Back to School Preparations 

Dear Parents and Carers, 

We hope you enjoyed a restful summer break and had an opportunity to read the Head of School welcome letter and also, the overview of important key dates.

As we look forward to the start of the new academic year, we wanted to provide you with further information regarding the initial arrangements. 

• Start of School: 8:45 AM Tuesday, 3rd September.  Students arrive at the school by 8:35 AM. 

• End of School: 2:55 PM. 

• Entry Points: There are three access points to the school: opposite the Leisure Centre, opposite the multi-story car park, and opposite Coleg Gwent. 

• Staff: Pastoral staff and Senior Leaders will be stationed at these points to guide pupils to their designated locations. Year 7 students will report to the school hall, while all other year groups will proceed to their form classes. 

• Form Time: During the first hour of the day, all students will remain with their form tutors. This time will be dedicated to distributing new timetables and addressing any questions or concerns. 

New Year 7 Students

• Starter Packs: Year 7 students will receive starter packs containing essential information, including registration details for ClassCharts (our school information app) and PIN code numbers for the cashless catering system, along with an enrolment code for online payments (to pay for school lunches & school trips online) .You can learn more about ClassCharts by visiting  https://www.ebbwfawr.co.uk/classcharts

• Lunch and Snacks: We recommend that new Year 7 students bring approximately £4 (or a packed lunch) to cover break snacks and lunch on the first day. Teachers will assist students in loading their cashless accounts using our on-site machine. Students eligible for free school meals will have funds pre-loaded.You can learn more about our Cashless Catering system by visiting https://www.ebbwfawr.co.uk/cashless
  Learn more about our Online Payment System (iPayImpact) by visiting https://www.ebbwfawr.co.uk/online-payments

• Chromebooks: We are incredibly proud that Ebbw Fawr Learning Community issues all our students, including Year 7 students with new Chromebooks that remain with them for the duration of their time at our school, this will help your child with their studies inside and outside of school. The school requires all parents to pay a £5 deposit which covers their child’s Chromebook for any accidental damage. Chromebooks will be issued on Friday, 6th September, please ensure that your child brings £5 on this date.You can learn more about our Chromebook initiative by visiting https://www.ebbwfawr.co.uk/chromebooks. 

Anti-Bullying (“Spot It, Sort It!”)

 If your child has a concern, in addition to our anti-bullying ambassadors, our school has a dedicated online platform “Spot It, Sort It!”. Here students can report instances of bullying, mental health, or any other issues via our dedicated app. 

 You can learn more about our Spot It, Sort It system by visiting https://www.ebbwfawr.co.uk/help

Timetable Availability

Parents and carers will be able to access their child’s timetables via Classcharts. Unfortunately, the earliest opportunity for Classcharts to update will be September 2nd. Regrettably, parents will not have access to timetables prior to the start of term. 

Sincerely,
Dr Scott Reasons
Acting Head of School – Secondary