22 Mai 2026
As we reach the end of another busy and successful half term at Castell Alun, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all students, staff, parents, and carers for their continued hard work, support, and commitment to our school community.
This week’s Blog is filled with fantastic achievements, celebrations, sporting success, exciting opportunities, and fond farewells, all of which reflect the talent, dedication, and enthusiasm of our students.
From national competitions and performances to engineering partnerships and sporting achievements, there is so much to be proud of across the school.
As we head into the half term break, we hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved rest and has the chance to make the most of the sunny weather next week.
Farewell to Year 11 and Year 13
This week, we said farewell to our Year 11 and Year 13 students as they begin the next stage of their journeys.
While many of our Year 11 students will be returning to continue their studies with us, our Year 13 students are preparing to take exciting new steps into the wider world — whether that be heading to university, travelling, beginning apprenticeships, or pursuing new opportunities and career paths.
We are incredibly proud of all they have achieved during their time at Castell Alun and would like to wish them every success and happiness for the future. We also wish all students the very best for the remainder of their examinations.
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to all parents and carers for their continued support throughout their children’s time at school.
At Castell Alun, we value the strong partnership we share with families, and we know that the encouragement, guidance, and support provided at home play such an important role in helping our students thrive both academically and personally.
Thank you for working alongside us to support our young people as they move forward into their next chapter.
Busy Time for the Welsh Dept.
The Welsh Department at Castell Alun High School has been incredibly busy since January, celebrating Welsh language and culture across the school community.
Students enjoyed taking part in activities to celebrate Dydd Miwsig Cymru, while exciting competitions were also held in preparation for Saint David’s Day.
It has been fantastic to see so many pupils getting involved and showing enthusiasm for the Welsh language.
This year, students achieved great success in the Urdd Gobaith Cymru art and fashion competitions, and the department would like to congratulate everyone who took part and represented the school so well.
Our Clwb Cymraeg on Mondays has continued to grow from strength to strength, with pupils enjoying a range of Welsh-language activities and opportunities each week.
The team are now looking forward to next Saturday, when seven students will compete on the main stage at the Eisteddfod in Anglesey — a fantastic achievement and opportunity for all involved.
On Saturday, eight of our students will be taking part in the Eisteddfod yr Urdd in Anglesey.
The students have been busy since January practising their recitation poem and progressed through the first round at Ysgol Maes Garmon in March.
We are very proud of our Eisteddfod team and wish them the very best of luck on Saturday.
The Welsh Department is also busy preparing for the school Summer Eisteddfod, so keep your eyes peeled for more information coming soon!
Llongyfarchiadau mawr to all of our successful students — we are incredibly proud of you all.
Supporting Biodiversity
It has been wonderful to see the positive impact of the pond and wildflower area, funded through Keep Wales Tidy, becoming increasingly visible this week.
Pond snails have already been spotted in the pond, while the wildflowers are beginning to bloom beautifully, helping to encourage biodiversity around the school site.
In addition, our gardening club has continued its fantastic work by preparing another area of the school grounds for wildflowers and laying native wildflower turf, funded by the Castle Green Homes Mission Green Community Fund.
These projects are making a real difference to the environment around school and creating valuable habitats for local wildlife.
Exciting Opportunity with Airbus
We are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Airbus, offering a fantastic opportunity for our budding engineers in Year 8.
Today, students took part in the official launch of the programme through a special assembly, alongside CV and letter-writing workshops designed to support them with the application process.
The programme will give students the opportunity to further develop their STEM skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths by working collaboratively to design and build a drone.
This is a wonderful chance for students to gain hands-on experience, develop problem-solving and teamwork skills, and engage with real-world engineering challenges.
During the first week back after half term, staff will continue supporting students as they complete their application letters and CVs before submitting them for consideration on the programme.
We are excited to see our students embrace this incredible opportunity and look forward to following their progress throughout the project.
Will Reaches the National Finals
We are thrilled to share some fantastic news about Will, who has successfully made it through to the national finals following his outstanding monologue performance.
