4^th September 2026

 

Dear Parents

 

A warm welcome back to our pupils, parents, and staff. I hope you all enjoyed your summer holidays – we were definitely blessed with the weather which is now back to normal!!  As we begin the new school year, we always ask you to do a little admin housekeeping. This year we are asking you to contact the school office directly if you have changed any of the information below during the school year. It is essential that you notify us of any changes as they happen to maintain accurate pupil records and be able to contact you in case of emergency.

• Home address and email address
• Telephone number
• Doctor Surgery
• Emergency Contacts
• Medical information

 

If you would like to check the information that we hold for your child, please contact Mrs Partridge in the office. Over the next week, Mrs Partridge will be checking for any gaps in the data currently held and will contacting some parents directly to complete the information. Our data privacy notice is available upon request and on our school website. Thank you in advance for your cooperation on this matter.

 

Some general information:

Access to school car park – a reminder that all cars must reverse park into the parking bays and the walkways around the carpark are to be used at all times. Please avoid crossing over the main carpark.  Be mindful of your speed entering and exiting the car park as pupils, parents are using this space.

 

School starts at 9:10am. Arriving after this time means your child is marked late. In this instance, please bring your child to the main reception area to sign them into the late register. Late arrivals are monitored by school and the local authority attendance officers. Persistent late arrivals may require further consultation with the attendance officers and parents. Late arrivals not only impact your child’s learning but also the others in class who’s learning is disrupted.  

 

The school attendance target for the year is 95% which is attending for 180 days out of a possible 190 days. We encourage all our pupils to become a               “HERO - Here, Every day, Ready, On time”.

Please read the information on the school attendance letter (appendix 2) for our school procedures in relation to absence and attendance.

 

Uniform: Just a reminder that we have several items of preloved uniform that is free when you need to restock different sizes. Before you buy anything, please pop into school first. Our uniform for all pupils consists of a white polo t-shirt, dark bottoms and a royal blue jumper or cardigan with the school logo and black school shoes. Our new PE Kit consists of a royal blue sports t-shirt (‘St Mary’s’ on the back) and dark bottoms with trainers. Uniform can be bought at Picton Sports, Heol Aur, Dafen Industrial Estate. We kindly ask that children adhere to the school uniform policy.  

 

PE forms part of the curriculum and pupils are to wear a school PE t-shirt with dark shorts/bottoms. Your PE timetables will be advised in each class newsletter.

In the interests of health and safety children are discouraged from wearing jewellery at school. If jewellery is worn, it must be removed during PE sessions. The school will accept no responsibility for the loss or damage of items of jewellery.  

 

Please write your child’s name on ALL uniform (and reapply after washes) to help reduce the amount of lost and found and to make it easier to return to the correct owner if lost.   

 

Water bottles: Pupils are to bring their own water bottles to school daily which can be filled up at our cold-water dispensers to stay hydrated. Please write your child’s name on their bottle. We have some St Mary’s branded water bottles on sale at school for £5. If you’d like to buy one, please send in cash to the office.

 

Snacks: We are a NUT FREE school due to a few children suffering with serious nut allergies. We ask for everyone’s cooperation on this matter. We encourage children to bring in healthy snacks such as fruit and water, instead of fizzy drinks, sweets, crisps. Energy drinks are not permitted. This will help with your child’s health and their development and goes hand in hand with the Healthy Schools Award Scheme.

 

A reminder for Years 3-6 as per end of term letter, all pupils in Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) need to bring their own pencil case to school daily and restock throughout the year as required. A pencil case will need pens (black ink), pencils, rubber, sharpener and a ruler. Thank you in advance for helping us with this request.

 

Parent Pay for School Meals, After School Sessions and Trips: Parent pay is used to book school meals, provide consent/payment for school trips as well as our After School Club Sessions. www.parentpay.com

If you do not have a log in, please let the office know. New pupils will have their log ins in the next few days as the system updates.

 

Pupils who attend on a full-time basis all receive free school meals. This is called Universal Free School Meals. However, some pupils may be eligible for the Free School Meal Grant which opens up access to other funding sources as well as providing the school with much needed additional funding. Please visit  https://www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/home/council-services/education-schools/school-meals/free-school-meals/ to see if you qualify for the additional support.

 

After-school sessions for pupils in Years 1-6 will start the week of September 14^th. A letter detailing which clubs are available and how to book on Parent Pay will be sent home early next week next week. As always, spaces are allocated on a first come first serve basis.

