School Blog (30/09/22)


Welcome to the School Blog. Last night we hosted our New Intake Open Evening, and what an amazing occasion it was! Nearly 350 students attended voluntarily to showcase their talents and knowledge of a school they are clearly proud of.

Our students have always been our best ambassadors, and it was wonderful to welcome around 800 guests to the tour the building. Diolch yn fawr iawn to everyone who made the evening memorable. If anyone needs further information about the admissions process, please contact the school at your earliest convenience. We hope to see all Year 6 students who attended, and perhaps others, at our upcoming transition events leading up to September 2023.

At the time of writing, we have several guests in school for our Open Morning. Should anyone have been unable to attend either of these events and still wishes to visit the school campus, please get in touch, and we will arrange this as soon as possible.

Next week, Year 7 students will visit the library on Wednesday, where they will receive a £7 voucher towards a book of their choice. This exciting new venture is important for developing reading skills and fostering a love of reading. At Castell Alun, we place a great deal of emphasis on skill development, especially oracy skills, to support all our students in becoming confident communicators.

On Thursday 6th October, beginning at 5.15 pm in the school hall, we will hold our Year 10 Information Evening. This event will include input from core subjects and tips for parents/carers.

Next Friday, a number of Year 12 students will sit CATs tests to give us an accurate gauge of potential as we monitor progress across all subjects throughout Sixth Form life.

All departments have spoken highly of recent Year 6 visitors and their willingness to engage in various learning activities. Staff have noticed the enthusiasm and energy these potential new students exhibited. Our staff are excited about the talent they have observed and are keen for Year 6 students to join extra-curricular clubs and activities.

Well done to our Year 10 Boys’ football team, who won their first-round game of the Welsh Cup against Darland 5-0. Hard luck but well done to the Year 9 Boys’ Team, who narrowly lost to Hawarden in the same competition.

Our Year 9/10 Netball Team attended the Chwareaonyrurdd Netball Tournament in Bangor, with 24 teams participating. Our team came second in their group event, qualifying for the plate competition. Although they lost in the final to a strong St. Joseph’s High School team, our girls performed creditably. Congratulations to Issy and Nell (Year 11) and Sophie and Ruby (Year 10), who made it into the U16 Flintshire Netball Squad. Congratulations also to Ffion, Dottie, and Alex (Year 9), selected for the U14 Flintshire Netball Squad.

Castell Alun Athletics teams performed to a high standard at the recent Flintshire meet in Deeside. Our Junior Girls and Junior Boys both took 1st place, and Middle Boys and Middle Girls came in 2nd overall. Many of our students will now represent Flintshire in North Wales competitions in the summer term. Standout performances came from Daniel, Louis, and Alexandra (Year 9).

In individual sports, we are pleased to highlight Luke (Year 9), who took 2nd place at the Welsh Golf Junior Ping Tour Final in South Wales in the U14s category. Luke has only been playing golf for a few years and managed to score 38 stableford points over 18 holes against tough competition. Great job, Luke, we are proud of you!

Last weekend, Robyn (Year 9) competed in her first Premier Division slalom race at the National Whitewater Centre in Bala. She won the Junior U14 prize and became the Junior U15 Welsh Kayak Champion. Robyn is destined for great things in the sport, and we watch her progress with great interest.

Well done to Josh (Year 9), who ended his cricket season with the highest number of runs in the U13s category in Wales. Also he is the fifth-highest run scorer across all U21 categories in Wales. Josh scored an amazing 722 runs for Wales and North Wales. He even made his debut in the Premier Division with a 21-run knock!

See you back here soon for the next School Blog!