Friday 17th July 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

Values, Rise and Reading

Our values this week have been commitment and being safe. Commitment and safety are important values in a high school because they help everyone learn, achieve their goals and look after one another.

Being committed means working hard, persevering and making positive choices, while staying safe ensures that students and staff can thrive in a supportive environment.

As we head into the summer break, these values remain just as important—making responsible decisions and prioritising safety will help everyone enjoy a happy, healthy and successful holiday.

A six-week summer break is a significant time away from the classroom, so I encourage all families to support their children in reading regularly over the holiday. Reading for pleasure has a powerful impact on literacy, vocabulary and academic success, and it is a simple way for students to demonstrate our school value of commitment. If every Newport High School student read for just 20 minutes each day, they would accumulate around 14 hours of reading over the summer—enough time to enjoy at least two new books. By choosing to read independently and committing to this goal with honesty and self-discipline, students will return in September with stronger literacy skills, broader knowledge, greater confidence and a solid foundation for success in the year ahead.

Alongside this commitment to learning, I encourage all students to stay safe, make sensible decisions and enjoy a well-deserved summer break. Making responsible decisions and prioritising safety will help everyone enjoy a happy, healthy and successful holiday. This is particularly important around water, where students should take extra care when swimming, visiting beaches, rivers or lakes, following safety advice and never taking unnecessary risks.

Please see this important letter from Welsh Water regarding water safety.

Dear parent/guardian,

With warm weather more likely over the next few months, Welsh Water has sent a reminder about the dangers of unauthorised swimming in reservoirs. Each year, hundreds of people enter the reservoirs – but unauthorised swimming in uncontrolled areas can and has been fatal, so is never allowed.

Reservoirs can be full of hidden dangers, including automatic machinery in the water that can operate at any time, and incredibly strong currents, that can pull under even the strongest swimmers. That’s why it’s best to only swim at the permitted reservoir sites, at designated times and locations.

The water also has freezing temperatures which can send swimmers into cold-water shock and there is a reduced chance of rescue in some areas due to the remote location of many reservoirs, often with little or no mobile reception.

If you are in difficulty in the water, ‘Float To Live’ – this means to relax and float on your back with your ears submerged in the water until the effects of cold water shock pass. You can them swim to safety or shout for help.

If you see someone else in difficulty in the water in a reservoir, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Fire Service, tell the person in the water to ‘Float To Live’ and throw them something that floats. Never go into the water to attempt a rescue yourself.

 

School uniform

As we approach the end of the academic year, we would like to remind parents and carers of our expectations regarding school uniform for September. The temporary arrangements that have allowed students to wear PE kit during periods of exceptionally warm weather will come to an end when students return for the new academic year.

Wearing full school uniform is an important part of Newport High School’s culture and reflects our values of commitment, pride and belonging. A consistent approach to uniform helps create a positive learning environment, promotes high standards and ensures that all students arrive ready to learn.

We recognise that September can often bring warm weather; however, students will be expected to return in full school uniform from the first day of term. We would therefore ask families to use the summer break to ensure that all uniform items are ready for the start of the new academic year.

Students should continue to bring a refillable water bottle to school each day to help them stay hydrated. We appreciate the support of parents and carers in maintaining our high uniform standards and ensuring that students make a positive start to the new school yea

Attendance Matters

As we approach the summer holiday, it is important to remember that good attendance starts long before students return to school in September. The six-week break provides an excellent opportunity for families to establish positive routines and expectations that will support a successful start to the new academic year.

Parents and carers play a vital role in helping their children understand the importance of attending school every day. Over the summer, this can include maintaining sensible sleep patterns, encouraging healthy daily routines and speaking positively about the opportunities that a new school year will bring. Small habits developed during the holiday can make a significant difference when it comes to returning to school ready to learn.

At Newport High School, we know that success is built through consistent attendance and punctuality. Every lesson counts, and students who attend regularly are more likely to make strong academic progress, develop positive relationships and build the confidence and resilience needed for future success. Missing school means missing valuable learning experiences that cannot always be easily replaced.

We encourage all families to use the summer break as a time to prepare for a strong start in September. By ensuring students return well-rested, organised and ready to attend every day, parents and carers can help lay the foundations for excellent attendance throughout the year. Working together, we can ensure that every student is in the best possible position to achieve their potential and make the most of every opportunity available at Newport High School.

 

Free School Meals and School Essentials Grant – Information for Parents and Carers

We encourage all parents and carers to check whether they are eligible for Free School Meals and the School Essentials Grant. A successful application could provide valuable support towards school essentials and other educational costs, helping to ensure your child has everything they need to succeed.

Even if your child does not wish to take a school meal, registering can still unlock additional support for your family and provide extra funding that benefits students across the school.