He will now perform at the prestigious Trafalgar Theatre on 13th June in front of the national judging panel.
After competing against more than 4,000 entries from across the UK, he is now down to the final five contestants — an incredible achievement and a real testament to his talent and dedication.
We are immensely proud of him and look forward to cheering him on at the finals.
National Hockey Finals Success
We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding sporting achievements of three Castell Alun students who recently competed at the Welsh National Club Hockey Finals in Swansea on Sunday 3 May.
Representing Northop Hall Hockey Club, the students competed at national level across several age categories following the club’s successful qualification for the finals.
Isaac Horsley played for both the U16 Boys and U14 Boys teams, captaining the U14 side.
The U16 Boys achieved an incredible second place in Wales, while the U14 Boys secured an impressive fourth-place finish nationally.
Henry Tonks was also part of the U14 Boys squad, contributing to their strong performance throughout the competition.
Morgan Hanekom represented the U14 Girls team, who also finished fourth in Wales in their finals play-offs.
The standard of competition was exceptionally high, making these achievements even more commendable.
All three students demonstrated tremendous commitment, skill, and dedication, representing both their club and the school with great pride.
Support CAFA
The Castell Alun Friends Association (CAFA) continues to play a vital role in supporting learning and enrichment opportunities across the school by raising valuable funds for activities and resources that benefit our students.
We greatly appreciate the ongoing support of our school community and would love for you to get involved in our upcoming events, including a Sound Bath experience, a Fashion Show, and the CAFA Car Boot Sale.
As part of the car boot sale, we will also be collecting donations of good-quality pre-loved school uniform, which will be available for resale to support families and raise additional funds.
Donations of old uniform can be left at reception.
Thank you for your continued support of CAFA and the opportunities it helps provide for our students.
Sporting Updates
A huge well done to our Year 8 girls’ rounders team, who recently competed in the Flintshire Schools Year 8 Rounders Playnight.
The team performed brilliantly throughout the event, finishing an impressive second overall.
Along the way, they secured excellent victories against Ysgol Maes Garmon and St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, showing fantastic teamwork, determination, and skill in all of their matches.
Congratulations to all the players on a superb achievement.
Well done to our Year 8 and Year 9/10 girls’ athletics teams, who recently competed in the North East Wales round of the team athletics event.
All students represented the school brilliantly and delivered some excellent performances across the competition.
Their determination, teamwork, and commitment were fantastic to see, and we are incredibly proud of the effort and enthusiasm shown by everyone involved.
Congratulations to all the athletes on a superb achievement.
Our Year 7 rugby team enjoyed a fantastic day competing at the RGC Wrexham, Flintshire and North Powys Super 12 event.
Playing against schools from across the region, the team took part in some highly competitive matches and represented the school with great determination, teamwork, and sportsmanship throughout the day.
It was wonderful to see the players developing their skills and enjoying the experience.
Da iawn to everyone involved!
Congratulations to our U15 girls’ team on an outstanding achievement in reaching the Welsh Schools Final and finishing as runners-up in Wales.
After a fantastic campaign, the team narrowly lost 2–1 in a closely contested final, demonstrating tremendous determination, skill, and teamwork throughout the competition.
To finish second in Wales is an incredible accomplishment, and everyone involved should be extremely proud of their efforts and commitment.
Well done to the entire team on a superb achievement.
Lost Property
Here are photos of this week’s lost property. Students should speak to their group tutor to arrange collection during registration or at another suitable time during the school day. At the end of each half term, any unclaimed items will be donated to charity.
Upcoming
In Closing
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our school community.
We are incredibly proud of all our students and grateful for the strong partnership we share with families in helping our young people thrive and succeed.
We wish everyone a safe, restful, and enjoyable half term break and look forward to welcoming students back refreshed and ready for the final half term of the academic year.
Have a wonderful half term break — mwynhewch eich gwyliau hanner tymor!
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.
