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Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to contribute their view to Estyn as part of our inspection visit, which concluded today. 14 inspectors have been with us this week, examining all areas of school life at MCS as well as meeting students, staff, governors and parents. The inspection report now goes through the normal quality assurance processes at Estyn, and will be published within 45 working days of the first date of inspection.
You will know from my separate letter that there is again a national strike called by the NEU, who continue to be in formal dispute with Welsh Government over pay and conditions. This means that the school will unfortunately be closed to all students on Thursday 2nd March. I am sorry for the impact that this decision will inevitably have on many of you. I will keep you updated as best I can in this situation as it develops.
Finally, I wish you a very restful and happy half-term break. All the best to you and your family.
Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher
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Recording an Absence for students in Y7-11
- changes from 27 February
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Excellent attendance at school is vital in supporting young people to achieve their potential. The better a young person’s attendance is, the greater chance they have in opening doors to their future pathway, whatever that might be.
Here at Monmouth Comprehensive School, we aim for students to be in school every day, with a minimum expected level of 96% attendance. This will ensure students gain the knowledge and understanding that they require to be successful, and will also ensure that students are able to build positive relationships with peers, teachers and support staff. This all contributes to students being both happy and successful at school.
A reminder that, as of Monday 27th February 2023, we are changing the way in which parents/carers report a Year 7-11 absence. This new approach is a trial to improve information flow. As parents/carers you will receive a text message if your child does not register with their tutor and does not arrive at session 1. Please respond to this text message, with the reason for absence. We will aim to send this text message by 9.15am. There is no need to call school prior to this, as a response to the text message is enough.
We are hoping that this will speed up the process of recording absences and staff will have more time to support students.
If you wish to, however, you can continue to call the absentee line on 01600 775284 and leave an answerphone message. Please provide as much detail as possible regarding the reason for absence. Please be aware that for repeated absences or patterns, you may well be asked for medical evidence.
There is no change to Sixth Form absence reporting.
If you know there is an appointment coming up (hospital/Dr/dental etc), please follow our usual procedure by ringing in to school and letting us know timings etc. We can then either record it as medical mark if your child is going to be in late or we have it recorded at Reception if your child is leaving with you during the day. If your child then comes back to school after the appointment, we will sign them back in at Reception.
Please ensure your child also knows about the appointment as we don't collect students for appointments, they are expected to make their way to Reception to meet you.
In addition to this minor change we will be investing in the SIMS Parent & Student App. This mechanism will be used to allow you to see all aspects of your child's school life from attendance, punctuality, behaviour reports, extra-curricular clubs and academic reports. This will provide you with regular updates via notifications on the app. More details on the app can be found on the link below. We will be going live with the app, after the Easter break.
An introduction to the SIMS Parent and SIMS Student apps - YouTube
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Many thanks for your continued support.
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Monmouth's Got Talent - 2nd March
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Giving Blood - there's still time to book
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 The Welsh Blood Service are hosting blood donation sessions for Sixth Formers and staff across a selection of schools in Wales.
Over 1,500 donations have been made to date, including 220 bone marrow sign ups.
The Welsh Blood Service will be with us on Friday 24th March for staff and Sixth Form students (17+) students to give blood, should they wish to.
To check your eligibility and book an appointment to give blood on the 24th March, please click on the link below:
WBS Booking (wales.nhs.uk)
By checking your eligibility, you are giving yourself the best chance to successfully donate. Please note, your eligibility will also be confirmed by a Welsh Blood Service representative at the time of your appointment.
By doing this you are making a valuable difference to the lives of others in future. Thank you!
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Harry Davis crowned 13-year-old 50m Freestyle champion
 Year 8 student, Harry Davis has become the Boys 13-year-old Champion in the 50m Freestyle event at the Gloucestershire Counties.
Harry Davis powered his way down the Hengrove Leisure Park Olympic size pool finishing 1st in the final in a time of 29.71, setting a new personal best time.
Harry will now be working hard to prepare for the South West Regional championships which will take place at Millfield School later this year.
Congratulations Harry!
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 Last weekend, Theo Craig went to the Welsh Cadet Championships (U17) at Sports Wales National Centre in Cardiff.
He fought really well, winning 4/7 poules fights, putting him in third place at that stage. He then fought strongly in the direct elimination stages, losing 15-3 in the semi-final to the eventual gold medalist.
He finished 3rd, which as a 14-year-old in his first look at the U17 cadet Nationals is really good - so much so that Theo has decided to enter the Senior Nationals on the 25th Feb, as a development event.
Theo, who is in Year 9, is off to Poland in March to Challenge Wratislava - one of three Welsh fencers attending. Good luck Theo.
