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Inspire, Challenge, Support, Achieve

Radyr Primary School Annual Report to Parents 2017-2018

Chair of Governors: Mrs Jane Griffiths

Contact via School Office

Headteacher: Mrs C. Skidmore

Radyr Primary School Park Road, Radyr

Tel: 029-20842228 Fax: 029-20844494

Email: [email protected]

Director of Education:

Mr. Nick Batchelar County Hall

Cardiff County Council Atlantic Wharf

Cardiff Tel: 029-20872000

Clerk:

Mrs L. Greenwood Contact via School Office

Language Category:

English Speaking

All pupils are taught and encouraged to use the Welsh lan-

guage.

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2017-2018

Ysgol Gynradd

Radur

Radyr Primary School

We have had the most amazing year embracing the New Curriculum for Wales. We are delighted with the impact that Immersion days have had on learn-ing by allowing pu-pils to have a strong voice in what they want to learn. We think the high-light of the year was our first Enrichment day. We really felt that our vision of

‘Unlocking the potential in every child to become a lifelong learner’ became a reality. The school was a hum of activity and every child was engaged in a wide range of activities that cov-ered the four purposes of the new curriculum. Music making, den building and creative arts groups were gathering. Everywhere around school groups were planning and exploring. Cakes were baking in readiness for the opening of our Caffi Radur which turned out to be a great success with our custom-ers. So much learning and a lot of fun.



From the Chair of the Governing Body On behalf of the Governing Body I am proud to present this report covering the main achieve-ments from the academic year 2017/2018. At this time we have no formal plans to hold a meet-ing to discuss this report but would happily arrange one should there be a significant number of parents who wish to do so. Within this report, the Head teacher has set out the excellent results achieved by our pupils across both the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2. These results reflect the outstanding effort of our pupils as well as the dedication of all our staff. The Senior Leadership Team and the Gov-erning Body are continuously looking at the progress of every pupil to ensure that every child has the opportunity to realise their full potential whilst at Radyr Primary School. As a school we are committed to realising our vision of “unlocking the potential of every child”. In addition to academic results, our pupils have achieved exceptional success in many diverse areas. The Governing Body are proud of the range of skills and abilities of our children and grateful to the staff who work with the pupils to nurture their individual talents. In January 2018 the school was awarded a Green status in the annual categorisation of all schools in Wales. The school was delighted to achieve this external validation which recognises both the excellent progress the school has made in recent years as well as the capacity to bring about even more improvements for our pupils. 2017/2018 was the first academic year that we were officially a two-form entry school. The school now has two classes in every year group and this has eased the pressure on budget planning and has allowed the Senior Leadership Team and Governing Body to better manage spending and investment decisions. The school remains committed to providing the best educational experience for all pupils. This has been reflected in continuous efforts to implement the new curriculum for Wales in exciting and stimulating ways. Immersion and enrichment days have been enthusiastically received by pupils and the impact on their learning has been outstanding. Further improvements to the out-door learning environment have taken place and the school now has high quality outdoor learn-ing provision for all year groups. Radyr Primary School has a dedicated and hard-working Parent Teacher Association. Events are organised throughout the year and the money raised has been invaluable in purchasing new IT equipment as well as creating nurture spaces to improve both the education and the wellbeing of pupils. Every year the volume of traffic around our school increases. The Governing Body would like to thank the vast majority of parents who park and drive safely. However, our priority is the safety of our pupils and we would urge every parent to always park and drive with the children’s safety in mind. Finally, I would like to thank Mrs Skidmore, her staff and my fellow Governors for their drive, commitment and dedication to constantly improving our school.

Jane Griffiths Chair of Governors October 2018



Governor Type of Governor End of office

Mrs J Griffiths LA Governor and Chair March 2021

Mrs C Skidmore Headteacher

Miss C. Robins LA Governor January 2022

Cllr R. McKerlich LA Governor September 2020

Mrs A. Hind Parent Governor Dec 2019

Mrs V. Wales Parent Governor December 2018

Mrs B Armstrong Parent Governor March 2021

Mrs G. Davies-Walsh Parent Governor and Vice Chair February 2022

Mrs S Thomas Community Governor September 2017

Mr J. Wilson Community Governor October 2018

Mr G. McNamara Community Governor October 2018

Mr D. Currie Community Governor November 2018

Mr C. Crocker Teacher Rep. September 2020

Mrs A. Lewis Non Teaching Staff Rep.

Mrs R. Richards Deputy Headteacher (Observer)

Since the 1944 Education Act it has been a legal requirement that all maintained schools should have Governing Bodies, and their responsibility has been twofold - to ensure that the school is run in a way that meets the needs of the community and to protect the interests of the school. The Governing Body therefore provides a strategic view, helping to set, and keep under review, the broad framework within which the Headteacher and staff run the school. In all its work, the governing body should focus on the key issues of raising standards of achievement, establishing high expectations and promoting effective learning and teaching. The Governors also consider all relevant reports, recommendations and directives from both Cardiff Local Authority and the Welsh Assembly. To act as a critical friend, critical in the sense of its responsibility for monitoring and evaluating the school’s effectiveness, asking questions, and pressing for improvement. A friend because it exists to pro-mote the interests of the school and its students. To ensure accountability. The governing body is responsible for ensuring good quality education in the school. It has a right to discuss, question and refine proposals - while always respecting the professional roles of the Headteacher and other staff, and their responsibilities for the management of the school. In its turn the governing body answers for its actions, above all to parents and the wider community for the school’s overall performance. Our next Parent Governor vacancy will occur in December 2018. Therefore, documentation will be sent to all parents in December 2018 who will be invited to apply.



