The place to find information about the Fern Federation, which covers Cefn and Craig Yr Hesg Primary Schools, information for pupils,parents and the community of Glyncoch Message from the Headteacher. Welcome to the Temporary Glyncoch Primary website, the New Glyncoch Primary School situated in the heart of Glyncoch, Pontypridd, will be openning in Feb 2027 As the proud Headteacher of the new school, I understand that as a parent/carer one of the most important decisions you will make is the decision to choose the right school for your child and this is a responsibility we do not take lightly. Our vision for all our pupils is that a happy child is a successful child, where we aim to provide all children with a safe, positive, and stimulating environment, where they all feel loved and valued. We aspire that all children will enjoy their learning, achieve their potential, and become independent life-long learners who are ready to take on the world! My role is to be the strategic school leader working in partnership with my excellent Leadership Team, staff and skilled governors to facilitate an ambitious curriculum which provides inspiration and equitable opportunity for all pupils. It means tackling barriers to learning caused by disadvantage and inequality so that all children can be ambitious for their future, we understand that our learning goes beyond the classroom. We want children to know they can succeed because they have the necessary skills, attitudes, and values to be a good person who contributes to school life and beyond. Here in Glyncoch Primary, we have a highly skilled staff who have constructed and developed an ever developing, stimulating, and engaging curriculum in an environment where pupils feel safe and happy and are able to enjoy their learning and friendships. Our curriculum embeds knowledge, skills, and values as well as building on each school’s traditions and customs. The Leadership team, whole staff and I believe in transparent and trusting relationships between home and school in order to help us act in the best interests of all our pupils. We hope this website will give you all the necessary information you require, however if you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact either school office. Regards Emma Byers

School Improvement Plan The Improvement plan for the Ysgol Gynradd Glyncoch will be available soon! V3. 25-26 Fern Federation FIP NEW (1).pdf FIP self evaluation 24.25 academic year.pdf 1. Fern Federation PDG Grants 25-26 (24-25) Evaluation.pdf

Healthy Schools TESCO FRUIT AND VEG FOR SCHOOLS We have been able to secure a grant from Tesco to enable us to provide our pupils with free fruit every day free of charge. A massive shout out to Tesco who in partnership with GROUNDWORK.ORG.UK provided us with the money to make sure your child has the best start. I have attached an information slide show for you to look at, this explains why Fresh fruit and veg is so important for growing bodies. Healthy Schools Committee As a Federation we are proud of our pupils and actively encourage them to use their voice to create positive change for themselves and their peers. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that ‘children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives.’ Our Healthy Schools Committee provide a meaningful way in which our pupils can voice their opinions and have their views considered in decisions that impact upon them. We believe it is an important and useful way for us as a Federation to provide leadership and development opportunities for our pupils. The ‘Healthy School’ is one which takes responsibility for maintaining and promoting the health of all who ‘learn, work, play and live’ within it not only by formally teaching pupils about how to lead healthy lives but by enabling pupils and staff to take control over aspects of the school environment which influence their health. It actively promotes, protects, and embeds the physical, mental and social health and well-being of its community through positive action. This can be achieved by policy, strategic planning and staff development about its curriculum, ethos, physical environment, and community relations. Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes - Public Health Wales (nhs.wales) Pupils help to make decisions about how the school/Federation is run and take on projects that support the pupils’ learning and development, such as ensuring that pupils are bringing a healthy snack and packed lunch, are in receipt of high-quality physical development activities and are given the opportunities to develop their mental wellbeing as well as their physical wellbeing. Pupils are given the opportunity to feedback their plans and impact evaluations to a wide range of stakeholders including the Executive Headteacher, Heads of School, Senior Leaders, staff members, Governing Body (GB) peers, ITE students, CSC partners, Estyn etc. An introduction the Fruit and Veg scheme

