Pen y Dre High School Prospectus 2022-2023

Pen y Dre High School School Prospectus

“

There is a very positive and inclusive ethos, that promotes strong values of care and respect.” Estyn 2015

Welcome

I am proud to introduce and welcome you to Ysgol Uwchradd Pen y Dre, Merthyr Tydfil’s award winning high school. The school’s mission is for all pupils to aspire to success, to achieve success and to believe in their success.

if pupils are happy, then they will make good progress and be successful. Our pupils have many varied opportunities to boost their self-worth and experience of the world around them- we believe in them and in turn they believe in their own potential.

The school is known for our high standards of discipline, behaviour and academic success. We ensure that every pupil aspires to the very best they can be- whether this is in an academic, sporting or cultural route. Whatever your child’s individual talents, results show that they will succeed at Pen y Dre.

As parents you can be sure that when you send your child to us they will have best opportunities in every area of school life. We look to support and challenge students so they can flourish in a culture of success which prepares them fully for life beyond school.

The school provides an excellent standard of all round education and we are very proud of the national awards we have won in recognition of this. We have a talented staff who are dedicated and committed to providing the children with a first-class education.

Contact the school and see for yourself what makes Pen y Dre High School a thriving school community.

I look forward to meeting you in the future.

Children have one chance in education. They deserve the best and our role at school is to ensure we provide them with this. We have the highest expectations of and for our pupils. We have a ‘can-do’ culture at Pen y Dre, where we develop the well-being, confidence and resilience of all our pupils. We are a very caring school and we feel that

Keith Maher Headteacher

About our school

Pen y Dre High School is an award winning second ary school set in a beautiful green campus, with outstanding academic and sporting facilities. With just over 900 pupils on roll, we are big enough to offer a broad and balanced curriculum, and small enough to give high quality pastoral care and personalised learning.

We serve several communities in the north of Merthyr Tydfil, and enjoy an excellent reputation locally and fur ther afield. We are proud of the team approach at our school, and foster excellent professional relationships with our pupils and parents. Indeed, we were the very first school in Wales to win the Professional Teaching Award for our work with parents and the community.

We place exceptionally high importance on mutual respect, kindness and good manners. Behaviour at our school is excellent, and this helps to instill a purposeful

atmosphere in which to learn. We feel an ordered and settled environment is key to successful learning.

We are committed to ensuring that each of our pupils leaves us with: - the best possible examination results; - the skills and knowledge to be successful in the world of work; and - the values and morals to lead good lives

Ultimately, we want our pupils to be happy and successful. Equally, we want each child to have fun during their time with us and look back on their school days with pride and fond memories.

“The school works relentlessly to improve the life chances of all pupils.”

Academic Standards

Pen y Dre High School delivers an excellent standard of education, where pupils make very good progress and achieve their academic potential. We are deter mined that our pupils will live the school motto of ‘Aspire Achieve Believe’ and become the very best versions of themselves. The core subjects of English, Maths and science achieved their best ever results in 2018 on the new key stage four curriculum.

With nationally recognised excellence in teaching across the curriculm areas, we are proud that all pupils now leave Pen y Dre High School with the qualifica tions needed for the world of work or further educa tion.

Our strong academic and all round school performance is reflected in the school’s Welsh Government categorisation of Pen y Dre as a GREEN A school.

Our ESTYN inspection report 2015 gave a fair and accurate analysis of the things we do well, and the areas we can address to make the school even better.

“The school’s motto of “Aspire Achieve Believe” permeates all aspects of its work.” Estyn 2015

Learning

At Pen y Dre we place high value on learning being exciting, brought to life with innovative teaching and imaginative use of resources.

The standard of learning at the school is very high and we seek to recognise and celebrate achievement in addition to acknowledging our students’ many talents.

We expect all of our pupils to work hard and perform to the best of their abilities. This ensures they are active learners and makes being in lessons a rewarding experience. As a school we monitor progress each term and act upon it so that every child can reach his or her potential. The value we add to our pupils’ education, or in other words the progress that they make, is a key strength of the Pen y Dre curriculum.

A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum ensures that every child is well catered for. In Years 7, 8 and 9 (key stage 3) students study the National Curriculum which includes English; mathematics; science; religious education; Welsh; geography; history; ICT; modern

languages; technology; art; PE; and PSE.

In Years 10 and 11 (key stage 4) our curriculum is well balanced and includes a large range of academic and vocational courses to suit every pupil’s needs and aspirations. All pupils study English Language and English Literature; mathematics numeracy and math ematics procedure; science; religious studies; Welsh as a second language and a number of optional courses.

Pupils with additional learning needs and those identified as more able and talented are supported through out the curriculum by all of our staff. This ensures they make strong progress relative to their individual starting point.

To be successful at school pupils need to be happy, taught by outstanding teachers and motivated to achieve. We encourage our pupils to set their sight’s high, and to believe in themselves.

Our curriculum is where our school motto comes alive.

“The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils. It reflects the vision and aims of the school well.” Estyn 2015

Wellbeing

At Pen y Dre High School we place pupil wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. We have a dedicated wellbeing team of learning support assistants and learning coaches who support our pupils. We also have a Team Around the Family co-ordinator who supports families to ensure pupils are happy and making good progress in school.

We have a whole range of programmes to support our pupils, including our ELSA programme to support pupils’ emotional literacy. We also have a range of specialist counselling and support services who work

with the school to ensure pupils are happy and thriv ing. We have recently started our animal therapy project, which is proving very popular and effective in helping remove barriers to learning for some of our pupils.