INSET DAYS

Monday 3rd September 2018, Monday 5th November 2018, Friday 29th March 2019, Monday 28th June 2019 and Monday 22nd July 2019 are designated INSET days.

School Hours are as follows:

9.00am— 11.30am Morning session for Nursery pupils 9.00am – 11.45am Morning session for Foundation Phase pupils 9.00am – 12.15pm Morning session for key Stage 2 pupils

12.45pm— 3.15pm Afternoon session for Nursery pupils 1.00pm – 3.30pm Afternoon session for Foundation Phase pupils 1.15pm – 3.30pm Afternoon session for key stage 2 pupils

There are two break times during the school day which last for 15 minutes.

Term Term Begins

Half Term Begins

Half Term Ends

Term Ends

Autumn Term

Monday 3rd Sept 2018

Monday 29th Oct 2017

Friday 2nd-Nov 2017

Friday 21st Dec 2018

Spring Term

Monday 7th Jan 2019

Monday 25th Feb 2019

Friday 1st Mar 2019

Friday 12th April 2019

Summer Term

Monday 29th April 2019

Monday 27th May 2019

Friday 31st May 2019

Monday 22nd July 2019

Morning break is between 10.30am and 10.45am Afternoon break is between 2.15pm and 2.30pm

(There is no set break time for pupils in the nursery)



School Prospectus The prospectus was rewritten and updated with relevant information about teaching and learning, partnership with parents and the organisation of the school day.

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Radyr Primary was thrilled that following National Verification Radyr Primary the school was categorised as a Green school. A green school is identified as being highly effective and; well run with strong leadership clear about priorities for improvement has a track record for raising standards has the capacity to support other schools. The National School Categorisation system aims to provide a clear structure to review how well a school is performing for all its learners, taking into account how effectively it is led and managed. The performance is measured taking into account Foundation Phase and Key stage 2 results in English and Maths over the last three years and overall progress that the school has made. Also included is attendance and how effectively the school manage areas for improvement. For further information visit mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk

Attendance of the majority of pupils is very good. Most absences are due to illness, but attendance rates can be adversely affected by family holidays in term time which are not authorised absences

Radyr Primary School attendance target for the academic year 2018 /2019 is 97.0%.

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Attendance 2017-2018

Percentage Attendance 96.4%

Authorised absences 2.5%

Unauthorised absences 1.1%



Headteacher Mrs Claire Skidmore

Deputy Headteacher Mrs Rhian Richards

Teacher Teaching Assistant 1:1 SEN Support Year Class Size

Mrs C. Riley/Mrs C. Thompson

Ms J. Vallance Ms A. Duddridge

N 44

Mrs N. Waghorn (SLT) Mrs A. Pacey R 30

Mrs C Greaves Miss L. Cross R 30

Mrs R. Richards Mrs R. Jenkins

Mr B. Barnard

1 30

Miss R. Yeates Mrs L. Greenwood Mrs H. Cawley/ Mrs Ja-net Li Saw Hee

1 30

Mrs J. Drane Mrs M. Brown 2 30

Mrs S. Evans Miss A. Britton Mrs K. Sainsbury 2 30

Mrs K. Hampson Miss S. Nelis 3 30

Mr C. Crocker 3 30

Mrs R. Turner/ Mrs B. Riley

4 30

Ms E Jones Mrs Rhian Williams 4 30

Mr D. Brind Mrs Penny Lock 5 30

Mr J. Murphy Mrs Cath Evans 5

Mr L. Thomas (SLT) Mrs Cathy Jones Mrs Sam Hughes

6 30

Miss E. Davies 6 30

Mrs Charmaine Riley ALNCO and SLT

Mr S. Coley Mrs H. Harrison

Midday Supervisors Mrs C Richards Mrs R Begum

Mrs H Edmunds Mrs S Burrup

Mrs L Beveridge Mrs K Wan

Support Staff Mrs Louise Edwards Senior Admin Assistant

Mrs Anne Lewis Admin Assistant

Mrs Lisa Jones Admin Assistant

Mr Michael Thomas Estates Manager

Mr Ron Bowden Cleaner



Finance Teaching Learning and Standards

Premises Personnel

Mrs V Wales (Chair) Mr G McNamara (Chair) Mr D Currie (Chair) Mrs A. Hind (Chair)

