Shwmae bawb

Another packed newsletter to reflect another packed week of events at school in this final week before the half term break. There is so much going on every day that it is tricky sometimes to capture the full breadth of daily life here at MCS, but I hope that our communciations out give you an insight into some of this.  You may also read a letter from Will McLean, MCC Strategic Director, Children, Learning, Skills and Economy to parents, by clicking HERE.

One particular mention to the School Council, whose meeting I attended today, and who have some very exciting projects in place already. I have asked the School Council members to report to you all via this newsletter on these projects as well - perhaps even via my favourite means of communicating to you all: a video...

We are now of course at the half term break, and after a marathon half term I think that students and staff alike are looking forward to a well-deserved rest. I appreciate that many will be continuing to work through the school holiday, but whatever your plans I wish you the best for the week ahead.

Cofion cynnes

Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher

NSEA Competition

Another great competition for Jessica Saunders, Ruby Creed, Darcey Purkis and Amelia Dawson at Addington on Monday.  They qualified for the 80/85 show jumping, representing the school, and were placed 4th.

Amelia also qualified for the National Schools dressage competition at Addington and was placed 12th.

The team are going from strength to strength with their riding and we wish them luck in their next eventing competition.

Well done to Ioan Thomas and Oscar Wadley who turned out for Pontypool Schools against South Powys last week, coming away with a 21-5 win.

This takes Pontypool through to the quarter finals of the Dewar Shield Bowl.

The Dewar Shield is a prestigious rugby competition for U16 (Year 11) school teams in Wales. It's a key part of the Welsh Rugby Union player pathway for emerging talent, integrated into a new program that develops players between the ages of 14 and 16

Year 7 student Eva Blyth raced her first race of the season for Newport Harriers at the Gwent Cross Country League at Margam Park on the 11th October .

In the U13 category (Year 7 and 8) , Eva came 15th out of 115 runners and has now been selected to represent East Wales at the Inter Regional Cross Country Championships in Newton at the end of November.

Good luck in November, Eva.

William McDonald (10ARI) and Evie Andrews (8APR) were recently part of the North Hereford Pony Club team, who qualified to compete in a week long competition at the Horse of the Year Show, held at the N.E.C.

The team had a highly successful week, winning The Lemieux Cup, The Stable / Sportsmanship Cup and finishing as Reserve Champions in The Prince Philip Cup.

During the week the team carried out various activities and interviews for television and media with different celebrities which was a great experience for them.

Next year, both Will and Evie will again be representing North Hereford at Pony Club events and Monmouthshire MGA in other competitions.

Well done both, good luck at the N.E.C.

Year 7 celebrated success in assembly this week, with the termly Form Tutor awards being given.

TWMPATH EVENT – Friday 17^th October

A huge DIOLCH to everyone who attended the Twmpath event last Friday and made it such a fabulous success! Skirts were whirling and drinks were flowing as the fabulous Calennig band kept the music playing and the (in some cases, much needed) dance instructions coming! Thanks also to the school staff and MCS Friends volunteers who made it possible. All proceeds will go towards much needed equipment for our students.

If you would like to get more involved in organising fundraising and events, or just want to know how you could contribute, please have a look at the MCS Friends web pages at

Friends of MCS

or email The Friends at moncompfriends@gmail.com 

We will be holding our whole school act of Remembrance in school on Tuesday 11 November. 

Poppies will be on sale in school after half term, if students would like to bring change in to purchase one.

A huge thank you from Monmouth Food Bank for the items sent in following our recent request and a big thank you from us for your kindness and generosity.

Kate and Martin from the Food Bank came into school today to collect everything and were delighted with the items brought in.

Year 10 students have been studying the novel Holes this term as part of their Entry Level qualification.

They have created these awesome surving Camp Green Lake posters. They have shown creativity and fantastic recall of the story.

Well Done, Year 10.

The Year 10 Welsh Baccalaureate classes brought 10 weeks of group work and preparations to a conclusion this week, presenting a “health and wellbeing” product to our Year 8 students in our annual Enterprise Fair.

Students have been working in groups to generate ideas for products, apps or services that would benefit a target audience, before conducting market research, product development, team meetings and division of labour, They then had to produce a visual display and prototype of their product to “pitch” at the Fair.

Their efforts, products and pitches were absolutely fantastic, drawing super praise and feedback from Year 8 students and staff alike.

There is only have the analysis of feedback and review of their performance left to complete before they move on to their Community Challenge, the second of the three projects making up the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification.

In Wellbeing, Year 7 have been looking at ways of promoting and supporting their own mental health and wellbeing.

Early Encore Series Debut – A Wonderful Celebration of Performance 

On Tuesday 21st October, Monmouth Comprehensive School proudly launched its Early Encore Series with an uplifting informal concert in the Atrium. Designed to give students a relaxed, supportive platform to perform, the event was warmly received by families, staff, and members of the community, many of whom commented on how much they enjoyed this informal style of performance.