Curriculum for Wales Information for Parents and Carers What Is the Curriculum for Wales A new curriculum for Wales has arrived From September 2022, the way children and young people learn in schools will change, to prepare them better for a changing world. Schools will create their own curricula within a national framework, adapting the content to make it more relevant and meaningful to their learners. Please watch the Video below from Welsh Government explaining the new Curriculum. Further information for parents: If you would like to access the above document in another language please click here Watch the video below to find out more about the Curriculum For Wales in the Fern Federation: Curriculum For Wales Easy Read CFW A_guide_for_parents_and_carers.pdf FERN FEDERATION Non-Maintained Curriculum We have adopted the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery to help support our learners in our Nursery provision get the best start to their learning journey. Watch the video below to find out more about foundation learning and the curriculum for Wales.

Criw Cymraeg Criw Cymraeg As a Federation we are proud of our pupils and actively encourage them to use their voice to create positive change for themselves and their peers. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that ‘children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives.’ Our Criw Cymraeg provide a meaningful way in which our pupils can voice their opinions and have their views considered in decisions that impact upon them. We believe it is an important and useful way for us as a Federation to provide leadership and development opportunities for our pupils. The Welsh Assembly Government has announced an aim to increase the number of welsh speakers in Wales to 1 million by the year 2050. As part of this aim, they have issued a charter called 'Siarter Iaith Cymraeg' - The Welsh Language Charter. The school part of this charter is called Cymraeg Campus and as a Federation we have created a 'Criw Cymraeg' or Welsh Crew to promote the use of the Welsh Language in our school/Federation and the wider community. Pupils help to make decisions about how the school/Federation is run and take on projects that support the pupils’ learning and development in Welsh, such as ensuring that our environments demonstrate we are in Wales, representing the school at outside events such as the Urdd, welcoming Welsh speakers to our Federation such as Martyn Geraint, learning Welsh songs, hymns, and poems. Pupils are given the opportunity to feedback their plans and impact evaluations to a wide range of stakeholders including the Executive Headteacher, Heads of School, Senior Leaders, staff members, Governing Body (GB) peers, ITE students, CSC partners, Estyn etc. Our Criw Cymraeg is usually elected annually by the other pupils and/or selected by staff members due to the pupil’s skills, knowledge, and attributes. In the 23-24 academic year our Criw Cymraeg’s are currently: Working towards achieving our bronze award. Developing Welsh games for pupils to play on the playground. Developing the quality of Helpwr Heddiw every day.

Newsletters 25/26 Spring 2 Newsletter Fern Federation 2026 Fern Federation Autumn 1 25-26 Newsletter Fern Federation Summer 1 Newsletter 25-26 Christmas Parent Newsletter 25-26(2).pdf FF Summer 2 Parents newsletter.pdf Fern Federation Spring 1 Newsletter 25-26 v6.pdf Newsletters 23/24 New Parents Foundation Newsletter 26/06/2024 Summer Term Newsletter Spring Term Newsletter Welcome back letter Sept 24. 1..pdf Christmas Parent Newsletter 24.2.pdf Spring 1 Newsletter.pdf Newsletters 24/25 Spring Newsletter 251.pdf Summer 1 Summer 24-25 Newsletter (1).pdf

Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in the Fern Federation The Welsh Government believes that all young people should have the right to access information that keeps them safe from harm. This includes learning about healthy relationships, keeping safe including online, and being confident to raise issues with responsible adults. RSE is a positive and protective part of the Curriculum for Wales. It plays a central role in supporting learners’ rights to enjoy fulfilling, healthy and safe relationships throughout their lives. There are legal requirements for RSE to be developmentally appropriate, including the resources schools use in implementing RSE. Topics like online safety, consent and sexual health are all included in the Code, but at developmentally appropriate phases so learners aren’t exposed to things that aren’t appropriate to their age and development. What will my child be taught? The following videos should help to provide context and rationale for changes to RSE under the Curriculum for Wales and provide further detail about what will be taught in RSE sessions within primary school settings. Effective and high quality Relationships and Sexuality Education [RSE] will help ensure children and young people experience their rights under the UNCRC, including The right to non-discrimination (Article 2)the right to be heard, express opinions and be involved in decision-making (Article 12) The right to access information that will allow children to make decisions about health (Article 17) The right to experience the highest attainable health, access to health facilities, preventative health care, and family planning education and services (Article 24) The right to an education that support all children to develop and reach their full potential and prepare children to be understanding and tolerant to others (Article 29) The right to government protection from sexual abuse and exploitation (Article 34). The RSE Code requires schools to design an RSE curriculum around broad interlinking learning strands. These are: Relationships and identity Sexual health and wellbeing Empowerment, safety and respect At The Fern Federation we worked with our Cluster schools to support the delivery of RSE for all Learners in the Bro Taf Cluster. Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Information for parents and carers. Click the image above to access information about RSE for parents. RSE Code During your child's time with us we will be loking at Phase 1 and 2. Phase 3 will covered when they move to their Secondary school provision. Further Information Further information and resources for Parents. This resource has been created or commissioned by the Welsh Government Contact Us Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about RSE or would like to discuss this further.

Additional Learning Needs Within The Fern Federation we aspire that all children will enjoy their learning, achieve their potential, and become independent life-long learners who are ready to take on the world. We aim to achieve this by creating holistic experiences for our children as part of how we organise our learning experiences and curriculum, as well as the environment and resources they use to learn and acquire new skills. That environment involves a big team of the child, family, staff and sometimes external agencies to create detailed person-centred practices to enable our children to progress and reach their potential; together we will prosper! Sometimes in our children's learning journeys, they might need a little bit more help to overcome some barriers, both in the shorter and longer term. This might involve accessing external agencies in Health or Access & Inclusion, as well as working together on enhanced provision within the classroom. If you are ever worried or concerned, please come to see one of the Additional Learning Needs Team below who would love to collaborate with you on a plan going forward: Mrs S. Haggett - Executive Head Teacher Mrs E. Byers - Head of Cefn Primary Mrs C. Smith-Thomas - Head of Craig Yr Hesg Primary Miss E. Lewis - Additional Learning Needs Coordinator Mrs K. Rosser - Learning Support Classes Coordinator Below are resources you might find useful: A Parents Guide to ALN - https://youtu.be/ISba05AGqJk Resources for Children: - https://youtu.be/Dst2Gs-tzp Not happy with the support you are getting at school? Not happy with the support you're getting at school? - click here for video Information for Children Appeals Process for Parents Not happy with the support you are getting! Welsh Government Toolkit - Easy Read Welsh Government ALN Toolkit Useful Websites: RCT Access and Inclusion - Access and Inclusion Service- About us | Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Resilient Families - Resilient Families Service | Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council SNAP Cymru - Home - Snap Cymru SENTW - Welcome to | Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales Behaviour Support Hub - Behaviour Support Hub – Support for Parent Carers and Schools Neurodivergence Wales - Home - Niwrowahaniaeth Cymru | Neurodivergence Wales | National Neurodivergence Team Kooth! - Home - Kooth Eye to Eye - Eye to Eye Counselling | counselling | Parish Hall, Main Road, Church Village, Pontypridd CF38 1PY, UK Adoption UK - Wales | Home | Adoption UK Charity Speech and Language Therapy (CTM) - Speech and Language Therapy for Children - Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Occupational Therapy (CTM) - Occupational Therapy for Children - Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