Mrs J Griffiths Miss C Robins Mrs G Davies-Walsh Mrs J Griffiths

Cllr R McKerlich Mrs B Armstrong Mrs A Lewis Mrs V Wales

Mr J Wilson Mrs G Davies-Walsh Cllr R McKerlich Mrs B Armstrong

Mrs R Richards (obs) Mrs J Griffiths (obs) Mr J Wilson Mrs R Richards (obs)

Mrs Louise Edwards (obs) Mrs R Richards (obs) Mrs A Hind Mrs G Davies-Walsh

Pupil Disciplinary Staff Grievance/Disciplinary

Staff Grievance Appeals

Pay Review

Mrs B Armstrong Mrs G Davies-Walsh Cllr R McKerlich Cllr R McKerlich

Mrs J Griffiths Mr J Wilson Mr G McNamara Mrs J Griffiths

Mr D Currie Mrs V Wales Mrs A Hind Mrs V Wales

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Mrs B Armstrong ALN

Mr D Currie Health and Safety

Mrs G Davies Walsh Governor Training

Mrs J Griffiths Safeguarding

Mrs B Armstrong Religious Education

Mrs A Hind Equal Opportunities

School Policies

There is an on going process of review and updating (as required) of all policies. These are available both on request and via our school website.

The policies introduced or updated during the year that have been ratified by the Governing Body are Charging, Safe-guarding, Complaints, Curriculum, Data Protection, Pay, Performance Management, Good Behaviour, Attendance, ALN, Staff Discipline and Staff Resolution..

School Toilets We currently have 26 pupil toilets which are cleaned daily. The school toilet policy is reviewed every 3 years and is for re-

view November 2018.



The Finance Committee

The purpose of the Finance Committee is to support the Headteacher and Governing Body with all financial matters relating to the school including annual budget planning, monitoring expenditure, ensuring effective and efficient management of resources, overseeing longer term financial planning and monitoring the control risk framework within the school. The financial year for the school runs from the 1st April to the 31st March and therefore the school academic year spans two financial years. For the 2017/2018 financial year the total school budget allocated by the LEA was £1,389,109 which was an increase of £66,327 on the previous year. This change was driven by an increase in pupil numbers throughout the school after several years of a 60 pupil in-take. Importantly during this financial year, Radyr Primary was designated as a two-form entry school. The Gov-erning Body was delighted with this change, which will significantly improve our future planning by reducing un-certainly regarding pupil intake numbers. As a result across the school we now have an ongoing structure of 14 classes, in addition to the two nursery sessions. During the 2017/2018 financial year funds additional funds became available to invest within the school, including the highest ever contribution from the PTA with a donation of £21,790. Both the school and the Governing Body are immensely grateful for the tremendous efforts made by the PTA and their supporters. These donations enable significant improvements to be made within the school, and this year, after careful consideration, it was decided

that these funds would be used to: purchase additional IT equipment including 3 mobile trolleys of laptop notebooks; the refur-bishment of the outdoor play area; and the purchase of a new poly tunnel and camping tents for school activities. At the end of the 2017/2018 financial year there was a surplus carry forward of £86,213 to 2018/2019. Whilst slightly higher than usual, this was partly impacted by the timing in receipt of a number of items including donations, grants and other council funds. The expenditure against these items is planned within 2018/2019. The 2018/2019 approved budget for the school is £1,503,503. Our future spending plans have been reviewed in conjunction with our 2018/2019 school improvement priorities, and budgets allocated accordingly. We are forecasting a budget surplus of £10,887 and the Governing Body are confident that our financial plans will enable us to provide a first-class, enriching educational experience for all learners within our school. Vicky Wales Chair of Finance

The Premises Committee

The function of the Premises Committee is to provide support and guidance to the Head Teacher on all mat-ters relating to the School Buildings, Grounds, Security and Health & Safety. The past year has seen the arrival of the final demountable double classroom. This means the school can properly accommodate two form entry from Reception to Year6. This also releases space on the school site for other purposes. The climbing wall has returned to the playground after several years in storage. Steps have been provided to access the playing field rather than just climbing the steep bank. A new electronic access system to the school(via Reception) has been introduced. Minor works continue to be undertaken by Mr Thomas, the Estates Manager, which we continue to appreci-ate. The summer of 2018 saw the merging of this committee and the Finance Committee as many functions over-lapped as did Committee membership.

David Currie Chairman of the Premises Committee

Access /Disabilities This year enhancements have been made to the visibility of steps inside and outside as well as the steps up to the school field. Further areas for improvement have been highlighted through the recent revision of our access plan which is available on our website.

