Annwyl pawb - I hope that you all enjoyed a pleasant Easter break. Reports of sunshine are, as yet, unconfirmed - but we live in joyful hope.
Student safety is of paramount importance for us all, and so may I remind you of two important ways in which you contribute to maintaining a strong safeguarding culture in our school community. They relate to (i) vehicles around the school site and (ii) social media, following recent national headlines.
Vehicle movement
A reminder that the front entrance to the School is for students to arrive and depart safely on foot. As you will be aware, pedestrian access from Old Dixton Road and the Burgage is limited, with some areas having little or no pavement for students to use. The number of vehicles turning into - and manoeuvring in - the Burgage is also a cause for concern for our neighbours, should an emergency vehicle be needed at the houses or Llangattock Court, or they are simply trying to drive to or from their homes. If multiple vehicles are parked or stopped to drop off or wait for students, it causes considerable disruption and increases the risk to students who are arriving or departing on foot.
At the start of the day, the safe ‘drop-off’ point for students arriving by car is at the rear of the School in the car park accessed via Dixton Road. Please use the drop-off zone (the vehicle to pavement area on the left) and then exit the school site. Please do not park in the parking bays to drop off your child/children, but instead draw up to the kerb on the left so that students exit directly onto the pavement. If you need to park and come into School during the day for an appointment, please use the visitor car park located adjacent to the Leisure Centre, off Old Dixton Road (buzzing into Reception on arrival at the barrier).
At the end of the day, students can be safely collected from the car park accessed via Dixton Road from 3.20pm, once school transport vehicles have exited. Again, we ask that you show consideration for the safety of students as well as for residents of the Burgage and Old Dixton Road and do not collect students from these areas by car. The end of the day is the busiest time with hundreds of students exiting on foot and so the potential risk is at its highest.
Your ongoing co-operation is appreciated to ensure the safety of all of our students, and to ensure that our neighbours are able to access their homes with ease.
Social media
You may have seen recent headlines after a BBC investigation in the north-east of England found that children as young as nine had been added to "malicious WhatsApp groups promoting self-harm, sexual violence and racism". Whilst WhatsApp has reduced its own minimum age recommendation to 13 years old, the NSPCC continues to recommend that it is not used by anyone under 16.
One of the most important safeguarding and wellbeing checks that any parent can carry out regarding social media is to check their child's use of social media directly on the device, including any group chats of which they are a part. It is recommended that these regular checks are part of any agreement reached with your child about providing a smartphone to them.
Please let us know if you have any questions or would like further support. It is a challenging landscape to navigate for us all, and our wellbeing curriculum will continue to educate our students on their digital lives and how to keep themselves safe online and through social media.
A guide to social media for parents can be found by clicking this link.
Many thanks for your attention to these matters, and best wishes,
Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher
Benjamin Hopkins-Firth of 8SD played in the West Country Rugby Tournament on the weekend with his club, Croesyceiliog RFC. 
Many congratulations to Y10 student Ava Powell who has been selected to represent Wales in the U15 Netball Squad on 26th April at The House of Sport, Cardiff.
Congratulations to Year 13 student Molly Blight who has been awarded a Bangor University Scholarship.
