School Information Booklet
The particulars contained in this prospectus are correct in relation to the school year 2023/2024 as at September 2023. It must not, however, be assumed that there will be no change before the start of, or during the said school year, or in relation to subsequent years.
Note on the applicability of the information in this prospectus.
The particulars contained in this prospectus are correct in relation to the school year 2022/2023 as at September 2022. It must not, however, be assumed that there will be no change before the start of, or during the said school year, or in relation to subsequent years.
Helpful Information & Resources for Parents
Curriculum
Browse our helpful resources for pupils containing key information, guides, timetables and advice.
School Meals
Free School Meals
If you are in receipt of certain benefits, then you may be eligible for your child to receive free school meals, this entitled your child to £3.20 credited to their account each day.
The eligibility criteria is listed on Cardiff Council’s website, which can be accessed here. The application process is now administered by the Benefits section of the Council. When you apply for benefits, they will usually assess if you are eligible for free school meals at the same time. If they have not, the application form can be found here and should be returned to Cardiff Council using the contact details below.
Free School Meals Application Form
If you have not applied for any new benefits recently, then you should contact the Benefits section using one of the contact details below to assess your eligibility.
Post: FREEPOST Cardiff Council Housing Benefit, Benefits Section, PO Box 6000, Cardiff CF11 0WZ
Telephone: 029 2053 7250
E-mail: freeschoolmeals@cardiff.gov.uk
The Welsh Government have details of additional support on their website at
Get help with school costs
E-Safety Advice
Keeping ourselves and children safe online is always a priority. We are aware our children spend more and more time on social networks to stay connected with friends.
This series of eight posters created by the Welsh Government Hwb team about popular online social networking websites and apps has been designed in partnership with each of the industry platforms to provide simple information for parents and carers. The posters include guidance on features, how they are used and useful tips to ensure children and young people stay safe.
Misinformation has been rising over recent years and is often spread through social media platforms. This poster will support parents and carers with helping their children to identify when things may not be true online.
Please find below some useful links below containing information regarding the most popular social media, messaging and content sharing tools used by children on smartphones and via the internet.
E-Safety – Checklist for Parents and Carers
Think U Know – Online Safety printout
Cashless School
The school aims to reduce the use of cash and cheques by using the ParentPay system for all payments including catering, music tuition and school trips.
ParentPay – this online portal allows parents and carers to pay for school trips, uniform, PE kit, music tuition and school meals by debit or credit card. This will provide reassurance that the money has been sent directly to the school, without having to wait for cheques to clear or sending large amounts of cash in with pupils. If you require an activation letter to set up an account for your child, please contact the school office. If you would like further information please take a look at their website – www.parentpay.com
Cashless Catering – in conjunction with the above system, we use a cashless till system in the school canteen. Pupils have an account that is accessed by their thumbprint. Parents and carers can top-up their child’s account online using ParentPay. An added benefit from this system is that it will enable you to see exactly what your child has purchased through the ParentPay portal.
We require parent or carer consent to store your child’s biometric data for the system. This data is stored securely in school. Permission forms can be accessed here – Biometric Consent Form
If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, their account will be credited with £3.05 per day automatically. If the full amount is not used in a day then the remainder is removed and a new amount credited the following day. Parents can still top-up their account with additional cash – the system will always use the Free School Meal credit first.
Please find an information leaflet here – Cashless Catering System
Adverse Weather
Should the need arise to close the school due to adverse weather conditions, we will notify parents by 7:00am by a variety of methods, including:
- A message on the school website
- Text message to all parents
- Facebook page
- Cardiff Council website
- Local radio stations
If the school closes, then we aim to place a message on the website and on Twitter by 3pm that day to confirm if we intend to reopen on the following day. If this changes, then the media above will be used to communicate this.
