General Information
Welcome – A word from the Head Teacher
A very special story is being written here at Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy this year. Starting an exciting time for me as the new Headteacher of the school and being part of over 400 years of educational history in Llanrwst from grammar school to our current bilingual comprehensive school.We are a naturally bilingual school with around 650 pupils aged 11 – 18. This includes 130 pupils in our vibrant 6th form. We believe that the school’s bilingual nature is one that responds to the linguistic needs of our pupils and provides a Welsh ethos, developing pupils’ skills and experiences in both Welsh and English.
The school is situated on a picturesque site in the Conwy Valley, a site that enhances learning. The school provides secondary education for pupils from Llanrwst and the whole of the Conwy Valley. We are proud of our close partnership with our 13 primary feeder schools which helps to secure a happy and smooth transition to secondary school. We hope to provide each pupil, whathever their ability and background, a feeling of self worth and confidence. Our aim is to be a close, welcoming and inclusive community school, working with each pupil to help them achieve their potential. We believe in success for all, aiming to support each pupil to succeed within the curriculum and through a range of varied extracurricular activities.
We aim to provide the best possible education to develop confident bilingual learners who have the independence and skills to succeed in the future. In order to achieve this, we offer a broad, appropriate and challenging curriculum. We are extremely proud of the successes of our pupils, academically, in areas of sports and creative arts, and in the world of work and academic study. We are confident that we provide the learning and enrichment experiences that pupils can reflect proudly on.
If you have any further questions or wish to visit the school, please don’t hesitate in contacting us directly.
Mr Owain Gethin Davies
Attendance Policy (Pupils)
Fixed Penalty Notices - click here
What if my child is absent, arrives late or is taken ill during the school day? - click here
Cymraeg yn Unig
PDF Document - Click Here
Additional Learning Needs
Your child may already have been identified as having Additional Learning Needs (ALN).
They may be receiving extra support in school, to help them in their learning, or they may have a statement of special educational need. The approach to supporting children who have difficulties with learning is changing.
The Welsh Government has passed new legislation, called the Additional Learning Needs (Wales) Act, and Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Code, which will replace all of the legislation and guidance about special educational needs.
As part of the Additional Learning Needs Educational Tribunal (ALNET) (Wales) Act 2018 the Welsh Government has replaced the term ‘special educational needs’ (SEN) with ‘additional learning needs’ (ALN).
However, the definition of ALN is different and you may find that your child currently has SEN but will not have ALN. This should not affect the support and help they receive in school to access learning.
ALN will cover those who:
• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age
• have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream maintained school or Further Education Institution.
The Act introduces a clear duty on local authorities to support you as parent/carers and your child to contribute to the planning for additional learning needs.
Additional learning needs (ALN) system: young people’s guide
Additional learning needs (ALN) system: guide for parents and families
Additional learning needs (ALN) system: parents’ rights
Additional learning needs (ALN) system: new system for parents and young people
Our latest inspection report – January 2019 has been updated on Estyn’s website. You can read the report and download it through the following link:
Estyn’s website - click here
The school has no religious affiliation and religious education is provided in accordance with the Conwy agreed syllabus. If a parent objects to their child receiving religious instruction or attending the morning assembly on conscientious grounds, other suitable arrangements can be made.
This policy details Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy whole school approach to Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).
At Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy we believe that high quality RSE is vital for the personal, social and emotional development of our pupils.
RSE is learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health. Learning for RSE refers to both what is expressly taught and what is embedded throughout the curriculum through our whole school approach.
Our RSE programme:
- will equip our pupils with the information, skills and positive values to have safe, fulfilling relationships, to enjoy their sexuality and to take responsibility for their sexual health and well-being.
- is developmentally appropriate, relevant and engaging with clear progression pathways for learning and experience.
- has equal status to other areas of the curriculum.
Relationship and Sex Education
Toolkit to assist schools, parents, carers and wider communities to understand the benefit of RSE
Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy School Site:
The school is situated on a picturesque site on the outskirts of Llanrwst town. For over 12 years the school has been on one site. The site is managed to a high standard by a PFI company in an agreement with Conwy Authority. The company also manage and maintain the school's catering services.
On the site is a purpose built Leisure Centre available exclusively for school use during school hours and until 4.15pm during term time. A sports field and other purposeful areas, including an astroturf are available to encourage the use and enjoyment of the outdoor spaces around the school site. This is supplemented by a wide range of extracurricular activities held both at lunch time and after the school day, often run through local partnerships and by our senior pupils running sessions for our younger pupils.
We are also fortunate in our purpose built accommodation for subjects such as Music, Art, Drama, Science and Technology.
Digital Resources:
• An interactive whiteboard is located in each classroom.
• We have 5 purpose built ICT rooms in addition to trolleys accessible for all areas of learning. Recent investment in I-pads and other electronic resources complements these base resources. In addition a combination of lap tops and computers are available in the 6th form Study Room.
• A virtual learning platform (Moodle/HWB) is available for pupils to access their work and learning resources from anywhere both during the school day and to support self study and study at home.
E-safety:
- All pupils use computer facilities including Internet access as an essential part of learning, as required by the National Curriculum. Both pupils and their parents/carers are asked to sign to show that the e-safety Rules have been understood and agreed.
- The school and ‘Conwy Net’ will take all reasonable precautions (filtering software) to ensure that pupils cannot access inappropriate materials but this is a difficult task as new websites and proxy sites may bypass these precautions .
Use of photography and digital images of children:
- The Data Protection Act 1998 affects our use of photography. This is because an image of a child is personal data for the purpose of the Act and it is a requirement that consent is obtained from the parent of a child or young person under the age of 18 years for any photographs or video recordings for purposes beyond the school’s core educational function. (e.g. school web sites, school productions). It is also important to ascertain the views of the child.
- It is likely that there will be a number of occasions during a child’s time in educational activity when the school may wish to photograph or video a pupil.
Consent is sought when the pupil starts at the school to last for the duration of their stay. Parents/carers retain the right to withdraw consent at any stage, but they need to do so in writing.
For further details of our e-safety and Photographic Image policy - click here
Statement of Intent
Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy has a policy to adopt procedures for the health, safety and welfare of all persons within the workplace. The school will meet this goal by working in partnership with Conwy’s Corporate Health and Safety Section, Conwy Education Services, Education Enterprise, Sodexo, Governors, Staff, Parents and Pupils to provide effective support, advice, guidance and appropriate enforcement relating to health, safety and welfare issues.
Welsh Government – Free School Meals in Wales: Information for schools - click here
Attached is a link explaining the new prices of school meals - click here
Maybe you could be eligible for Free School Meals. If you are eligible we urge you to claim because the more pupils on FSM within the school the greater the school’s budget allocation from the authority.
The canteen uses a biometric cashless scheme. This allows Automatic free meal allocation with the pupil remaining anonymous.
The school celebrates the talents of our pupils as you will see from our annual magazine, Y Bont. As a member of NACE Cymru*, supporting and developing our pupils’ talents and ability is important to us. The school will do everything possible to give our pupils the opportunity to develop their special talent - be it an academic talent or a talent in a different area such as the arts or sport. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact the school.
If you would like to get in touch with the school about your child’s talents, please fill in the form.
Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy, in accordance with the requirements of the Welsh National Assembly Circular 03/2004, has established a procedure to consider general complaints. In compliance with the requirements of this circular, every complaint is taken seriously and treated impartially. Every
complaint is dealt with promptly and within a specific time.
All complaints should be referred to the Head in the first instance.
Complaints Policy and Procedure - click here