Parent’s Bulletin – May 16th 2025
Dear Parent/Carer,
Please find information below about all our upcoming events, assessments and activities and get in touch via the contact details at the bottom if you have any further questions.
School Times
School will close on Friday May 23rd at 3.10pm and reopen on Monday June 2nd. All students should be on site and in their tutor group by 8.50am.
School Uniform
Thank you for your support in maintaining the standards of uniform at Ysgol Y Grango. Polite reminder that skirts need to be of an appropriate length and footwear needs to be all black. Please see the uniform guide below for more information.
https://www.grango.co.uk/school-information/uniforms.php
Attendance
Regular attendance at school is important for your child’s mental health, wellbeing and attainment. Therefore, please ensure you child attends school every day when they are able to do so. We do not authorise holidays during term time. If you wish to discuss your child’s attendance, please contact their Head of Year.
All absences should be reported to the school on the morning of each day of absence before 9.15am and provide a valid reason for absence either by:
1.Email – info@grango.co.uk
2. Telephone – 01978 833010
3. Free text – 07908670242
Failure to report your child’s absence from school creates a safeguarding issue
GCSE Exams and Revision
GCSE exams continue this week and after half term. Year 11 students will remain on their full timetable while exams take place and should be in school as normal from 8.50am until 3.10pm each day.
A timetable of exams, revision sessions and prep lessons has been handed out to students and emailed home. We have also attached a calendar with all exams included with this newsletter.
If any student has lost their individual exam timetable, please see one of our exams officers.
Year 11 Leavers
This coming Friday, May 23rd, will be the last official day for our current year 11 students. After they have completed their English Language exam in the morning, students will be given the opportunity to take part in or cheer on a Year 11 football match, or spend time designing their leaver’s shirt, before having lunch. They will also participate in their Leaver’s Assembly.
After half term, students will not be required to be in school for every lesson but only for their exams and revision sessions. Students will still be required to be in full school uniform while they are on the school site.
A letter with all of the details was emailed to parents/carers this morning.
Maths Revision
GCSE Maths revision videos for year 11 pupils are available on the following link: https://furthermaths.wales/students/gcserevision/
Exam Stress
Don’t let stress take over during this busy exam season. See the advice included at the bottom of this newsletter to better manage stress during the exams and check out the guide attached with links to the NHS self-help service Silver Cloud.
Year 11 Prom
A reminder that payment for this year’s Prom is due before May 30th. All invitation letters have now been given out. The Prom will be held at the Grosvenor Pulford on Wednesday July 2nd.
Student Drinks
We are noticing more in school recently that students are arriving with no drink. We have water fountains in school for students to use but we do not supply cups. With the weather getting warmer it is essential that students are arriving to school with a drink or a reusable bottle.
Year 9 Boys Football
Afterschool football sessions are now running for Year 9 boys on a Thursday. Sessions will run from 3.15pm until 4.15pm. Anyone wishing to attend will need to bring football boots and shin pads with them to school.
Football Boots Needed
The PE department are in desperate need of football boots for the department. If you have any that your child has outgrown or that you no longer use, please consider donating them for students to use in their PE lessons. We can only use boots with moulded studs on our 3G pitch and are particularly looking for size 4 and above.
Donations can be brought to the front office, or handed to a member of the PE department.
Wellbeing Equipment Plea
Can you support wellbeing sessions in school?
We are looking for sports equipment such as: boxing gear, yoga mats, weighted balls, skipping ropes, resistance bands, sports bottles, etc. to help deliver wellbeing sessions to young people. If you can help, please bring donations to the school office
Local Theatre
The annual theatre production of local youth theatre group Theatr yr Ifanc will be performed at The Stiwt in July. Several of our Grango students will be part of this production of The Addams Family on July 3rd, 4th and 5th. Tickets are on sale from The Stiwt box office or online https://stiwt.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873671178
Brilliant Books
Each week we recommend a ‘Brilliant Book’ for students. These books will always be aimed at young people and are available in the school Library. Our recommendation this week is ‘Witch Crag’ by Kate Cann. Kita must make a choice: survive in a life she will hate, or run away and possibly die. She’s willing to risk death but there’s more to it, and soon she will find herself fighting for the very enemy she is trying to escape.
Film Club
This week in Film Club we will be watching ‘Moana 2’ (PG) 3.10 – 4.45pm in the Library.