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Personnel Committee The Personnel has a role in staffing structures for both teaching and administrative staff and in monitoring the per-formance review system. There have again been some changes to teaching staff in both foundation phase and Key stage 2. However, the structure of both teams is well settled. The school and the governing body are confident that both teams are work-ing well and have strong leadership. The Governing Body are grateful to all staff who continue to work hard for the benefit of the children. The continuation of the performance review system for teaching staff is having a positive impact in ensuring that all teachers are fully engaged in and accountable for achieving the school's priorities. All staff have been fully en-gaged in the performance review system and the school is seeing the positive impact it is having. The Personnel Committee continues its involvement in this process through consideration of anonymised performance reviews and challenges to ensure that the system remains robust and beneficial. The Personnel Committee is grateful to all staff for their ongoing support which ensures that the system is effective. There have also been some significant changes to the structure and staff of the administrative team. The Governing Body is grateful to the team who work tirelessly to ensure that the school office runs smoothly to the benefit of the entire school. The Personnel Committee would like to thank Mr Michael Thomas, our estate manager, who has made a number of fantastic improvements to the school both inside and out which have a huge impact on the benefits to the children of their learning environment. Our continued thanks go to the kitchen staff and lunchtime supervisors for their excellent care of the children dur-ing lunchtime. The Governing Body would like to thank all staff for their hard work and diligence ensuring that standards and edu-cational experience for the children continues to improve.

Anna Hind Chair of Personnel Committee

Standards, Teaching and Learning Committee Radyr Primary had a very strong year for Year 6 and 2 pupil outcomes. The progress of every child is monitored by staff meticulously. At staff meetings regarding ‘pupil progress’, pupils are individually discussed and plans are made in how the school can map out their learning progress. Staff have been very focused and this is was evident from their strong commitment to constantly trying to improve the quality of provision for the pupil. Governors and the School Leadership Team agreed a strategic ‘School Improvement Plan’. From this plan gov-ernors monitored the progress of the key priorities with a range of measurable criteria that performance could be judged against. Various members of the School Leadership Team took responsibility and ownership for different improvement priorities. They regularly presented to governors, who in turn challenged them professionally en-suring that every child gets an excellent education. Various Governors have visited the school and carried out lesson walks to contribute to the monitoring of teach-ing and learning within the school. Teaching standards within the school are very good. Every year, Governors welcome the opinions of the pupils. Several times this year, Governors discussed with students from different age groups their thoughts of the school. Pupils responded with confidence in giving their opinions of the strengths and areas of improvement for the school. All comments contributed the self-evaluation of the school. The school continues to grow as a learning community.

Gerard McNamara Chair of Standards, Teaching and Learning Committee

Resolutions There were no issues raised by parents with regards the 2015—2016 Annual Report.

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Foundation Phase Teacher Assessments % Outcome 5 and above

School Local Authority

Wales

Language Literacy and Communication Skill in English 96.7% 86.1% 84.0%

Mathematical Development 98.4% 88.4% 86.6%

Personal Social Development, Well-being and Cultural Diversity 98.4% 93.9% 93.4%

Outcome 5 in all 3 subjects (Foundation Phase Outcome Indicator) 96.7% 85.2% 82.6%

KS2 Teacher Assessments % Level 4 and above

School Local Authority

Wales

English 95.3% 91.2% 91.1%

Maths 95.3% 92.7% 91.8%

Science 95.3% 92.2% 92.1%

Level 4 in all 3 subjects (Core Subject Indicator) 95.3% 90.2% 89.5%

The above statistics relate to the results reported to parents at the end of Years Two and Six.

The national average for Year Two is Outcome 5 and the national average for Year Six is Level 4.

Foundation Phase 2018

Key Stage 2 2018



Foundation Phase Teacher Assessments % Outcome 5 and above

Target 2018-2019

Language Literacy and Communication Skill in English 97%

Mathematical Development 100%

Personal Social Development, Well-being and Cultural Diversity 97%

Outcome 5 in all 3 subjects (Foundation Phase Outcome Indicator) 97%

KS2 Teacher Assessments % Level 4 and above

Target 2018-2019

English 98%

Maths 98%

Science 98%

Level 4 in all 3 subjects (Core Subject Indicator) 96.5%

Foundation Phase

Key Stage 2

At the end of Key stage 2 July 2018, 43 children left Year 6 making their transition to the following schools: Radyr Comprehensive (35) Bishop of Llandaff (3) Other schools (5)



Evaluation of 2017 / 2018

Priority 1: To use internal track-ing systems to identi-fy trends in value added data.

In the Foundation Phase the class provision was adjusted throughout year to ensure a relentless focus on every child achieving their potential. The school set clear targets that were accurate and in line with new assessment. A sustained focus throughout year via vigorous and challenging Individual Learner Profile (ILP) meetings ensured that all children achieved their potential The Chair of Governors and Vice Chair undertook listening to learners and book looks across all year groups, with a focus on literacy and maths. Evidence of good pupil engagement and attitude to learning in all year groups and examples of excellence across school. Pupils spoken to from every year group of how they enjoyed school and were proud to show the work they had undertaken. The pupils could talk about their targets. In Key Stage 2 ILP meetings are embedded across year groups and run by SLT members. The Chair of Governors observed a year 4 ILP meeting. Teachers demonstrated exceptional knowledge of each pupil and the SLT member conducting the ILP meeting was challenging on every pupil to ensure that every child had an accurate target level and that appropriate teaching intervention and strategies were in place. Statemented children and FSM closely monitored to ensure they are making continuous progress. The headteacher and Additional Learning Needs coordinator continuously look at the ILP data of these chil-dren to ensure appropriate strategies in place to enable each statemented child to reach their potential.