Our curriculum is also designed to promote pupil wellbeing through curricular and extra-curricular activi ties such as charity events, school trips and rewards. We try to use the wonderful location of our school to engage in learning through the outdoors as much as possible to promote good health and wellbeing.

“Teachers establish and maintain a well-managed learning environment with high expectations of good behaviour. “

School life

We operate a two-week timetable, with five one hour lessons per day.

We start at 8.30 am and finish at 2.40pm, though staff are expected to be in school before the start of the school day and remain for at least ten minutes after its end. There are often meetings, extra-sessions and clubs running after the school day, on the weekends and in the holidays.

The structure of the day is:

8.30 - 8.50 Registration/ Assembly

8.50 - 9.50 Lesson 1

9.90 - 10.50 Lesson 2

10.50-11.05 Break

11.05-12.05 Lesson 3

12.05-1.05 Lesson 4

1.05 - 1.40 Lunch Break 1.40-2.40 Lesson 5

Year assemblies are held during registration, and we have a programme of Personal, Social and Health education on a rolling timetable.

There are various clubs (including homework clubs) and activities (both sporting and cultural) on offer after the official school day ends.

There is a staff briefing in the main hall every Monday at 2.50 p.m.

“Pupils enjoy their learning, and are receptive to new challenges.” Estyn 2015

Welsh Provision

Pen y Dre High School is proud of our Welsh heritage and the language plays an important part in the life of the school.

We deliver Y Cwricwlwm Cymreig and ensure pupils understand and celebrate the national and international context of Wales and its language.

We have the reputation for being a centre of excellence for the promotion and use of the Welsh language in an English medium school, and we have received the Siarter Iaith Gold Award.

Religious Education

This is a compulsory element of the curriculum element of the curriculum. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from this aspect of the

curriculum, as they have the right to withdraw their children from the Daily Act of Collective Worship. Parents wishing to exercise these rights should write to the Headteacher.

Daily Act of WorshipCollective

It is important for our pupils to explore and share beliefs, consider the importance of prayer, meditation and silence, the relevance of ideas and beliefs to their own lives, think about the needs of others and develop a sense of community. The ‘thought for the week’ is delivered in assembly time and considered and explored during tutor time.

“Provision for developing and supporting pupils’ health and emotional wellbeing is a strong feature of the school.” Estyn 2015

Parental feedback

Beyond the classroom

As well as the focus on academic achievement, we place great emphasis on the need for our pupils to enjoy their time at school and play a more active role in the life of the school.

Pupils are encouraged to further develop their talents and social skills by taking part in as many activities as possible, available through the curriculum and as part of out of hours activities.

We provide pupils with the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of sports and exercise. This promotes the benefits of staying fit and living a healthy lifestyle. We have a number of teams across all sports and the school frequently enjoys success at a range of tournaments.

A large number of pupils have represented the county, while many have gone on to representative honours at national level.

Drama and music thrive at Pen y Dre- we are a Welsh Arts Council Lead Creative School, and we employ an award

winning artist in residence , Adam Griffiths. In addition to timetabled music lessons, peripatetic teachers provide individual sessions for students who wish to develop their musical talents in a range of instruments.

There are dozens of trips and visits to enrich the experience of school life. We definitely have something for everyone.

“Thank you to your outstanding school, my experience as a parent having a child attend your school has been amazing.”

“Progress made by pupils from key stage two to key stage four in the capped points score, level 1 and level 2 thresholds is significantly better than expected.” Estyn 2015

At the heart of thecommunity

Pen y Dre has the very best academic and sporting facilities to ensure your child gets the most out of their school life.

We are the home school for Merthyr Town Football Academy, and in 2017 we installed a state of the art 3G all weather pitch.

We employ a Welsh Rugby Union Hub Officer, Mr Callum Hall, who works with local schools and community clubs to promote both boys’ and girls’ rugby within the area.

We are the home venue for local basketball, netball, and trampolining clubs.

We have a fantastic swimming pool that is used regularly as part of our curriculum, and is also used by local water

sports and swimming clubs.

We have a state of the art learning resource centre, and our pupils have access to the latest books and apps on ipads and other digital platforms.

We run a host of lunchtime and after school clubs, including : wellbeing, programming, robotics, art club, school bands and choir.

We are an accredited provider for the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and have formed a unique partnership whereby our pupils have the opportunity to gain bronze accredita tion. More adventurous types can also advance to silver award.

“Pupils’ involvement in their community is high...they clearly demonstrate a genuine pride in the school and their locality.”

School uniform

“Pupils develop good personal and social skills that prepare them well for life and work outside school.”

“The school provides high quality, personalised and confidential support for pu pils of all abilities, which contributes very well to their wellbeing.”

Estyn 2015

Transition

At Pen y Dre we plan for the educational journey of pupils from primary school to the world of work and further education.

We work closely with parents and the Pen y Dre cluster of primary schools, which consists of: Dowlais, Gellifaelog , Goetre, Gwaunfarren, Pantyscallog and Ysgol y Graig primary schools.

We work hard on making sure our pupils settle in well to ‘big school’, as this can be quite a change from the primary setting. We run plenty of transition events so pupils feel comfortable and make a positive start to their secondary education.

We also give good care, support and guidance to pupils in Year 9, when they make their option choices,

and in Year 11 when they are planning the next stage of their lives.

We run taster events with our local further education provider, and during key stage four we take our pupils to world class universities such as Oxford, in order to widen their horizons.

Past pupils regularly contribute to the wider life of the school and serve as excellent role models for the pupils of today.