All students are welcome to attend but please make sure you let someone know if you are staying behind after school. For those who are new to Film Club, please fill out the form below to give permission for your child to attend.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScR7c2Ac_l5OtXf4VN255W_0vYuN9bhvXfDmbeC8r6M7jS_Qw/viewform
Dates for Your Diary
Friday 23rd May Year 11 Leaver’s Assembly
Friday 23rd May School closes for May Half Term at 3.10pm
Monday 2nd June School reopens to students at 8.50am
Wednesday 2nd July Year 11 Prom
Upcoming Exams
Monday 19th May 9am Chemistry 2 GCSE exam
1pm PE Unit 1 GCSE 1 exam
Tuesday 20th May 9am English Literature Unit 2 GCSE exam
1pm Computer Science Unit 1 exam (at Coleg Cambria)
Wednesday 21st May 9am French Listening & French Reading GCSE exam
1pm RE Unit 1a GCSE exam (Year 10 and resits)
Thursday 22nd May 9am Physics Unit 2 GCSE exam
1pm Turkish Writing GCSE exam
Friday 23rd May 9am English Language Unit 2 GCSE exam
Monday June 2nd 9am Welsh Unit 4 GCSE exam
Tuesday June 3rd 9am Portuguese Listening & Portuguese Reading GCSE exam
1pm Polish Listening & Polish Reading GCSE exam
Wednesday June 4th 9am Numeracy Unit 2 GCSE exam
1pm RE Unit 2a GCSE exam
Thursday June 5th 9am History Unit 2c GCSE exam (Year 10 and resits)
1pm French Writing GCSE exam
Friday June 6th 9am English Language Unit 3 GCSE exam
1pm Geography Unit 2 GCSE exam
Monday June 9th 9am Biology Unit 1 GCSE exam (Year 10 and resits)
Tuesday June 10th 1pm History Unit 3 GCSE exam
Wednesday June 11th 9am Maths Calculator Unit 2 GCSE exam
1pm GCSE Exam Contingency
Friday June 13th 9am Chemistry Unit 1 GCSE exam (Year 10 and resits)
1pm Portuguese Writing GCSE exam
Polish Writing GCSE exam
Monday June 16th 9am Physics Unit 1 GCSE exam (Year 10 and resits)
Tuesday June 17th 9am Additional Maths GCSE exam
1pm Food and Nutrition GCSE exam
Wednesday June 18th 9am Product Design Unit 1 GCSE exam
Wednesday June 25th ALL DAY Exam Contingency Day
Timetable
This week the timetable will be on the Week 2.
The week after half term, beginning Monday June 2nd will be on Week 1.
Contacting School
Telephone: 01978 833010 Email: info@grango.co.uk
Diolch yn fawr
YYG Community
It’s normal to feel stress during important times like exam season. If you can keep a lid on it, a little stress can even work in your favour, helping you stay motivated and improving alertness.
But if stress becomes overwhelming, it can have the opposite effect, hindering your learning and impacting your performance on exam days.
One period where stress often rears its head is during the revision phase of exams. Before it gets out of hand, try this tomato-inspired method to help manage it.
The Pomodoro Technique is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer its Italian inventor used. Very simply, it’s a time management tool that breaks up your study sessions into focused, 25-minute slots, followed by short breaks.
Set a timer for 25 minutes, work without distractions, then take a 5-minute break. After four sessions, treat yourself to a longer break. It’s that easy.
And that’s just one way to take the edge off exam stress. Here are three more simple strategies to help you stay in control:
Change your environment. Sometimes you just need a new setting. Try moving your studies to a different room or even outdoors. A shift in scenery can refresh your focus and mood.
Use relaxation techniques. Settle those exam day nerves by trying box breathing: relax your body, exhale to a count of 4, keep your lungs empty for a count of 4, breathe in for 4, and hold your breath for 4. Repeat and feel the calm.
Keep your perspective. Your exam results don’t define your future success, or you as a person. They’re a moment in a much longer journey that can follow several paths. Whatever happens, there are always options.
If you’re still struggling, there’s online mental health support for young people aged 16-18 on SilverCloud, available free through NHS Wales. You’ll find help for anxiety and low mood, and all three programmes include an additional side module on managing exam stress, packed with practical advice.
Sign up via this link: https://nhswales.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/
Once you’ve registered, you can search for the SilverCloud Health app on App Store or Google Play and download it to your phone.