Priority 2: To improve the use

of thinking skills across the school

Thinking skills are being used across the school and the link governor observed excellent evidence both in books and from discussion with pupils and staff. Following a book look and consideration of evidence books preapared by staff for each year group, pupils from the school council took photographs identifying evidence of thinking skills. This has been the basis of a PowerPoint presentation showing examples of best practice which has been shared with staff during INSET.

Priority 3: To improve teaching

and learning in line with Don-aldosn by intro-ducing pupil led contexts for learning

Immersion days were trialled in 2016/17 in year 5 and subsequently rolled out to whole school via inset days. Immersion days are now embedded within the school, with one day in the first week of term. Pupil Voice and Listening to Learners has demonstrated that these days are viewed by the children as one of their best during the term and that each year, even at reception level were able to identify how lesson plans and themes had been determined by the day. Enrichment day has now also been trialled linked to four areas during the summer term. There were a large number of focussed activities for each year, with year groups combined. This received excellent feedback from both staff and pupils and will continue into 2018 –2019.

Priority 4: To develop pupil

voice and to fur-ther develop restorative ap-proaches

The ‘Radyr rocket’ is being actively used in all lessons. Following concerns raised regarding pupils self-esteem, the ‘rocket’ was adapted to remove those sections below yellow with this behaviour managed using a restorative approach. Assemblies are now timetabled to include feedback from pupil groups enabling all pupils to understand their impact of School Council, e-cadets, Eco, Cymraeg, Equalities . Some new initiatives have been introduced e.g. very successful Lego play and new lunchtime club. Due to positive feedback from Year 3 trial of Talkabout (which was previously only used with interven-tion groups) all one to one teaching assistants have received training. Talkabout assessment has now been completed across Key Stage 2, with baseline data collected.



School Improvement Priorities for the Academic Year 2018 – 2019

Additional Learning Needs (ALN)

Pupils of all abilities are fully integrated into the curriculum and life of the school. The school follows stat-utory guidelines in identifying, assessing and supporting children who experience difficulties with learning. Mrs C Riley is the school Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCo) who has responsibility for co-ordinating provision for pupils with additional learning needs across the school. At the end of the Summer Term 2018, there were 33 children on the school ALN register. 16 children at School Action, 9 children at School Action Plus and 8 children who have a Statement of Educational Need. Where necessary, children receive extra support in the form of focussed interventions taught by various Teaching Assistants. There is a wide range of Interventions available including WELLCOM, Speechlink and Language links in the Early years. Rapid Readers catch up sessions to support the reading development of pupils in Year 3-6 and Maths factor intervention to develop maths skills Year 2-6. There are 4 trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) who support pupils who may be having social or emotional difficulties. To support pupil wellbeing each KS2 year group has a Teaching Assistant trained in social skills and self esteem programme Talkabout.

Our Improvement Priorities

2018-2019

To further improve standards by fully embedding procedures to track value added data and rigorous assessment procedures.

To fully embed pupil progress by tracking Value Added Data (CS) To improve standards in Maths at the +115 level (CS/LT/ JM) To further improve standards in Welsh at L4+ in writing (RR/JD/LJ) To develop ICT assessment procedures (CS/CC) To improve boys achieving level 4 plus in writing (CS/NW/ ED) * Link governor J. Griffiths

To further improve wellbeing and attitudes to learning.

To further develop wellbeing strategies introducing mindfulness (CR) To introduce pupil parliaments to strengthen pupil leadership (CR/BR) To further develop implementing four broad purposes through enrichment days (LT/NW) To further develop pupils as independent learners (NW) * Link governor V. Wales

To further improve quality of teaching and learning.

To embed assessment procedures (RR) To further enrich DCF opportunities (CC) To improve the provision in numeracy (JM) To further enrich Welsh opportunities (JD) * Link governor G. Davies– Walsh

To further develop the provision to support mental health and emotional well-being. To further develop whole school mental health wellbeing provision (CR/ BR) To further strengthen the role of the school in the community (CS) * Link governor A. Hind



