURCE

It is worth checking the Ticketsource website regularly if the tickets you require are not available, as sometimes tickets are returned and suddenly pop back up.

At Hays Travel, we offer retail apprenticeships that provide invaluable hands-on experience, a chance to earn while you learn, and the potential for long-term career development within the travel industry. These sessions will give an insight into the various apprenticeship roles, the skills required, and the benefits of joining our team.

Details of our next Discovery Sessions:

• Date: 10/2/25
• Time: 6pm – 8pm
• Platform:  Teams

During this session, attendees will hear from our experienced team members, who will share their knowledge about the apprenticeships on offer and answer any questions. We believe this session will be highly beneficial for students considering their career options and looking for a rewarding pathway into the travel industry.

If students are looking to apply, please use the link below (we do require a 4 in both Maths and English and a well written personal statement of 150 words minimum):

Apprentice Application 2025

For students to register for this Teams event, please click on the following link:

Apprentice 2025 Discovery Events

Teacher of English

Closing date: Monday 3^rd February at 12 noon

Please click on this link for more details:  Teacher of English

Welcome to Let's Talk Monmouthshire - register today!

Engaging with residents is one of our guiding principles at Monmouthshire County Council. 

Whether to capture feedback on draft policies and proposed decisions, or to have a conversation about issues that matter to residents and their communities. 

We’ve launched a new platform (one in English and one in Welsh) that will create a clear open door to have conversations with the council:

www.letstalkmonmouthshire.co.uk 

www.sgwrsioamsirfynwy.co.uk

Let’s Talk Monmouthshire is the council's new platform for engagement activities, discussions and consultations.  

Let’s Talk reinforces the message “your community, your voice” and encourages conversations, questions and for their views to be shared with the council.  

Residents will also be able to easily find out information in one place and become part of the Let’s Talk community.  

Let’s Talk Monmouthshire isn’t only for residents online.  It will be the voice of face-to-face events, on leaflets, flyers, paper surveys, and much more, increasing our engagement with residents, stakeholders, businesses and visitors.  

Let’s Talk Monmouthshire will highlight the work all service areas are doing to work with communities to help deliver services they need in the way they need them, to help shape policy and, generally, feel that they can easily have that discussion with the council. 

They’ll also be able to become familiar with ‘Let’s Talk Monmouthshire’ as branding that means we’re holding an engagement event, a forum, a people’s panel, a consultation, workshop, and much more.  

We’d really value your help sharing the news and letting people know that www.letstalkmonmouthshire.co.uk is up and running. We’ve also got a Welsh language equivalent called www.sgwrsioamsirfynwy.co.uk/.

Please ensure that you register on both sites and become part of the Let’s Talk community. 

By registering, you’ll be amongst the first to hear about the latest news and be able to engage in a wide range of ways. 

We’ll be using LetsTalkMonmouthshire.co.uk to host our annual budget consultation from Thursday 23rd January, so please make sure you have a look and take part. 

Supporting service areas with their engagement and consultation plans

We’re also looking forward to sharing the many ways we can capture the views and perspectives of Monmouthshire’s communities.  

If you want to know more about the platform, and how it can be used to increase the effectiveness of your engagement and consultations, please drop the Communications and Engagement team a line via letstalk@monmouthshire.gov.uk