Friday 9th July 2021


As this is the final Blog of the academic year, we must begin with thanking so very many people for all that has been achieved and endured since September 2020.  First and foremost we are very grateful to our students for the way in which they have conducted themselves and all of their hard work in trying circumstances whether at home or in school.  We are also indebted to all parents/carers for the support, encouragement and feedback that you have provided our school and students throughout the year and it is beyond doubt that our partnership has allowed us to overcome multiple obstacles and help each other through times of incredible sadness and great tragedy.  We would wish also to record our thanks to members of the local community and council for their patience and understanding during times of new build construction.  Thank you also to all members of staff and Governors for all of the hard work and integrity shown which have allowed us to move our school forwards in ways in which we perhaps could not have anticipated over recent times. 

We will send a letter out in the next couple of days with some information for parents/carers and students with regards to our September start to term.  Perhaps the main thing to note is that the 1st and 2nd September will be staff training days, with Friday 3rd September being a Year 7 and 12 only Induction Day.  Therefore, the entire student body returns to school at the start of the academic year on Monday 6th September.  Please see our website calendar for other relevant days, but remember that these may still change at short notice depending upon local circumstances. 

We are so very excited about our new Year 7 joining us in September and would remind you once again that there are induction materials available on our school website for you to peruse at your leisure.  Mr. Ellis has been out visiting students in a number of primary schools this week and has thoroughly enjoyed the experience.   

When we return in September, we will have the keys to the new building and relish the opportunity to harness all of its strengths over the coming months and years.  However, it must be noted that there will still be building work being undertaken on our existing building and car park areas until later in November 2021.  We are grateful for our partnership with Wilmot Dixon and all that has been achieved over this academic year.  It is hoped that our new Astroturf pitch will also be complete for the start of the new term.  Yesterday we were visited by a number of local dignitaries in order to celebrate recent progress on the building together. 

We are celebrating Sports Day with Year 7 today.  Although we would far prefer to have hosted the event for Years 7 to 10 as is our custom, we were unable to do that for obvious reasons, but our Year 7 students are giving it their all and having a fantastic time.  Tremendous performances are evident from so many students, and the PE department will share photos and success stories on our social media feeds early next week.  Congratulations everyone and thank you for all of your efforts. 

Once again we have had something of a rollercoaster ride with regards to student bubble self-isolation periods recently, but it is wonderful to have had Year 9 and 12 students return this week.  Year 12 students will not be required in school next week.  We continue to monitor extremely carefully local and national guidance with regards to Covid positive cases and self-isolation principles. Year 10 students are still pressing on with their KS4 qualifications and we would expect further information from the examination boards in due course with regards to plans for examinations in summer 2022.  With this in mind it is essential that Students in Year 10 complete their Welsh Baccalaureate Global and Enterprise Challenges before the close of the current term, in order that they can take a well deserved and complete break from work for most of the summer period.  Will parents/carers of students in Year 10 please reinforce this message to all Year 10 students.  Welsh Baccalaureate work can, of course, be done from home remotely if a student is not able to attend school.   

Looking to next week, students in Years 7 to 10 will be with us until the close of Wednesday 14th July and on Tuesday Year 9 students will have immunisations as per previous communication.  Also, next week a number of Sixth Form students will undertake their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition and we wish each and every one of them all the very best for this. 

We have three Year 10 students specifically to congratulate in this final Blog of the year – 

Regan decided to raise money after reading a Facebook challenge for a bone cancer charity by riding 500 miles on his mountain bike.  He has already raised £600 in sponsorship.  Regan cycled different routes, but none of them were in any way simple, and the majority of his miles were achieved around Llandegla.  His Strava showed that he rode up to 36 miles in one go on tough terrain.  What a star!   

Annabelle has just won the Girls U18s Welsh Northern Counties Championship in Abergele and is a member of the Welsh U16s Golf Squad.  Playing off a handicap of 3.9 and practising for between 3 and 4 hours each day, Annabelle plays regularly at Mold, Harlech and Delamere.  Her goal is one day to become a professional and she can take one step closer to realising this dream when she competes in the Welsh Girls’ Championships in Cardiff and indeed the English U16s Championships in Morecambe.  You are capable of amazing things Annabelle and we look forward to hearing about your future successes. 

Also our sincere congratulations to Seren who has been mentioned previously in this Blog and has now won the Manager’s Player of the Season 2021 for her club TNS.  Seren is clearly destined for great things on the football field. 

And finally, A and AS Level ‘results day’ is on the 10th August, and GCSE ‘results’ day is on the 12th August this year.  There will be no need for any student to come to school to receive these results as they will be emailed directly to you, although if any assistance is required, perhaps specifically with university places, key staff will be in school to assist on both mornings. 

So, all that remains to be said is that we wish everybody a happy, peaceful and virus free summer.