6 Mehefin 2025
Croeso
Welcome to this week’s Castell Alun blog — sharing our road to success! We are proud to celebrate and reflect on the incredible achievements, events and opportunities that have taken place recently in our school community. From hosting our Cymraeg Campus Silver Award presentation morning, where we shared our bilingual journey with schools across Flintshire and Wrexham, to supporting staff through young carer awareness training led by NEWCIS, it has been a week full of collaboration, learning and success. Our students have explored their future pathways at UCAS and careers fairs, connected with gardening expert Terry Walton, and shone in a range of sporting events. As always, we look forward to highlighting the talents, hard work, and enthusiasm of our students and staff da iawn pawb, and thank you for being part of our journey!
Sharing Our Road to Success
On Wednesday, we hosted our Cymraeg Campus silver award presentation morning. Many visitors attended the event, including secondary and primary headteachers and Welsh leads from across Flintshire and Wrexham, Flintshire education officials and members of our Governing Body.
The morning included a presentation from our Headteacher Mr Ellis, Mrs Wareing our Bilingualism Coordinator, Miss Jones and members of the Cyngor Cymraeg (Welsh Council). There was also an opportunity for discussion, networking , a tour of the school and the award presentation. The award was presented by Vicky Barlow, who represented Flintshire Local Authority.
Roedd y bore yn lwyddiant a dathliad o’r safon uchel. The morning was a success and a celebration of the highest standard. We were proud to be able to showcase all our hard work to achieve the five required outcomes to achieve the silver Cymraeg Campus national award, perhaps especially as we are the first secondary school in Flintshire and Wrexham to do so. We have also recently been spotlighted in our Estyn report for the bilingualism work done in Castell Alun. Da iawn i bawb / Well done everyone. It really has been a collective effort and we are proud of everyone’s efforts. Rydym yn falch iawn o ein llwyddiant.
Supporting Our Young Carers
This week, all staff at our school took part in valuable training focused on young carers, led by the team at NEWCIS (North East Wales Carers Information Service). The session aimed to raise awareness of the challenges young carers face in their daily lives and how we, as a school community, can better support them.
The training gave us a powerful insight into the responsibilities many of our students manage alongside their schoolwork—caring for a family member due to illness, disability, mental health issues, or substance misuse. These young people often show incredible resilience and maturity, and it’s essential that we recognise their unique situations and provide the right support.
Thanks to the guidance of NEWCIS, staff are now better equipped to identify young carers, offer practical support, and create an environment where all students feel understood and valued. We’re proud to be developing a more inclusive and caring school community where no young carer feels invisible.
A huge thank you to NEWCIS for delivering such an informative and thought-provoking session. This is just one step forward in our ongoing commitment to supporting every student.
Exploring Future Pathways
This week, Year 12 students from Castell Alun School took important steps to explore their post-Sixth Form options. On Tuesday, the whole year group attended a UCAS Fair in Liverpool to learn about university courses and entry requirements. Then, on Thursday, some students visited Mold Alun High School’s Careers Fair as part of the cluster partnership, focusing on apprenticeship and employment opportunities.
By attending these events, students gained a broad understanding of academic and vocational routes, helping them make informed decisions about their futures. Castell Alun remains committed to supporting students in exploring all possible pathways after Sixth Form.
Students Engage with Gardening Expert
Students from our Gardening Club recently had the exciting opportunity to submit their own questions to Terry Walton’s Plotcast, a well-known gardening podcast. We’re delighted to share that Terry will be answering their questions in the upcoming episode, which airs on 27th June. This was a fantastic chance for our pupils to engage with a gardening expert and deepen their knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject.
We’d also like to say a big diolch to Terry and his team for the thoughtful gifts they sent to our pupils, including wildflower seeds and pencils. These kind donations have been greatly appreciated and have further inspired our young gardeners to continue their fantastic work in our school garden.
Sporting Updates
It’s been another busy and successful week for our sports teams! Our Year 9 girls’ rounders team enjoyed an afternoon of friendly matches against our Flintshire school friends from Mold Alun, Argoed, St Richard Gwyn and Maes Garmon, showing great teamwork and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, on a very hot and sunny day, our boys’ tennis team put in a fantastic effort against Caldy Grammar, competing in both singles and doubles matches with some excellent play on show. Over the weekend, Greta represented the school brilliantly at the Wrexham Cath Ankers Swimming Gala, securing a brilliant second place in her age group for the 100m backstroke. To top it all off, our Year 8 rounders team had a fantastic night, going undefeated at the Flintshire Schools Playnight — well done to everyone involved!
Upcoming Events
New Intake Parents Evening – Tuesday 24th June
Year 7 Parents Evening – Thursday 3rd July
We’d like to highlight a fantastic upcoming show featuring many of our talented dancers. Students from across the school — from Year 7 through to Year 11 — are taking part, and we’re incredibly proud of their involvement.
You can see our full range of upcoming events by heading over to our Events Calendar page.
In Closing
Thank you for taking the time to read about all the fantastic things happening at Castell Alun. We are incredibly proud of our students, staff and wider school community for their continued hard work, creativity, and achievements. There is always so much to celebrate, and we look forward to sharing more of our journey with you soon.
Diolch yn fawr am eich cefnogaeth / Thank you very much for your support.
Safeguarding
If you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Officers: Mr Ellis, Mrs Davies or Mr Stewart. You can reach them via the School Office or by using our Contact Form.