The children performed a wide variety of class assemblies throughout the year: Mr Thomas’ class delivered the first assembly of the year. They talked about their learning , who they look up to and admire, their new monitor responsibilities as well as their immersion days and class trips. We were also treated to some scenes from the play they’ve been looking at to start the year. Miss Davies’ class put on a fabulous assembly when they talked about what they are looking forward to in year 6, the goals they have set themselves for the year, the immersion day, class trips and their recent open evening to Radyr Comprehensive School. Mr Brinds class treated their parents and everyone to a fantastic assembly this morning. They told the sto-ry of Pandora’s Box and then through a special edition of ITV the Chase they shared their learning this term on Cardiff Bay. Music, songs and a “cool Rap” all reflected their Let’s Celebrate topic. Mr Murphy’s’ class held their class assembly and shared lots about their fantastic learning in Year 5. Pupils performed news reports on mysteries from the past that they had researched and written themselves. Mrs Riley and Mrs Turner’s class took us on a magical mystery tour of Cardiff through the ages stopping off at all the fantastic landmarks that celebrate the culture and diversity of our city. Their performance was spectacular and the parents and grandparents were suitably impressed. Ms Jones’ class took assembly this morning and told us all about their learning this year. Their singing was great and they all shared the things they were proud of achieving this year. Mr Crocker’s class led two assemblies to celebrate Harvest. They shared what they have been doing in class and talked about special celebrations. Their singing and dancing was spectacular. Mrs Hampson’s class treated everyone to a fantastic assembly this morning. They told us about last term’s topic “Let’s Celebrate” We heard all about their immersion day activities, and outdoor activities. Mrs Dranes’s class treated everyone including Mums and Dads to a fantastic assembly. They told us about last term’s topic “Let’s Celebrate”. We heard all about their immersion day activities, and outdoor learning. They also shared their new years resolutions and goals for the future. Mrs Evans’ class held their class assembly and shared lots about their fantastic learning in year 2. They told us about Kerbcraft and how they learned to be safe on the road. Lots of welsh was spoken, they sang “He’s got the whole world in his hands” as well as sharing their Diwali dance which was superb. Mrs Richards/Mrs Jenkins class treated us to a fantastic assembly this morning when they told us all about their goals for this year. The singing was fantastic and they showed off some amazing maths skills. There was a surprise visit from the newly hatched chicks! Miss Yeates class treated us all to a fantastic assembly today. They took us on a Magic Train Ride, told us all about being a good friend and lots more about their learning in class. Mrs Waghorn’s class led our assembly this morning and told us all about their time at school. Mums, Dads and grandparents were amazed at how much work they have done this year. Everyone loved seeing the baby photographs and were amazed as to how everyone had changed. Mrs Greaves class led our assembly and told us all about their time at school. Mums, Dads and grandpar-ents were amazed at how much work they have done. Everyone loved seeing the baby photographs and were amazed as to how everyone had changed. The children proved that they were ready for year 1. Da iawn pawb



The curriculum has once again seen significant development across the school year, with staff building on the excellent progress made in introducing the New Curriculum for Wales. ‘Lets Celebrate’ was the first context for learning which began with foundation phase pupils dressing in clothes that were special to them. They had a great day of dancing, craft activities and a picnic. Key stage set off on a mystery trip on an open top bus that took then on a tour of Cardiff to celebrate their City. In January we launched our second context ‘Magic and Mystery’. KS2 started with a series of fun activities moving round the classrooms to give them ideas for plan-ning their own learning at the end of the week. This was followed with a forensic science workshop. Pupils were tasked with finding the identity of a stolen prized dog and identify the thief based on a number of clues left at the crime scene. Lots of good budding investigators emerging across the Juniors! Foundation Phase kicked off the terms theme with a bang after getting a visit from a Wacky Witch! After she kidnapped our beloved Mr Thomas the children foiled her plans to turn our school into a big mess by solving all of the challenges she set us. Our third context for learning ’The Great Outdoors’ got of to a great start in the summer term when every class went out. Everyone was inspired to help teachers decide on the things they want to learn this term. As an introduction to “THE GREAT OUTDOORS” Nursery visited Mountain View Ranch. Reception explored Magor Marsh. Year 1 met pirates down the Bay and hunted for treasure. Year 2 and Year 6 visited Margam Park and learned a number of bush craft skills such as shelter building and fire making.. Year 3 and 4 explored Miskin Mill, Year 5 were pond dipping at Cilfynydd and went to Radyr Woods. Everyone had a fantastic but exhaust-ing time.

Many of the teachers this year have again willingly spent many hours of their own time organising extra-curricular activities for the children and the regular attendance and eagerness of the children to participate indi-cates their enjoyment of these activities. We have also used outside coaches to broaden the choice of clubs offered and are grateful to parent Mr Brunswick who takes a Taekwondo club. Our Clubs include: Football Netball Choir Orchestra Cookery Urdd – Welsh Club Art Play to Learn French Judo Dance Rugby Multi-sports Recorders Taekwondo Multisports Coding



The school was delighted to be asked to represent the community at the opening of the new Co-op store in Radyr yesterday. Six of our school counsellors enjoyed the visit to the new store. Joe y6 ‘cut’ the ribbon, officially opening the store. All the counsellors received healthy goodie bags from the store manager. As part of their Community Initiative Project we were pleased to receive a cheque from JM Scully who completed building work on the new CO-OP Store. A fantastic response in supporting the Cardiff Foodbank. We

topped last years contribution by a whopping 93.5 kg by collecting 502kg. On Remembrance Day Mrs Skidmore along with Millie and Fintan y6 pu-pils took part in a ceremony at the monument where they laid a wreath on behalf of the school. So many other pupils attended representing their different community groups. Christchurch, Radyr held a Christmas Tree Festival where Radyr

Primary displayed a school tree “Christmas Wishes”. A group of our year 5 pupils represented the school as part of Cardiff and the Vale of Gla-morgan Music Service Christmas Showcase at St David’s Hall . They joined pupils from Bryn

