Friday 18^th July 2025

 

Dear Parents and Carers

 

I would like to say a huge thank you to all our parents and carers who have supported us over this academic year. We know how important it is to work collaboratively with our families and I am extremely grateful to you for your commitment to ensuring your children achieve their very best.

 

A six week break is a long time to be away from learning so I would urge all families to encourage their children to read as much as possible. Reading is essential for developing and improving literacy and if our students continue to read over the summer this will have a positive impact on their academic progress next year.

 

My hope would be that every child at Newport High School would read for 20 minutes every day. That would equate to 14 hours of reading over the summer holiday. The average book is around 250 pages long and takes about 3 hours to read 100 pages. This means that most students could read a book in 7 ½ hours and potentially at least two new books over the summer. The more you read, the more you know and the better your literacy becomes.

 

School Values and RISE

The themes of this week have been integrity and being equipped. By being equipped we need students to be present, resourceful and ready to learn.

 

We have had a wonderful final week of the school year. On Wednesday we had our whole school Sports Day which was led by Mr Staniforth and the Thrive team, supported by all staff. It was a fantastic atmosphere and wonderful to see so many students taking part. On Thursday we held our Trips and Activities Day with students involved in a diverse range of different from baking to balloon races. We even held a mini festival in the afternoon organised by Ms Taylor our Family Engagement Officer and the Integrity Team.

Today we have finished the academic year with our Reward Celebrations.

 

2025/2026

School structure

Pastoral structure

Year Group	Head of Year	Pastoral and attendance support officer
Year 7	Mr Kelly	Ms Facer
Year 8	Ms Paginton	Ms Facer
Year 9	Ms Galloway	Mr Gold
Year 10	Mr Hodge	Mr Gold
Year 11	Mme Teixeira	Ms Homfray
Year 12 & Year 13	Ms James	Ms Homfray

 

Curriculum structure

Our curriculum structure is designed to support the Curriculum for Wales and allows us to prioritise high quality teaching and learning and the development of skills.

Area of Learning	Subjects	Area Lead	Teaching, Learning and Progress Lead	Teaching, Learning and Progress Lead
Connect	English, Welsh, French and community languages	Mrs Vaughan	Ms Potkin	Ms M. Lewis
Create	Art, Music, Drama, Dance, textiles, Design & Technology	Mr Smith	Ms Brown	Mr Bland
Thrive	PE, Food & Health and Social Care	Mr Staniforth	Ms Duggan	Ms Roper
Discover	Science, Engineering, Criminology and Psychology	Mr Nicklin	Mr Lewis	Ms Parkhouse
Reason	Maths, Numeracy and Business Studies	Mrs Price	Ms Moss	Ms M Davies
Explore	History, RS, Geography & ICT	Mr Webb	Mrs Watkins

 

Skill	Lead
Literacy	Ms Bousie
Numeracy and DCF	Ms Ali
Musical Performance	Ms Akhtar-Matthews

 

To support our curriculum structure, we also have Middle Leaders who help to improve standards of Literacy, Numeracy, Digital competency and musical performance

 

Uniform

I know many families will be getting ready for September by buying school uniform over the holidays. There are no changes to our school uniform policy and we are proud that our school uniform is one of the most affordable school uniforms in Newport.

It is important that all students are in the correct uniform every day. This is important for a number of reasons, including safeguarding, and we will continue to work with our families to ensure that we uphold our uniform standards.

Not only is our uniform extremely affordable but it is easy to get hold of. It consists of plain black shoes/trainers, black socks, white shirt and the school tie. Skirts must be of appropriate length and trousers or shorts should be tailored fit.

Please note that sports shorts, track-suit bottoms and leggings are not part of our uniform, nor are “Crocs”. Any student not in the correct uniform will be required to change into correct uniform.

Cardigans, jumpers and blazers are optional but students may choose to wear a plain black knitted V neck jumper or cardigan without the logo, or purchase the Newport High branded jumper, sweatshirt or cardigan.

Jewellery is limited to one pair of small stud earrings and one ring. Students are allowed to wear a nose stud but please note that this has to be a stud and not a sleeper or any other style. Any headwear, worn for religious reasons, should be of a plain black material. Extreme hairstyles are not acceptable and hair should be of a natural colour.

We have a range of ‘pre-loved’ school uniform at school which is available for anyone who would like to access it. Please let us know if we can help with school uniform in anyway.