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 Ffion Evans 7EB took part in the Welsh School District Cross-Country Championships this week at Brecon, having qualified at an earlier event.
Despite completing the course, Ffion was disappointed with her own result due to a slip and ankle twist on a very slick course, following rain.
Ffion isn't part of any athletic club and doesn't train as such so to get through to this stage has been a great achievement.
 Add to this the fact that Ffion suffered a foot injury a few years ago and had to undergo two surgeries to reattach her big toe after a freak accident, which left her with 3 broken toes in total, she's doing amazingly well at cross-country.
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Year 13 student Corey Harding has produced an amazing life study bust of Humanities teacher, Mr Green, for his Art coursework.
Taking about 25 hours to complete, Corey's 'hobby' has resulted in a fabulous sculpture which, if you know Mr Green, is instantly recognisable.
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Duke of Edinburgh's Cymru Youth Ambassador
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 We are delighted to report that Year 11 student Alfie Rowlands has been appointed a DofE Cymru Youth Ambassador.
Alfie will be working with like-minded young people from across Wales who share his passion for the DofE Award and who are keen to promote the DofE as an opportunity for all young people.
The DofE team will work with Alfie to develop his skillset in areas such as public speaking, media training, social action campaigning and leadership, through an ongoing programme of events throughout the year. They will host workshops, exploring different sections of the DofE Award and informing their decision-making to ensure the DofE continues to be an opportunity for all.
Alfie will also have the opportunity to share his DofE story more widely and speak at DofE events, both online and in-person, and meet their associate supporters and DofE Wales Business Group.
We understand Alfie is really pleased and can't wait to help promote DofE to other students.
Well done Alfie - what an amazing opportunity.
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Competition Finalists
Year 8 students Lukas Beard, Tom Fell, Tomi North, and Hamish Sperring attend a Drama Club run by Ms Price and Ms Brickley Clarke, who entered them into an international Drama devising competition where learners wrote their own piece of theatre based around a topic of their choice. The group chose politics.
We found out last night that they have been selected as finalists, and invited to perform their piece live on March 11th at Warwick University!
Their teachers are so excited and so proud of them. They were the only act to get through on a unanimous vote by the judges and are one of just three acts to make it into the final.
NODA Nominations
The PEA Faculty are delighted to confirm that we have received nominations from NODA for Outstanding Youth Production with Seussical jr and Best Youth Performance for Georgie Lewis for our region 2022.
Results will be announced at the NODA AGM. NODA is The National Operatic and Dramatic Association and is the charity for amateur theatre societies.
Good luck everyone - we'll keep you posted on the results.
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Curry & Quiz 2023
 Last Friday we held our first social event in several years and it was a great success with more than 130 of you attending. Everyone I spoke to said what a good atmosphere there was and others commented on how great it was to see friends, teachers and students all mingling, it felt very good to all be together. Chartwells cooked up an amazing spread including a choice of curry, Naan bread, sides such as Onion Bhajis and Samosas, and various sauces and chutneys. It was all delicious and we were very grateful to them for giving up their Friday evening. We also had a very well-stocked bar run by the Friends and a raffle which Mr Hutchison kindly drew at the end of the evening - thank you to all those who donated a prize for this.
Sam North and Will Hevicon were fabulous as our Quiz Masters and kept everything running smoothly and in great humour. With a range of rounds including matching famous people with their quotes, song lyrics, nature, sports, and general knowledge, it was a closely fought battle. But in the end it was Team: Are We Doing A Practical? (the science teachers) who won not only the teachers' shield but also the quiz overall, so a big congratulations to them!
1st - Are We Doing A Practical?
2nd - Catbrook Cats
Joint 3rd - We’re Only Here For The Wine & Team English
I would have liked to share more photos of
the night but it seems we were all having too much of a good time to remember to take any! We'll let you know how much we raised in due course but for now, thank you to all those who came along and we hope to see you again soon.
MCS Friends
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Young Carers Cooking Opportunity Next Week
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Is your child a young carer who might like to attend this amazing cooking group in Abergavenny next week?
There is funding available for transport so that children across Monmouthshire can attend, so please contact youngcarers@monmouthshire.gov.uk for more information and to book a space.
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Meic Helpline
Meic is the information, advice and advocacy service for children and young people in Wales aged 0-25. Meic is a bilingual service that can be contacted, confidentially and free, by phone (08088023456), text (84001) or online chat through their website. They operate between 8am and midnight every single day of the year.
Contact information about the Meic helpline is shown below. Their website also includes lots of interesting articles relevant to children and young people. Meic have lots of engagement with children, young people and professionals on their social media pages on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and you can find some of the videos they've created on their YouTube channel.