Deri and two Barry schools and sang a se- lection of songs. Pupils in year 3 had a wonderful afternoon on Thursday planting Snowdrops with Helen and Chris from the Radyr and Morganstown Community Council. They were busy developing the area on Willow Tree Close. We all had an enjoyable time playing board games and managed to raise £340 to send board games to Taonga School in Zambia. We

received a big thank you from Taonga school as they have been able to buy lots of games and resources for their school. Thank you to all the volunteers who have shared their expertise for Science Week. We have had an exciting week. Year 3 learn-ing all about cells– they had great fun with tadpoles and bug finders! All year groups have enjoyed some amazing sessions—optical illusions , flight and aircraft design , medicine and so much more. Sixteen pupils from year 5 performed amazingly at St David’s Hall. After weeks of early morning practices they

had the chance to showcase their fantastic dance about everyday heroes. One dancer said ‘ I loved it all especially the lifting. It was a very good experience for me and I want to do it again’.

Year 4 and Year 6 Sports Relief ambassadors delivered sports taster sessions to the rest of the school. Y4 delivered sessions including rugby, football, tennis and a dance to the sport relief song 2018! Y6 did obstacle courses, cheerleading, netball and lots of other sports. Y4 worked with the foundation phase and Y6 worked with KS2. All the ambassadors worked extremely hard. They had lots of fun but were very tired by the end of the day! They helped to raise £ 362.50 for Sports Relief.



Pupils visited Danescourt Primary and took part in a British Cycling event. ‘We had mountain bikes and a course we had to complete which was fun and challenging at the same time’ Joe Year 6 They also had a bike maintenance session, training sessions on road bikes and finished the day off with a Q and A session with Welsh Commonwealth athlete Rachel James.

Radyr Primary and Bryn Deri Primary joined together to organise this year’s Festival Fun Run. The weather was glorious and the bacon rolls delicious. The event raised £495 towards the Festival charity Alzeimer’s Society Cymru. Our pupils danced around the Maypole as part of the Opening ceremony of the Radyr and Morganstown Festival 2018 A group of junior pupils travelled to London to see “Matilda”. They had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

The whole school set off on our walking bus to support the “Kid’s Walk!” we raised a fantastic £535.24 for the Head Injury Charity Brake. Our Summer Showcase was an opportunity to celebrate the expressive arts going on this term . Choir, y5 dance group, recorders and instrumentalists treated us to an impressive evening of entertainment. Nursery pupils had fun scooting and cycling around the school yard. They raised £41 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, fantastic! We were extremely proud to be one of the winners of the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust Wellbeing Challenge 2018. Staff and pupils completed lots of activities to pro-mote healthy living and positive wellbeing. We were delighted to once again welcome so many members of the local community, representatives of local businesses and professionals into school to enhance the provision for our pupils: The school provided placements for four students working towards their PGCE qualification along

with numerous volunteers keen to increase their experience in the primary setting prior to under-taking education based courses at colleges and universities

Rev. Jenny Wigley (Christ Church), Children and Families Worker Gareth Knowles (Radyr Method-ists) and Steven Harries (New Life Church) delivered termly assemblies to the whole school, all of which reflected our current Personal and Social Education theme for each term

Representatives of the WI joined pupils in our Eisteddfod to present the trophy to this year’s bard ‘Volunteers from Radyr Cricket and Tennis Clubs delivered lessons in the Spring Term.

Magistrates in the Community worked with our Year 6 pupils to outline the role of magistrates Mrs Warnock delivered Kerbcraft to help our Year 2 pupils understand road safety

Staff from the Superstars Sports Agency and Staff from Sports Xtra visited assemblies to outline their holiday clubs and extra-curricular clubs.

Year 5 and 6 had a Techniquest workshop, where they learnt about the topic ‘Forces.’ They had great fun taking part in different experiments, using magnets, a parachute.

Liz from Radyr Library visited both Key Stages to present certificates and medals to another record number of pupils who successfully completed the Summer Reading Challenge

Pupils in Years 3 to 6 attended “The B word” workshop, there was a very clear message that every-one has the right to come to school and feel happy and safe.

Representatives of the Community Council along with governors Mrs Jane Griffiths and Mrs Gail Da-vies- Walsh. Presented prizes to pupils for both the Festival Colouring and Literary competitions.