Personalised assessments: information for parents and carers What are Personalised Assessments? Personalised assessments are mandatory for learners in Years 2 to 9 in maintained schools in Wales. The assessments for Numeracy (Procedural), Numeracy (Reasoning) and Reading are available throughout the year for schools to use to support learners to make progress. Watch this short video below from Welsh Governments explaining these assessments in more detail: In the Fern Federation the assessments will be taken twice a year and are available in the following subjects: Numeracy (Procedural) - focuses on numerical facts and procedures – the numerical ‘tools’ that are needed to apply numeracy within a range of contexts. Numeracy (Reasoning) - This focuses on how well your child can use and apply what they know in order to solve numerical problems. Reading - provides information on how well your child understands a text and whether they are able to make judgements about what they are reading. If you would like more information about this please click the image below to read the full information document provided by Welsh Government. Personalised assessments : an introduction for parents/carers How do I access my child's Personalised Assessment Progress Reports? Watch the short video below to find out how to access your child's reports. If you need any help with this please contact that main office. Understanding my child's Personalised Assessments progress reports and Learner Feedback. Watch the short video below which will explain the feedback you will be able to access on your childs Hwb account to look at how they are progressing (Progress Report) and which areas of the test they have found easier and which they need more practise on. Feedback reports – what they tell me: After a Numeracy (Procedural) and Reading assessment, the school will have feedback on your child’s skills which they may discuss with your child before sharing with you. The feedback is a snapshot of your child’s skills at the time each assessment was taken. In the Numeracy (Procedural) and Reading feedback reports, the first section, ‘The hardest questions I got right were on these skills:’, lists the areas in which your child gave correct answers for the most challenging questions. The second section of the report, ‘Some of the questions I got wrong were on:’, relates to the easiest questions answered incorrectly. The final 2 sections, ‘Most pupils with similar skills are able to:’ and ‘And are likely to move on to:’, relate to your child’s overall attainment in the assessment and provide an overview of the sort of skills that learners with a similar pattern of answers are able to achieve or are working towards. Assessment feedback is just one source of information on your child’s overall knowledge and understanding. Your child’s teacher will consider this feedback, alongside other information they have on your child’s skills in reading and numeracy work in the classroom, in order to plan their learning. Progress reports – what they tell me: The school will also share progress reports, showing progress over time in the Reading and Numeracy personalised assessments. The progress chart shows all the online assessments your child has taken. Using the information from their assessments, the graph shows where your child is in comparison with all other children in their year group across Wales who took the assessment at the same time of the year that they did. You will be able to see your child’s progress from one year to the next. The progress report also includes your child’s age-standardised score from their most recent assessment. The score shows how your child has done compared with other children in Wales born in the same year and month who took the assessment at the same time of the year as your child. The score range is 70 to 130 and the average is 100. Please see below for documents to help you further to understand your childs Learner Feedback and progress reports. Click the Icons and/or to open the supporting documents. Numeracy Procedural Personalised Assessment Numeracy Procedural Progress Report information for parents Numeracy Procedural Learner Feedback information for parents Numeracy Reasoning Personalised Assessment Numeracy Reasoning Progress Report information for parents Reading Personalised assessment Reading Progress Report information for parents Reading Learner Feedback information for parents Chart Chat Chart Chart Chat Chat Chart