Class Charts (Attendance & Behaviour Monitoring)
Class Charts for Parents
Class Charts is our online system which teachers use to track achievement and behaviour throughout the school day. We believe in working closely with parents and one of the key benefits of using Class Charts is that we are able to securely share your child(s) achievement and behaviour report with you and so keep you up to date in real-time.
Class Charts is used to share information with parents about:
• Achievement Points
• Behaviour Points
• Attendance
It is also used for pupils and parents to communicate directly with teachers.
Already have your code? Download the app now
What is Class Charts for Parents?
You will be able to use Class Charts to keep track of your child’s achievements, access behaviour reports and track scheduled detentions.
If you have more than one child at the school you can use the same parent account to view achievement data for all your children.
Class Charts for parents can be accessed via the website, or iOS and Android apps.
You can access the parent website and links to the parent apps here: PARENT LOGIN
Parent Code
You should have received a Parent Code from school, which will look similar to the example code shown below.
This code is used to set up your parent account.
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If you are yet to receive your code please contact info@stilltyds.org.uk and we will send this to you.
Creating a Class Charts Parent Account
Creating An Account via the App
If you click the ‘Sign Up’ tab within the app you will be presented with an account creation form. Simply fill in the form and enter your Parent Code in the Access Code field. Clicking ‘Sign Up’ will log you into the account.
Please note: Your Access Code is not the same as your password, the Access Code is only needed for the initial sign up.
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Creating an Account via the Website
To create an account via the website, select the ‘I don’t have an account yet’ option. This will bring up additional form options. Simply fill in the form and enter your parent code in the “Access Code” field.
Please note: Your Access Code is not the same as your password. The Access Code is only needed for the initial sign up.
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Achievements and Behaviour
Behaviour Breakdown
On the behaviour screen, you will be presented with graphs which represent an overview of your child’s achievement and behaviour data within a customisable timeframe.
To change the date range of displayed behaviour data, simply click on the calendar icon to select from the available presets or create your own custom date range.
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Activity Feed
Below these graphs you will find a list of behaviour activity relating to your child. These display the behaviour that was awarded, when it was awarded, who awarded the behaviour, the lesson the behaviour was awarded in, and how many points the award is worth.
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Attendance
You will be able to view your child’s attendance information. This is either shown on a day by day basis for each of your child’s lessons or as AM and PM attendance for the day. The attendance colour coded system is broken down as follows:
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Adding / Switching Children
To add another child to your Class Charts account, click on the ‘Add Child’ option in the website menu or the ‘Add Child’ icon within the app.
You will then be asked for an Access Code.
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Next, enter your parent Access Code for the child you wish to add. This code will have been given to you by school and is unique for that student.
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Once the parental code has been accepted, you will see the child you have just added as a selectable option in the menu.
Click on the student to display that child’s behaviour and attendance data.
Logging in to the Class Charts Parent App
When you tap the parent app icon on your device, you will be presented with the Class Charts Login screen.
Simply enter the email address and password you used when creating your Class Charts account and you will be able to log back in.
If you cannot remember your password you can click on the forgot password link to receive a password reset email.
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Logging in to the Class Charts Website
To log back into your Class Charts account, first ensure that you have selected the parent option.
Next, select the ‘I already have an account’ option and enter your login details.
If you cannot remember your password you can click on forgot password to reset it.
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Settings
To access the settings menu for your parent account, select ‘Account Settings’ from the menu in the top right corner of the website.
If using one of the parent apps, you can access the settings menu by clicking on the settings cog shown on the right.
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Within the settings menu, you will be given the option to change your name, along with the email address and password that you use for your account.
You can also change the displayed language, by selecting a different option from the Language drop down menu.
To change the timeframe that your account displays information in, click on the date range in the top right hand corner of the website. If using the apps, click on the calendar icon. You will be able to apply preset date ranges or a custom range of your preference.
To set a custom date range, simply click on your start date and then your end date and click apply.
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Young Carers
A number of pupils at St Illtyd’s are young carers. A Young Carer is a child under 18 who regularly helps to look after a family member or friend who is disabled, ill, has a mental health condition or addiction problem.