The programme featured a dynamic range of musical items, including:

Year 10 singers performing the energetic Cup Song
Performances from both the Junior and Senior Percussion Ensembles
Highlights from our upcoming school musical Legally Blonde (tickets now on sale)
Performances from our Choirs and School Orchestra

The atmosphere was joyful and celebratory, showcasing the talent, confidence, and hard work of our performing and expressive arts students.

The Early Encore Series will continue in the Spring Term, offering further opportunities for students to perform in this popular format.

Upcoming Events

Carol Service – Wednesday 17th December

Legally Blonde – 14th–17th January (tickets available now)

    

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/monmouth-comprehensive-school

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported this first event—your encouragement and presence make these opportunities so special for our students.                                                 

Drama Students Moved by Powerful Performance of War Horse

On Thursday 23rd October, Year 10, 11 and 13 Drama students attended a live performance of War Horse at the Wales Millennium Centre – an unforgettable experience that powerfully supported their Drama Live Theatre Evaluation component.

The production, renowned for its emotional intensity and innovative puppetry, had a profound impact on the students. Many were visibly moved by the performance, commenting on how emotive and gripping the storytelling was. It provided an exceptional example of professional theatre, allowing students to see first-hand how characterisation, lighting, sound, staging, and physical theatre combine to create deep emotional impact for an audience.

Not only did the visit enrich their understanding of live theatre, it also provided a memorable cultural experience they will carry forward into their course work and future creative endeavours.

Our students were exemplary throughout the trip and were a wonderful credit to the school, demonstrating maturity, curiosity, and excellent engagement with the performance.

Gaia Cobb Mccafferty (Year 11)  - "Fortunately I was able to attend the 2025 ‘War Horse’ trip.  It was a fantastic experience. I am so happy that I was able to attend.  There is an amazing sense of community on the trip and everyone was so happy to be there.  The performance as a whole was amazing and will really help me to continue on my drama journey through school. "

Mia Gilmore (Year 10 - "I was lucky enough to attend ‘War Horse’ yesterday.  It was eye opening to experience such a beautiful and emotive piece of theatre.  I am really grateful for the opportunity to go because it is such a lovely thing to share with other like-minded drama students, we were all so keen to discuss it on the way home."

MCS Students Shine in Grease at Haberdashers’ Theatre

This week, a number of Monmouth Comprehensive School students are performing in Grease with Mayhem Youth Theatre at Haberdashers’ Theatre.

The production is led by Andrew Griffiths, with choreography by Year 10 student Connie Wigg, and our students have worked extremely hard to prepare for the show. Their dedication throughout the rehearsal process has been impressive, and we are proud of their commitment to the performing arts. There are lead performances from Laila Martine, Maya Thomas, Amelia Bartlet-Smith, Connie Wigg, Laurence Regan, Alice Gardiner-Roberts, Rowan Jenkins, Iwan Beard, Zach Shephard, Aled Phillips, Ellis Phillips. 

Tickets are still available for Friday evening and both Saturday performances (see poster below in Community section), and we encourage our school community to come along and support our students in this exciting production.

Arts Council Lead Creative Schools Project Nears Exciting Finale

Students at Monmouth Comprehensive School are approaching the culmination of a two-year Arts Council Lead Creative Schools Project, with a special pre-screening event taking place at the end of this term.

As part of this innovative project, students have developed a documentary and a zine exploring creativity, learner voice, and the role of creativity in education. This work represents the final stage of a long-term collaborative process involving creative practitioners, teachers, and learners working together to explore creative learning experiences across the curriculum.

This is just the beginning of the project’s ongoing impact. In the coming months, the outcomes will be shared more widely through:

• A teacher toolkit to support creative practice
   
• Podcasts and assemblies led by students
   
• Staff CPD sessions
   
• Presentations to school council and wider stakeholder groups
  
  This important project has placed student creativity at the centre of learning and will continue to influence teaching and learning at Monmouth Comprehensive School long after the official project concludes.

Thanks to three years of Welsh Government funding, Stori’s Addysg Cwtch Project will help schools across Wales deliver high-quality Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) with confidence. RSE is vital for equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and values to build positive relationships rooted in empathy, trust, and respect. 

The Addysg Cwtch Project request your support in gathering parents’ thoughts on Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). To help them better understand parents’ perspectives, they have prepared a short questionnaire, which may be found on the link below, should you wish to take part.

Addysg Cwtch Project Questionnaire
 

Action for Children (FIT) and Monmouthshire County Council are working in partnership to explore support available for families that need specialist support for diagnosed or non-diagnosed neurodiversity.  They are asking parents to help them by completing a short survey. This will help them evidence that there is a need for additional services. 

This link to the webpage will provide more details and give access to the survey webpage and survey

Please remember to put your child's name in any uniform they wear to school.  This enables us to reunite them with items which may appear in Lost Property.  Please also put names in any outdoor coats.

Teaching Assistant Level 2 - Mainstream

Closing date for applications: Sunday 2^nd November at 23:00

Teaching Assistant Level 1 - SRB

Closing date for applications: Sunday 2^nd November at 23:00

Examinations Invigilator