Students should come to school equipped to learn with an appropriate school bag. They need a pencil case and basic equipment, including their own pen. If students have any issues, they are encouraged to inform their Form Tutor who will support accordingly. Items that are potentially harmful to any member of our school community should not be brought to school. For example, aerosol cans including deodorants, cigarettes (e-cigarettes), matches and lighters, any sharp or blade like objects, glass bottles, chewing gum and fizzy drinks, including energy drinks. This rule includes all items which are illegal to possess or carry, or inappropriate for the age of your child.

If you have any problems getting hold of school unform or equipment please let your child’s Form Tutor know in the first instance or email info@newporthigh.co.uk with “Uniform” in the title as we are happy to support with this.

 

Mobile Phone – on site but out of sight

Mobile phones are only allowed on site if they are switched off and kept in a bag – on site but out of sight. We refer to this as a gate-to-gate ban. This means, from the moment a student walks into the school building, until they leave the building their mobile phone must switched off and in their bag. The vast majority of students work with us and keep their mobile phones off and away, however, we still have a small number of students who choose not to bring a bag to school and, whilst they are not using their phones, still move around the building holding them.

This is not allowed under the policy and we will continue to confiscate mobile phones that are seen.

We will be working with these students and asking for support from their families to ensure that all mobile phones can be on site but out of sight. We are reviewing the sanctions for mobile phone use for the small number of students who are receiving multiple logs for having their phones out.

 

Free School Meals

We are aware that many of our families may be entitled to Free School Meals but are not claiming this additional financial support. You can check if you are entitled to Free School Meals at www.newport.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-meals/free-school-meals

If you are not in receipt of Free School Meals but think you are eligible and would like any help in accessing, please let us know so we can support.

Families who are eligible for Free School Meals can also apply for additional help with other school costs including school uniform. You can find out more at https://www.newport.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-meals/free-school-meals

 

Social Media

Please can I urge all parents who have an issue or concern about school to contact us directly to discuss. This will give us the opportunity to try to resolve the issue.

If you have any concerns, please email us on: info@newporthigh.co.uk

 

Safety in open water

Tragically, every year a number of young people drown whilst swimming in open water. We have been asked to share this important message from Water Safety Wales with all our families.

In 2023 there was an increase in the number of fatalities in and around water amongst young people, and we have already seen a number of drowning fatalities this year. We must work together to prevent more deaths.

Data from 2023 shows that boys aged 10-19 are particularly at risk of accidental drowning and that 59% of fatalities occurred on inland waters (rivers, lakes, canals etc). 

 

One drowning is too many.  We urge you to remind children and young people of our four simple tips to help them stay safe around open water. Knowing these tips can save a life.

 

Together we can ensure all children in Wales are able to have fun and be safe in and around water

 

Inset days and term dates – 2025/2026

The agreed Inset days, when school will be closed for students for staff training next year are:

• Monday 1^st September 2025
• Monday 24^th November 2025
• Monday 2^nd March 2026
• Friday 26^th June 2026
• Monday 29^th June 2026
• Monday 20^th July 2026

Autumn Term

• Starts Monday 1^st September 2025
• Half-Term - Monday 27^th October 2025 to Friday 31^st October 2025
• Ends Friday 19^th December 2025

Spring Term

• Starts Monday 5^th January 2026
• Half-term – Monday 16^th February 2026 to Friday 20^th February 2026
• Ends Friday 27^th March 2027

Summer Term

• Monday 13^th April 2026 
• Half-term – Monday 25^TH May 2026 to Friday 29^th May 2026
• Ends Monday 20^th July 2026

Arrangements for the start of the new term

• Monday 1^st September 2025 -INSET day, school closed to students for staff training.
• Tuesday 2^nd September 2025– students in Year 7 and 12 only attend school. Work will be provided on Teams for students in Years 8, 9, 10, 11 & 13.

 

• Wednesday 3^rd September 2025 – all students attend school.  

Students need to be in school and ready to start Form Time at 8.45am promptly. This is a really important part of the school day during which students have specific support designed to help them to be successful with the rest of their day. If students miss Form Time they are missing out on an essential part of the curriculum.

 

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer break and we look forward to welcoming your children back in school in September for the Autumn Term.

 

With many thanks for your continued support.

Kind Regards

Mrs Lee