Children may engage in:
- Practical tasks (cooking, housework and shopping)
- Physical care (lifting or helping someone use the stairs)
- Personal care (dressing, washing, helping with toilet needs)
- Managing the family budget (collecting benefits and prescriptions)
- Managing medication
- Looking after younger siblings
- Helping someone communicate
Research suggests there are at least 700,000 young carers in the UK but many do not realise they are a young carer.
We know that young carers may need a little extra support to enjoy and do well at school. We are committed to ensuring that all pupils who are young carers are identified and supported effectively.
We can offer additional pastoral support, small group workshops and access to opportunities outside school. We link up with YMCA Young Carers and Action for Children Young Carers to offer our pupils more support both within school and outside of school.
Our heads of year work to ensure all young carers can enjoy school and make good progress. If you think your child might be a young carer or could be affected by any of the issues we’ve highlighted, please let us know or please contact school on 029 2077 8174.
Any information that is given to us will be treated sensitively and no information will be shared without your knowledge.
Uniform
School uniform is compulsory for all pupils. Parents / guardians are required to support the school by ensuring that their child / children attends school every day in accordance with the school’s policy on uniform.
School uniform (blazers, jumpers and ties) should be purchased through our supplier’s online shop – http://www.pbuniform-online.co.uk/illtyds. Other items (shirts, blouses and trousers) can be purchased from anywhere.
We also run a School Uniform recycling scheme, where uniforms are available for pupils to acquire. For more details please contact info@stilltyds.org.uk
Key Stage 3
Pupils in Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 & 9) are required to wear the following school uniform:
Green school blazer
White collared shirt
School tie
Either black trousers (no leggings / jeggings or denim / canvas / cargo material
allowed) or a black skirt, which needs to be worn nearer to the knee than not
Black footwear without any logos or colour
A plain coat, preferably warm and waterproof, without any logos
Headscarves for Muslim girls need to be plain black, grey or white
Key Stage 4
Pupils in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11) are required to wear the following school uniform:
Black school blazer
White collared shirt
School tie
Either black trousers (no leggings / jeggings or denim / canvas / cargo material
allowed) or a black skirt, which needs to be worn nearer to the knee than not
Black footwear without any logos or colour
A plain coat, preferably warm and waterproof, without any logos
Headscarves for Muslim girls need to be plain black, grey or white
Summer Uniform
For the summer term only pupils may wear tailored black shorts, skorts or culottes. *The school blazer and school tie is to be worn but this may be waived at the discretion of the Headteacher dependent on temperatures. Parents will be informed by the school when this is the case.
Pupils’ hair should be neat and tidy. non-natural dyed coloured hair is not allowed as are less traditional hairstyles, such as shaved patterns, tramlines or mohicans.
Headscarves for non-religious reasons are not allowed and any adornments within a pupils’ hair (such as bobbles, clips and/or bows) need to be for the purpose of securing the hair.
The following items are NOT allowed in the school:
Jewellery – apart from a standard watch and one stud in either/both ear lobes
Hooded tops
Denim jackets
Sweatshirts
Excessive make-up
Baseball caps
Coloured footwear
Extremely long and overly manicured nails
Transport
School transport is arranged by the Local Education Authority. If you live outside a 3 mile radius from the school you may be entitled to a free bus pass for your child.
Further information is provided on the school transport section of Cardiff Council’s website.
Route 805 is a dedicated school service that serves the Splott and Tremorfa areas of the city. Tickets can be purchased from the driver.
CCTV operates on all services, which is operated and controlled by the appointed contractor. This is currently New Adventure Travel.
If you need a pass or wish to enquire as to whether your child/children are eligible for free school transport go to the council website or call 029 2087 2808.
If you have any concerns about the service contact the Contractor: New Adventure Travel on, 02920 442 040.
New Adventure Travel School services terms and conditions of travel (002)