Reception classes had an exciting afternoon watching and learning all about some amazing birds of prey. The hawks, eagles, falcons. owls and Harold the vulture came to visit



Football Last year the school football team played various fixtures against local schools as well as two Year 5&6 football teams taking part in the annual New Directions Football Tournament. One side finished second in their group whilst the other team won their pool but lost in the quarter finals to the eventual winners of the competition. The school also sent a year 5 team to the Rotary Club competition whilst the year 6s were at their Stack-pole residential trip. In a fantastic afternoon of football the team secured the title, winning 7 games against year 6 competition. An excellent achievement. Our girls football team also taking part in various fixtures throughout the year as well as competing at the Girls Urdd Competition were they unfortunately lost in the semi-finals. Netball The girls Netball team represented the school in the Cathedral school tournament. In many of the girls first games at netball they qualified for the final but narrowly missed out on the title, losing 5-4 in the final. Rugby Luca represented the school in the Cardiff Under 11’s Rugby Squad that toured Dublin. He played throughout the year for the team and was the only year 5 pupil involved. Cricket After a lengthy trial process Angharad was selected to play for Wales u12 cricket squad, following in the footsteps of many of our past pupils. Owen Brown of Year 6 also played for Wales U12s and completed against various English counties throughout the summer term as well as going on a tour to North Wales. Athletics Several stand out performances from our athletes last year. Nell in year 5 was awarded Welsh Athletics track athlete of the year, took welsh junior records at both the 75 metre and 150 metre sprints as well as being crowned Welsh athletics schools champion in the overall event. A long list of impressive accolades. Sean also had another strong year, achieving the fastest time in 800 metres in the U11s age group. Year 5 and 6 children also took part in a Cross Country competition held in Danescourt Primary School, with over 20 year 4,5 and 6 pupils taking part. Sports Day We were delighted when the sun shone and we were able to hold all three of our sports days. Everyone had a great time. The winning house this year was Ty Coch. Tennis Members of the year 5 tennis team took part in a competition when impressive skills were shown by all and Radyr achieved 1st and 3rd place in the mixed doubles event. Dancing A large group of boys and girls rehearsed and then performed their dance at St Davids Hall as part of the Rubicon dance festival during the year. A fantastic event that saw school from around Cardiff brought together.



The year started with a Teddy Bears Picnic to welcome our new Nursery and Reception Children. October saw the Halloween Disco which raised a fantastic £676. The Christmas Fair was a great success this year and very well attended. Santa managed to fit us in to his very busy schedule and visited the fair to meet our children. Raising a total of £2863. Our wonderful PTA and team of helpers raised an amazing £521.32 from the school Valentine Disco. The PTA then organised the festival fun run and there was very good turnout from all community mem-bers, a group of course marshalls did a sterling job along with all our parent helpers to make the event a very successful one. Medals were presented by Rod McKerlich at the end of the race. The sun continued to shine for our Summer Fayre. As always the waterslide was a popular attraction helping everyone to cool down. Class stalls seem to attract many customers as well as bbq and refresh-

ments. We raised a final total of £2149 in funds for the school. The children have been busy planting seeds inside our new poly tunnel funded by the PTA. We have enjoyed lettuces, tomatoes, radishes and carrots. Mr Thomas caretaker, has been working hard improving outdoor areas around the school. This has also been made possible by the money raised by the PTA.

Year 6 had an exciting week away in Stackpole last week. They took part in canoeing, climbing, biking and exploring the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast. All pupils completed their John Muir Award and dis-played excellent attitude, teamwork and perseverance. Thank you to everyone for representing the school so well. Year 5 had a fantastic time camping at Miskin Mill. Pupils experienced the great outdoors; pitching their own tents, cooking on an open fire and testing their own team building activities. Even the Welsh weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of the happy campers. A great learning experience suggested by pupils during our immersion day.Year 5 also enjoyed gorge walking at the Storey Arms Centre they worked as a team, ovecame fears, showed great determination…..and got very wet! Year 4 enjoyed a brilliant day yesterday at Porthkerry Park. The children enjoyed becoming ‘Dengineers’, building fabulous dens in the woods. They also took part in a Strandline Safari, finding treasure and trash on the beach. Year 3 had a fantastic sunny day at Mountain View Ranch. The children enjoyed roasting marshmallows around the fire and trying to find the red dragon! Year 2 had a lovely trip to Southerndown where they learned about the importance of looking after the

wildlife on the beach. They found many living things in the rock pools and enjoyed a picnic and games on the beach. Year 1 had a fantastic day at Walnut Tree Farm. They were able to stroke and feed lots of the animals. They thoroughly enjoyed a tractor ride in the sun around the farm.

Reception had a brilliant trip to Bristol Aquarium, where we were mesmerised by the incredible underwa-ter sea life, we met Luna the octopus, Boris the electric eel and many more amazing sea creatures. Nursery visited the Mountain View Ranch and had a wonderful time exploring the “ranch” meeting the Gruffalo in the woods and visiting the fairy gardens.



A big thank you from the Radyr Primary school staff and governors who really ap-preciate the interest and support that parents show the children and the school when events are arranged. Thank you for all your support during the busiest time of year! The Christmas pro-ductions were outstanding this year. Particular thanks go to the PTA who continue to work hard to raise considerable extra funds for the school. Thank you to the parents who offer parental support in class and on trips and vis-its. These volunteers have been very much appreciated by all members of staff. Thank you for your support with the school book fair. These twice yearly reading focus events are very popular with the children and are always a great success al-lowing us to add more and more books to our class and school libraries. The time parents have given to running the Book Fair is very much appreciated. The Governors would like to express their sincere thanks to all members of staff for their continued hard work and dedication to all aspects of school life. Mrs Jane Griffiths, (Chair) November 2018

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