CAMHS Online Workshops
CAMHS will be running a range of workshops on MS Teams in February Half Term 2023 for all children, young people and their families across Gwent.
Please use this booking form (click HERE) to explore what support they can offer and respective QR codes to access their workshops.
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 Just a reminder that the MCS Friends have kindly paid for more table tennis bats to use on our lovely outdoor tables.
These bats are specifically for frequent use and are far more substantial than our original ones. However, this does mean that we will be asking students for the deposit of a phone or equivalent before they can take them and the student who leaves the deposit will be the one responsible for returning the bats/ball to Reception.
Obviously, students who are bringing their own bats in are still more than welcome to do so.
These new bats will be available on our return to school on Tuesday 10 January. A big thank you to the Friends for continuing to supply equipment.
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Student Survey Request from
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
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Dear Parent and Carer
Public Health Wales vaccination survey for children of secondary school age 13+
Public Health Wales are looking to improve the information we provide for children and young people around the vaccinations they may receive in secondary school.
We would like to ask for the opinions and views of young people on what vaccine
information or resources they might find helpful. We are not asking any questions about specific vaccinations. We are asking questions about preferences for information formats, such as if they would prefer information as a video or leaflet, and how best to share information with them. We have put together an online survey for young people of secondary school age who are 13+, which will be shared across Wales to enable us to gather this information.
This short survey will not ask for any personal data such as name, address, or date of birth. There is no obligation for a young person to complete the survey. There is also an option to withdraw the answers to the survey after completing it using a unique reference number, if some young people change their mind and no longer wish to participate.
The results of the survey will help us to develop better and more appropriate information resources, and Public Health Wales would really value the opinions of young people to achieve this.
Student Survey
If you have any queries or would like more information, please send an email to:
phw.vaccines@wales.nhs.uk.
Thank you.
Public Health Wales – Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme Team
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 Places where children eat free this February half-term
Asda
Kids get a free bowl of porridge (8am - 12 noon) or a £1 meal every day of the week, no minimum spend needed.
Beefeater and Brewers Fayre
Up to two children under 16 can eat a free breakfast when an adult buys a cooked breakfast for £9.50.
Bella Italia
Kids eat for £1 with the purchase of an adult main course, available between 4pm to 6pm Monday to Thursday.
Bill’s
Kids eat free at Bill's all day from February 13 to 24 when an adult orders any main dish.
Cafe Rouge
Kids can choose two or three courses from the children’s menu for just £1 with every adult who purchases a main course.
Carluccio’s
Kids eat for £1 from February 10 to 26 with a paying adult.
Dobbies
Kids eat free when an adult purchases a meal, from 12pm.
Dunelm Pausa Café|
Kids can eat for free when an adult spends £4, from Monday to Friday.
Giraffe
Use the code GRKE1MS for kids to eat for £1 when an adult orders a main meal.
IKEA
Kids eat from 95p every day from 11am, starting February 11.
M&S Café
Kids eat free when an adult spends £5 in the café.
Morrisons Café
Get a free kids meal when an adult buys a main meal for £4.49.
Premier Inn
Kids eat free when an adult orders an all-you-can-eat breakfast from £9.99.
Sizzling Pubs
Kids eat for £1 when an adult buys a main meal, valid Monday to Friday from 3pm-7pm.
Table Table
Up to two children aged under 16 eat a free breakfast when an adult buys an unlimited cooked breakfast for £9.50.
Tesco Cafes
Kids eat free when an adult makes a purchase in the café and scans their Clubcard, weekdays only.
The Real Greek
Kids under 12 eat free on Sundays when an adult spends £10.
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MCC Monnow Street Consultation
A new plan for Monnow Street in Monmouth has been unveiled as a consultation launches for residents to share their views on the proposed ideas.
As well as taking part in face to face consultations (on 11th and 15th February) people can visit the Monmouth Community Hub during opening hours between Friday 17th February and Saturday 4th March, where the exhibition boards will be on display. There will be a website with designs and a link to a survey for people to complete, the survey will be open from Saturday 11th February until midnight on Sunday 5th March 2023. Paper copies of the survey and post boxes will also be available in Monmouth Leisure Centre, Monmouth Shire Hall, and Monmouth Community Hub. Full designs and the survey can be found at
https://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/monnow-street-consultation-2023/
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Bream RFC Women are seeking to recruit girls aged 16+ for their women's team. If anyone is interested, please contact them through their social media accounts at the bottom of poster.
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Website: www.monmouthcomprehensive.org.uk | Twitter: @LearnWithMCS
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