7 Tachwedd 2025
Croeso
Welcome back to the second half of our Autumn Term! We hope everyone enjoyed a well-deserved break and is ready for a busy and exciting few weeks ahead. There’s lots to pack into this half term, including our Year 11 GCSE exams, Sixth Form mock exams and many other important events and activities. As always, we continue to uphold our school values of Respect, Determination and Honesty in everything we do. We’re also continuing our journey towards achieving the Gold Cymraeg Campus Award, with staff enthusiastically taking part in a Welsh language course in their own time to further promote the use of Cymraeg across our school community.
Celebrating Welsh Language and Culture
On Wednesday, the Welsh Department hosted a transition day, welcoming pupils from seven local primary schools to Castell Alun. Y Cyngor Cymraeg (the Welsh Council) gave a presentation to the visiting students, showcasing the strong Welsh ethos here at Castell Alun and sharing ideas on how their own schools can work towards achieving their Cymraeg Campus Bronze and Silver Awards.
The primary pupils took away lots of inspiration and are excited to put these ideas into practice back at their schools. They also enjoyed watching a show Taith yr Iaith (“The Journey of the Language”) from the theatre company Mewn Cymeriad. The show explored the history of the Welsh language and the government’s goal of reaching one million fluent Welsh speakers by 2050. It truly was a fantastic day! Diolch yn fawr to Mrs Wareing and Mrs Thomas-Mason for organising such a successful event!
Year 7’s Olly Shines on the Global Stage
Olly from Year 7 will be taking part in an international musicians development program with a Gibson guitar. This is a global artist development program dedicated to mentoring the next generation of exceptional young musicians. This curated group of emerging guitarists, songwriters and music creators will embark on a two-year journey of growth, collaboration and career-building. Olly is one of only 8 across the world and the only child in the UK to be on the program. He has also recently played at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. We are so very proud of him and can’t wait to hear more about his musical experiences!
Celebrating Diversity
Before half term, Castell Alun students were challenged to create posters about famous and influential LGBTQ+ people to celebrate international LGBTQ+ History Month. Students’ work has included famous Victorian industrialist Anne Lister (aka Gentleman Jack) as well as more contemporary figures such as transgender model and influencer Alex Consani.
Castell Alun is dedicated to becoming a safe and welcoming space for students from all backgrounds and identities, including the LGBTQ+ community. This competition is a continuation of the work towards the Rainbow Flag Award, which we hope to achieve during this academic year. Winners from the poster competition will be announced next week.
Insightful PSHE Lessons
This week, our students took part in some very insightful PSHE lessons. Becca from Barclays visited to deliver engaging and informative sessions to Years 8 and 9 on the important topic of fraud and scams, helping students understand how to stay safe and make smart financial choices in an increasingly digital world. Meanwhile, Year 7 focused on developing their everyday maths skills, exploring how numeracy is used in real-life situations. Both sessions provided valuable learning experiences and practical knowledge that students can apply beyond the classroom.
Sporting Updates
Our Year 8/9 Rugby Team played a fantastic match this week against a strong and determined side from Morgan Llwyd. Both teams displayed great skill, teamwork and sportsmanship throughout an exciting and competitive game. Despite facing tough opposition, our players showed real resilience and determination, working together brilliantly to secure an impressive 25–15 victory. A huge well done to all involved for their effort, commitment and excellent representation of Castell Alun!
Upcoming Events
Year 12 Parents’ Evening – Thursday 27th November (4:00PM – 6:30PM)
Community Library Dates
Sgwrs Gymraeg | Welsh Conversation: Monday 27th October (7:00PM – 9:00PM)
In Closing
As we settle into the second half of the Autumn Term, it’s inspiring to see our students embracing new challenges, showcasing their talents and living out our school values of Respect, Determination and Honesty in so many different ways. From sporting triumphs to creative projects, exciting learning experiences beyond the classroom and engaging lessons, there’s so much to celebrate across Castell Alun. We look forward to the weeks ahead and can’t wait to share more achievements with our school community.
Diolch am ddarllen a chadwch ymlaen am ddyddiau cyffrous sydd i ddod!
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the exciting weeks ahead!
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.