Many families are surprised to find that they qualify, so we strongly encourage everyone to take a few minutes to check their eligibility. The application process is quick, confidential and could make a real difference.

For more information and to apply online, visit Newport City Council's Free School Meals webpage.

Mobile Phones, Earbuds and School Bags – Preparing for September

As we look ahead to the new academic year, we would appreciate the support of parents and carers in helping students prepare for our expectations around mobile phones, earbuds and school bags. The summer holiday is an ideal opportunity to establish healthy habits, set clear boundaries around device use and discuss the importance of arriving at school ready to learn.

At Newport High School, our expectation is simple: on site, out of sight. Mobile phones, AirPods, earbuds and other personal devices must remain switched off and out of sight throughout the school day. This means that students should not be using, checking or carrying their phones in their hands while moving around the school site, including before school, at breaktime, lunchtime or between lessons.

This approach reflects a growing national focus on protecting young people from the risks associated with excessive screen time and social media use. The UK Government has introduced new online safety measures and continues to strengthen protections for children online, recognising the importance of reducing exposure to harmful content and encouraging healthier digital habits.

We ask all families to ensure that students return in September with a suitable school bag, providing a secure place to store phones, headphones and other personal belongings. By reinforcing these expectations over the summer, parents and carers can help students make a positive start to the new school year and contribute to a calm, focused and purposeful learning environment for all.

Working Together to Support Every Student

At Newport High School, we believe that students achieve their best when school and home work together. Parents and carers play a vital role in supporting attendance, learning, wellbeing and high standards, helping young people to develop the confidence and resilience they need to succeed.

We value open and positive communication and encourage families to contact us whenever they need advice, support or wish to share information that may help us better support their child. You can contact the school at info@newporthigh.co.uk.

Thank you for your continued support. By working together, we can ensure that every student is equipped to make the most of the opportunities available to them and achieve success both in and beyond the classroom.

Results days

A Level - Thursday 13^th August 8am-10.30am

 

GCSE – Thursday 20^th August - 9am-11am

 

Public examinations results are formally issued directly to students rather than to parents. This is because the results belong to the student, and exam boards require that they are given directly to the candidate.

If it is not possible for them to be collected on Results Day, we will email the results to individual students using their school email address. It is therefore important to check that your child can access their email account before the end of the summer term and let the school know if he needs this to be reset.

If your child would like you, as their parent or carer, to collect their results on their behalf, you will need to bring written permission from them and will need to sign for the results and show photo ID to staff.

There is a very helpful exams section on the website (main menu/Learning/Exams) which has lots of information about exams.

 

Key dates for next academic year - 2026/2027

The new academic year begins on Tuesday 1^st September 2026 which will be the first designated INSET date of the new calendar.

Students in Year 7 will join us on Wednesday 2^nd September and students in Years 8-11 will return to school on Thursday 3^rd September. There will be on-line learning set for students in Years 8-11 to complete on Wednesday 2^nd to help get them ready for their first day back in school with us on the 3^rd.

Arrangements for KS5 have been shared directly with families.

 

We are still waiting for Welsh Government to confirm the exact number of INSET days schools have next year. We are assuming it will be six days but until we have received the official approval, we are unable to confirm this.

This could impact on the INSET day we are hoping to have in March. We are also waiting for WJEC to confirm the dates of the final set of teacher training for the new qualifications. Again, this means that the INSET date in March remains to be confirmed. I am not anticipating confirmation of the sixth date until the new academic year and will confirm this with you as soon as we get this. As it stands, our planned INSET dates, when school is closed for students for staff training, for next year are as follows;

 

INSET	Date
1	Monday 1st September 2026
2	Monday 2nd November 2026
3	Monday 7th December 2026
4	Monday 1st March 2027 - tbc
5	Friday 25th June 2027
6	Monday 28th June 2027

2026/2027 term dates are as follows;

Autumn term	Monday 1st September 2026 to Friday 18th December 2026 Half-term Monday 26th October 2026 to Friday 30th October 2026
Spring term	Monday 4th January 2027 to Friday 19th March 2027 Half-term Monday 8th February 2027 to Friday 12th February 2027
Summer term	Monday 5th April 2027 to Tuesday 20th July 2027 Half-term Monday 31st May to Friday 4th June

 

Thank you for your continued support throughout this academic year. The partnership between home and school plays a crucial role in helping our students succeed, and we are grateful for all that you do to support your child’s education.

 

On behalf of everyone at Newport High School, I would like to wish all students, parents and carers a safe, happy and relaxing summer break. We look forward to welcoming our students back in September, refreshed and ready for another successful year.

 

With kind regards

Mrs Lee