Friday 1st  May 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Many thanks for your ongoing support during these very challenging times. Ysgol Bryn Castell continues to work tirelessly to prioritise the wellbeing of the whole school community and are maintaining regular contact with Parents/Carers so that information can be shared and support offered as quickly as possible.

We recognise that many learners are missing the familiarity and structure of school and hope that they have all enjoyed seeing familiar staff faces in our video which we released this week which can be found at; https://twitter.com/YBCBridgend/status/1255502354113323010

We are hoping to post regular videos from familiar staff and will let you know each time a video is released.

Many pupils have taken advantage of the work packs we distributed before schools closed and more and more pupils are starting to use digital technology to support their learning. Hwb logins have been distributed to all pupils and work is available in the Teams section of this platform. There are also a number of learning and fun activities on the ‘Distance Learning’ section of our school website https://www.ysgolbryncastell.co.uk/distance-learning-at-ybc-page-under-construction/ which is being extended each week.

You will be aware that staff have been requesting information about digital access for your son/daughter in-line with the announcement by Welsh Government to support learners who don’t have access to an electronic device or the internet at home;  https://twitter.com/wgmin_education/status/1255746706865451008. If you do require support then please inform the school via your regular communication.

There has also been a change to the Free School Meal provision for pupils throughout Bridgend County Borough Council this week and we look forward to hearing about the lovely recipes you have created as a family.

The school continues to operate a small hub provision for our most vulnerable pupils and as we end week 6 of this offer we have to date offered over 31 sessions which has been supported by our dedicated staff volunteers.

We recognise that this period of school closure can be very challenging and would encourage Parents and Carers to reach out and seek support if you are finding things difficult. During this challenging time, the school will continue to offer telephone support for behaviour and families in crisis from Monday to Friday (including bank holidays); please call 01656 815595 and leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

We all look forward to a time when everyone can be back in school safely and will be following Welsh Government and Public Health Wales advice and guidance on when and how this may happen.

Stay safe and best wishes,

Mrs Helen Ridout and all at Ysgol Bryn Castell