Frequently Asked Questions

A: Moving to secondary school can be a daunting time for both children and their parents. One of the key ways to prepare your child for transition is to develop their independence skills. This includes encouraging them to gather and pack their own equipment ready for school or other activities, managing time and money, looking after their belongings and development of strategies to use if something goes wrong.

A: We are following the latest advice from the Welsh Government on safe working practice for secondary schools. This means that we are not able to invite Y6 students into school at the moment. We will be providing Virtual Transition events throughout the year if the Welsh Government advice remains the same.

A: We have a dedicated team of Well-being Managers who are on hand at all times. They are first aid trained and will be able to make contact with parents if students become too unwell to stay in school.

A: Moving to secondary school can be a daunting time for both children and their parents. One of the key ways to prepare your child for transition is to develop their independence skills. This includes encouraging them to gather and pack their own equipment ready for school or other activities, managing time and money, looking after their belongings and development of strategies to use if something goes wrong.

A: Families receive two interim reports a year (showing current performance in all subjects, as well as effort and any concerns) one written report (with comments from all teachers) and a face to face (or online) parents evening.

A: Yes-during the school year there are three assessment windows when students in year 7 will be formally assessed on their progress in each subject. These assessments take place in class, and feed into the interim or full report.

A: Mrs Edlington is the Director of Learning for Year 7 and is available via email on g.edlington@johnbright.uk. Contact email addresses for form tutors will be available from the start of the academic year. If your concern is regarding a particular subject or you wish to speak to a member of staff, you can contact our year 7 Wellbeing Manager by accessing the year 7 phone extension through the school switchboard.

A: If your child is late to school they will sign in when they arrive with their Director of Learning and then join their form group. If they are late more than twice a week their tutor will speak to them about the reasons why and how they can ensure that they get to school on time. The best thing to do is to give themselves lots of time to get to school. Please keep checking your route to school. If you can, try to get an alarm clock over the summer so you are up on time!

A: We have a cashless system at Ysgol John Bright. Students will use their fingerprints to access their account and parents can update their funds using the ParentPay portal. Students who are eligible for Free School Meals are entitled to a meal deal every day; their account will automatically be credited to cater for this.

A: In an emergency, you should contact the year 7 team via the extension on the school switchboard or hold to get through to the school reception. Alternatively, their Director of Learning or form tutor will be contactable via email (tutor email addresses will be provided once students start at Ysgol John Bright).

A: Form groups are generated according to a number of factors and Mrs Edlington, Director of Learning for year 7, works really closely with our feeder primary schools to ensure every individual is placed in a group that will be supportive for them. We can’t guarantee that students will be placed with their particular friends, but we will guarantee that, wherever possible, all students will be placed with people they know from their primary school and who are a positive influence on their learning.

A: We have two dedicated areas for lunch, the Restaurant, where a wide range of hot and cold food is served, and the Main Hall, where students can enjoy their packed lunch. Year 7 and 8 also have a designated outside area for their break times.

A: Inclusion is a core value at Ysgol John Bright High School and we have very high expectations of all our students, whatever their additional needs. Our ALNCO will meet with the ALNCO of your child’s primary school to make sure that we understand your child’s individual needs and to plan for any support that needs to be put in place to allow your child to access a full and varied curriculum.

A: Under normal circumstances, there are a range of extracurricular activities available to students at both lunchtime and afterschool. These range from daily homework clubs, to reading groups and from eco groups to computer clubs. We pride ourselves on our Music and Drama provision, with our annual school show being a roaring success, and on the success of our wide-ranging sports teams.

A: Yes. Homework will be set regularly in all faculty areas and students should be prepared to spend up to one hour every evening on their homework. Homework will be recorded in their Student Planners and will be explained in class. Homework tasks will be varied and will build on the learning that has taken place in lessons. It is common for home learning tasks to be set via the Google Classroom platform.

A: School uniform is available to purchase from Bobbers in Colwyn Bay and School Talk in Llandudno all year round.

A: No; all students in year 7 are placed in mixed ability form classes and receive most of their lessons in this group. This helps them settle and allows the form tutor to support the students as they adjust to life in high school. All staff prepare lessons designed to stretch the most able and support all students to make good progress. In core subjects a small number of students who have additional learning needs are taught in a smaller group.

A: All students should come to school with a pencil case equipped with blue or black writing pens, a purple writing pen, pencils, ruler, rubber and pencil sharpener. They could also find coloured pencils and highlighter pens useful additions. Students should bring a reading book to school and should have a scientific calculator. Your child will be issued with a school planner on their first day of school. This is another essential piece of daily equipment.

A: We recommend the Casio fx-85GTX Scientific calculator.

A: If a child is absent from school due to an unplanned illness, parents/carers need to inform our attendance officer of the reason on the morning of the first day of absence by leaving a message on the attendance answer phone before 9am (accessible via the school switchboard). Our attendance officer needs to be contacted on every subsequent day of absence, either via email (attendance@johnbright.uk) or phone. If the absence is planned and missing school is unavoidable, an email needs to be sent into school in advance, marked for the attention of our attendance officer. If a child misses school, they will be expected to catch up on work missed. Wherever possible, appointments for the doctors, dentist etc should be made outside of school hours.

A: Yes. We have two assigned areas where students can store their bike during the day. We recommend they use a bike lock for security reasons as the school cannot take responsibility for any property left unattended. We also recommend students use safety equipment, particularly a helmet, when riding to and from school.