Shwmae! It was lovely to see the children and staff dressed in red today to celebrate Shwmae day, and have the opportunity to share the Welsh Language.

Flu Vaccine. The school nurses will be with us on Friday to give the Nasal Flu Vaccine to those who have consented. If you haven’t returned your form please do so as soon as possible, even if you are not consenting. If you have misplaced your form, please ask the office for a spare.Thank you

School Disco – The Friends of Brynmill Primary are putting on a school Disco on Thursday, please see the posters, and Dojo posts for more information. There is also a carved pumpkin competition.

Easy Fundraising – Please support the school by using Easy Fundraising before your online shopping. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/brynmillps/

Parking – As we all know, finding a parking spot is not easy around the school. However we would like to remind parents that the children’s safety is paramount, therefore DO NOT PARK on the double yellow lines at pick up and drop off times.

Oxwich Bay Classes Residential Trip – We are gauging interest in a residential trip to Llanmadoc in the Summer Term for the Year 5/ Year 6 classes. Please complete the form https://forms.office.com/r/6j2awMvgUu

Half Term – The half term holidays are from Monday 31st October to Friday 4th November.

Fruit Tuckshop – Please pay £7.00 for the half term leading up to Christmas if you would like your child to have a piece of fresh fruit or healthy snack from our Tuck Shop. (For Y1 to Y6 children). Alternatively you are welcome to send in a healthy snack for them to enjoy at breaktime.

Workshop for Parents – On Wednesday 26th October we have a Safety/RSE workshop for parents at 4.30pm. Please use Gate 1. This will give us an opportunity to talk about relationships education (RSE), and our shared approaches to keeping learners safe online.

Free Breakfast during Half Term

NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. Online programme.

I am pleased to tell you that this term we will be participating in the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. online programme. This consists of an online assembly and supporting classroom based activities. Speak out. Stay safe. is a safeguarding programme available to all primary schools in the UK and Channel Islands. It aims to help children understand abuse in all its forms and to recognise the signs of abuse in a child friendly way. Children are taught to speak out if they are worried, either to a trusted adult or Childline.

In the online assembly, the Speak out. Stay safe. messages are delivered in a fun and interactive way with the help of their mascot Buddy as well as special guest appearances from Ant and Dec.

We have studied the content of the materials and are extremely confident that they are appropriate for primary-school-aged children. By the end of the programme, we’re convinced children will feel empowered – knowing how they can speak out and stay safe.

If you would like to know more about the Speak out. Stay safe. programme you can find information on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/speakout or I would be happy to discuss any questions that you may have.

Additional resources – Adapted assembly for home use – The NSPCC has also developed an adapted version of their assembly for parents/carers to use at home with their children.  This can be found here:www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/safety.  With the help of celebrities, the film focuses on how a child can get support if they have any worries or concerns.

To complement the assembly, there are some resources that can be used to enable further discussion whilst doing activities with your children.  These are hosted on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/activities.  

Online safety hub – You may also like to visit the NSPCC Online Safety Hub where you will find advice and information on a range of different online safety topics including gaming, social media, sharing nudes, parental controls and more.

You will also find online safety information for families of children with additional needs and disabilities. We have worked with Ambitious about Autism and parents and carers who have children with additional needs and disabilities to create activities to help talk about online safety which you can find at www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-safety-families-children-with-send.

Childline Under 12’s Website – Childline also have a website with age appropriate advice for primary school children on topics such as bullying.  It also has games and other interactive tools. Your child can visit it at www.childline.org.uk/kids.

If you’d like to know more about the NSPCC’s work, or take a look at the wide range of information and advice which is available for parents and carers, please visit their website www.nspcc.org.uk/parents.

Talking PANTS with your children – Talk PANTS is a simple conversation to help keep your child safe from sexual abuse. From P through to S, each letter of PANTS provides a simple but valuable rule that can help keep your child safe. You can find out more and download the free resources at www.nspcc.org.uk/pants.

Penguin and Ladybird have partnered with the NSPCC to create a brand new Pantosaurus book aimed at children ages 4 – 8. You can find copies of the new book on sale, either in Matalan’s selected stores and online, selected SPAR stores or at https://shop.nspcc.org.uk/. All profits from the sale of this book will support the NSPCC.

Support the NSPCC – You may be interested in the NSPCC’s new selection of BUDDY goodies available from the NSPCC shop at https://shop.nspcc.org.uk/collections/buddy which make perfect gifts for children – and all profits go to help keep children safe.

Attendance Letter from the Director of Education

Dear Parent / Carer,
I am delighted that schools have been able to return to normal opening this autumn
following two and a half difficult years. However, after such an uncertain time not
everything has returned as it was before the pandemic. For example, we have noticed
that many children in Swansea are not attending school as regularly as they were
previously. We are worried about this because evidence suggests that good attendance
at school improves life chances for children and young people and we want to be certain
we do everything possible to ensure each child in Swansea has the best opportunity to
succeed.
The most obvious benefits of regular school attendance are that pupils are given the
best opportunity to learn when they are in school. Good attendance supports
achievement in learning and helps children to progress. We would like all children in
Swansea to leave school with the qualifications they need to take the next steps they
want to in their lives. That may be employment or further study but whatever they
choose, good attendance at school should offer the stepping stone to the next stage.
It is also important to know that regular attendance at school can help children and
young people improve their wellbeing. Benefits of attending school regularly include:
 building good habits and establishing routines which in turn help children to feel
secure and gain confidence.
 building good relationships with adults and other children is much easier when
attendance is regular. These relationships help children develop self-esteem .
 for a few families, children’s regular attendance at school allows parents to get
other things done and makes the time at home more enjoyable.
 children who regularly miss sessions, or are often late for school, often feel they
are missing out or need to try harder just to understand what is going on or what
other children are talking about or doing.
 regular attendance helps many young children to be supported to naturally
separate from their parents or carers and begin to develop life skills.
We realise that the uncertainty of the last few years has had an impact on many families
and children. We would like to encourage all families to try and return to regular
attendance at school, if they are not already. If you feel you need any additional help
and support then you can contact your child’s school or our Education Welfare Service
educationwelfareservice@swansea.gov.uk who may be able to offer help and support.
Regards
Helen Morgan-Rees
Director of Education