Annwyl pawb
This is the time of year that we hold assemblies with students to discuss any upcoming changes, and this year we have two foci that relate directly to student expectations – mobile phones and uniform. Click here for a video message for me (it’s 7 minutes long), and a summary follows:
Mobile phones
The safety, wellbeing and progress of our students is of paramount importance, and we want them to take full advantage of the opportunities school provides, without being distracted by or fixated on their phone. Mobile phones are designed to be addictive, with their constant deluge of notifications, eternally scrolling screens and apps set up to provide instant gratification and the unending desire for more. There is also a wide range of research evidence to show that mobile phone use is linked with lower academic achievement, a decrease in wellbeing and an increase in bullying in schools. Teenage addiction to social media and the misery that such platforms can create is a very significant concern, both in schools and in society at large. Therefore, it is important that school time, both academic and social, is able to be free of that burden, and that we enable our students to learn how to be less reliant on devices.
You will know that mobile phones for Years 7-11 are required to be switched off and in a bag or locker throughout the school day. Sixth Form students are permitted to use mobile phones for study purposes in designated areas only. This is not changing. Additionally, in order to support this established approach, we are moving to a system after the upcoming half-term where mobile phones will be confiscated from students if seen or heard. The same will apply to headphones, earphones and 'smart' watches. Items will be stored securely in our Ready To Learn provision and returned to students at the end of the day in most circumstances.
Immediate confiscation will apply to Years 7-10 after May half-term, and Years 7-11 from September 2024. We will continue with our current ‘remind’ approach for Sixth Form students, and we will keep this under close review to ensure Sixth Form students meet the expectations of the professional student.
Uniform
I wrote some weeks ago that we had changed uniform supplier, and we have been working hard since to ensure a smooth transition as well as achieve savings for families. I am pleased to say that our new supplier, Monkhouse, is now up and running; the website can be viewed here. Almost all of our uniform requirements remain the same, with just one change for skirts and another for PE kit. The full uniform policy will be sent out before half term. Some points of note:
- Lower prices: we have negotiated lower prices to support affordability. For example, blazer prices are between 30%-40% lower than our previous supplier.
- Links to generic items: our revised uniform policy, which will be out by half term, has direct links to a range of suppliers (such as ASDA and M&S) for items such as shirts and trousers, to help guide you in purchasing, should you wish to use other retailers other than Monkhouse.
- Skirts: please note that we are moving to one type of skirt, which is a pleated grey skirt. The skirt must reach on or just above the knee. No other type of skirt will be permitted. This change will be in place from September 2024.
- Trousers and tailored shorts continue to be permitted for all students, as our uniform is gender-neutral, and all students can make the choice that suits them.
- PE kit: it is moving to a cheaper badged t shirt and plain navy blue shorts/skorts, to support affordability. Students who have old-style MCS PE kit (or who buy recycled kit from Bridges) will, of course, be welcome to continue to use it.
- Ready To Learn: we will continue with our Ready To Learn provision, which will supply daily loans of items should students arrive to school in incorrect attire.
Thank you for your support in these matters. I look forward to explaining our decisions to students next week in assemblies.
I wish you all the best for the weekend to come. I am looking forward to attending the Year 13 Prom on Saturday night - a fantastic way to celebrate a wonderful group of students, who have achieved so much in their time at MCS. We are really proud of them all.
Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher
Saturday. After winning his 
On Tuesday 23rd April we were lucky enough to have a visiting artist join us for a mural and spray painting workshop. Fifteen of our Year 8 students took part in the workshop with Paul Shepherd (aka Walls By Paul). Paul is a mural artist from Newport who specialises in eye-catching, street-art style murals and more traditional realism. His work can be seen in Newport and up and down the Welsh valleys with his latest project being murals for the underpass and pedestrian subway in Monmouth.
to feed into the ideas for the final mural. The project has an emphasis on the environment in and around the River Wye, including above and below the surface, whilst also featuring local wildlife and flora. Students began with sketching ideas and working on aspects of composition, colour, balance and decision making before experiencing spray techniques first-hand. A brilliant experience for our students to get hands-on with a different material and a new technique! 