Federation Curriculum FERN FEDERATION CURRICULUM Here in the Fern Federation, we continuously strive for excellence, and we are working collaboratively as a Federation to transform the way our pupils learn, by designing a curriculum which aims to prepare our pupils to thrive in school and beyond. At the heart of our curriculum design is the vision for Wales that calls for all pupils to achieve the four purposes of becoming: ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives. enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work. ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world. healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. As a Federation we have worked efficiently and effectively to design a curriculum which we believe is innovative, exciting, purposeful, engaging, authentic and above all relevant to our pupils’ lives in Pontypridd. Over the past two years the Fern Federation staff have undergone extensive training, class-based action enquiries and high-quality professional development to help us support us in formulating our curriculum as well as consulting with pupils, parents, governors, and other schools. This process of designing our curriculum has included: Becoming a pioneer school for pedagogy, staff were given time to undertake research enquiries with other schools around Wales on understanding and applying the 12 pedagogical practices in order to better understand and apply what good and excellent teaching looks like. Participating in a ‘Curriculum for Wales focus group’ with head teachers and senior leaders from 8 different schools across RCT exploring different curriculum models and disseminating best practice. Staff collaborating on action enquiry projects with our School Improvement Group, Cluster of schools across Pontypridd and other school to school working partnerships to further improve our pedagogical practices and policies. Staff having the opportunity to visit other schools to identify best practice and disseminating to all staff in order to improve our practices. Providing staff with opportunities to access high quality professional development opportunities both internally and externally (CSC, Mike Hughes, Gareth Coombes, Nick Jones etc) which has improved staff’s knowledge and understanding of curriculum design, AOLE’s and Pedagogical principles. Staff working with ITE students as part of our lead school status which has afforded the staff with opportunities to engage with relevant and up to date research on Curriculum for Wales and ALN. Allowing staff, the opportunities to be seconded to further developing their knowledge and skills to help support and facilitate curriculum knowledge across the Federation. Involving pupils in the design process through pupil voice groups, surveys, dialogue and lesson feedback which has fed into our self-evaluation process. Providing parents and governors with opportunities to see first-hand what the pupils are learning and experiencing and then provide feedback to inform our self-evaluation and target setting. Our Federation curriculum is broad and balanced and includes learning opportunities within and across all of the Areas of learning and experience: Expressive Arts. Health and well-being. Humanities. Language, Literacy and Communication. Mathematics and Numeracy. Science and Technology. It incorporates the concepts in all of the statements of what matters and aligns with the mandatory requirements of teaching Welsh, English and Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE). The mandatory elements of Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) and the cross-curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence are embedded throughout the curriculum. Ensuring that our children make progress, regardless of a learner’s stage of development or starting point, is at the heart of all our curriculum design. Our principles of progression are: Increasing effectiveness: we aim for our pupils to become more independent, curious and self-motivated as a result of the learning experiences we plan. Increasing breadth and depth of knowledge: each of our AoLEs approaches planning according to the concepts. Refinement and growing sophistication in the use and application of skills: We want our pupils to become increasingly confident and inquisitive experts within the fields of the AoLEs. Making connections and transferring learning into new contexts: Pupils are given opportunities to use the learning from one AoLE to enrich and challenge their learning in other areas. Our school improvement planning and review cycle will continue to focus on ensuring that our curriculum will continue to meet the needs of our learners, ensure our pupils make progress and are in line with our overall school vision. We will continue to seek and employ feedback from pupils, staff, parents, Governors, cluster schools and evidence-based research to amend and refine our curriculum design. Some of the fun things we do!

Supporting Your Child at Home At the Fern Federation, we empower students to thrive and personally! Our dedicated staff aim to create and safe and nurturing environment where every child can unlock their potential. We believe in igniting a love for learning and your support is vital. Together, let’s shape a bright future for your child! This page offers a range of resources to support your child's learning at home! Support your child with their Speech: Click the link below for support : Tiny Happy People - Tips and advice for children's speech and language Support your child with their attentiion and concentration using Bucket Time Building attention skills in children: THE BUCKET! Support your child with their Numeracy Skills at home British Dyslexia Association 2025Mathsdoesnthavetobeimpossible 2025Mathsdoesnthavetobescary Mathstipsforsupportingchildren Fern Federation Maths At Home Booklets Year 3 Nursery Year 4 Reception Year 5 Year 1 Year 6 Year 2 Support your child with their Well Being SHINE Supporting Grief Younger Children's Self-Care Booklet Children's low mood leaflet Anxiety Guide for School Staff Sleep hygiene Leaflet Anxiety psychoeducation leaflet Children's Anger leaflet Parents Self Care Support your child with their fine and gross motor skills: Click the documents below and try out some of these activities Fizzy's Training Games Balance Activities: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Clever Hands Activities Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Ball Skills Activities Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Body Awareness and Co-ordination Activities Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Sensory Circuits Spelling Booster Sessions We have provided work sheets for you to help your child at home. Relationship Based Play POPAT Lego Therapy Literacy Launchpad Rapid Readers Wellcomm Speech Link