 

Our school Website https://www.stmarysllanelli.org/  has a range of information on it. Class information is in the process of being updated so please check it throughout the term. Our website also has the option to be translated into multiple languages (click on the British flag at the top right of the screen for different language). 

 

Own clothes days will continue to be held on the last Friday of the month. We kindly ask for a donation of £1 per child on these days. The option to pay in full for the year will be available on Parent Pay in readiness for the first own clothes day on the 25^th of September.

 

The school calendar on the website will be updated over the next week. Read on for a snapshot of dates.

 

Rocksteady music lessons restart Monday 7^th of September. There are still a few spaces left in all 4 of our bands so if you would like to book your child, please go to the parent portal on the flyer that came home before summer.  

Satori Jujitsu have held a Jujitsu after school session at St Mary’s for several years with several of their club members and our pupils achieving great success at National and World level. On Tuesday 8^th September, the club will host a  Jujitsu Taster Day at school for pupils in Year 1- 6 providing everyone the opportunity to have a go and potentially join the club. More information regarding this will be sent home by Satori next week. PE kit to be worn for the day.

 

National Roald Dahl Day is on Sunday 13^th September. During the first two weeks of term, all pupils are taking part in different classroom activities based on Roald Dahl’s vast collection of books and stories with a performing arts day scheduled for Tuesday 15^th September led by Shine Drama. We kindly ask for a donation of £1 per child towards the cost of the visit.

  

Wishing you all a warm welcome at the beginning of a new school year.

 

Yours Sincerely

Mrs Howells,

Headteacher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix 1

School Calendar (more dates will be added – please check the website throughout the year)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix 2 - SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 

 

Dear Parents, 

 

We believe passionately that every school day matters in a child’s education. This is backed up by plenty of research to show how crucial regular attendance is in ensuring children reach their full potential in our education system and develop into confident, wellrounded adults who are equipped for life. 

 

What is good attendance? 

 

There are 190 school days each year. To ensure a child fully achieves their potential, they should be in school for at least 95% of this time (180 days). If a child is taken out of school for a 2-week holiday in termtime then any further absences e.g. through illness will immediately put that child below the 95% threshold. We encourage our pupils to be a HERO – “Here, Every day, Ready, On time”. 

 

Can I take my child out of school for a holiday in term time? 

 

Headteachers have the discretion  to approve up to 10 school days over an academic year for family holidays. This is done on a case-by-case basis and the decision to approve will be based on a number of factors, including  the child’s attendance over the last year. All requests for term-time absence must be submitted in writing to the Headteacher prior to going away. 

 

What do I do if my child is absent from school? 

 

Parents have a responsibility to inform the school if their child is absent and provide a valid reason for the absence. We ask that parents ring the school on 01554 759178 or  contact us by email (admin@stmarysllanelli.ysgolccc.cymru) as early as possible ON THE FIRST DAY OF ABSENCE. In line with many other schools, we also  send text messages to remind parents to contact us if their child is absent. 

 

What about lateness? 

 

The law states that parents are legally required to ensure their children attend school 

regularly and on time. Persistent lateness is dealt with in much the same way as irregular attendance. Persistent lateness can be every bit as harmful to a child’s education as missing school. All children are to be in school by 9:10am, after this time they are marked as late.

 

How do we deal with persistent absence? 

 

We like to keep parents informed about their child’s attendance, so we will be providing termly reports for every child. We also contact parents of children whose attendance is a cause for concern. The purpose of these meetings is to identify the reasons for persistent absence and to identify any support the school or outside agencies can give to ensure the child’s attendance improves. There are occasions where there are  significant and ongoing concerns about a child’s attendance which necessitate the school referring the matter to the School Safeguarding and Attendance Team. 

 

What can I do as a parent? 

 

As parents, we all want the very best for our children and key to this is a good education. 

 

We are proud of what we do for our pupils here at St Mary’s School. We endeavour to provide educational experiences tailored to a child’s developmental needs and which feed their interests, enthusiasm and specific abilities and talents. For this to work, they need to be with us for as much of the journey as possible, so we urge that, as parents you: 

 

• ensure that your child arrives at school on time each day 
• ensure that your child only misses school for reasons which are unavoidable or justified, such as illness or days of religious observance 
• always notify the school as soon as possible - preferably on the first morning of any absence 
• try to avoid booking family holidays during term-time and 
• talk to the school if you are concerned that your child may be reluctant to go to school. 

 

I hope you will support us in our attempts to ensure that your child has the very best start on their lifelong learning journey.