Dear Parent/Carer
As ever at this time of year, I would like to thank you for your support and commitment to working in partnership with us. It has been an exceptionally busy year with much to be proud of, from an early and highly successful inspection visit, to the 'Great Experiences' your sons and daughters are about to take part in. Diolch yn Fawr for supporting us throughout.
Looking ahead, the summer holidays are always punctuated by results days, taking place this year on Thursday 13th August for post-16 courses and on Thursday 20th August for years 10 and 11. Staff will be available to both celebrate with and support our young people in what we expect to again be a highly successful results season.
A big focus for the 2026/2027 academic year will be the embedding of our new uniform policy. Mrs Kathryn Wall, Assistant Headteacher, has written to you separately. At this stage though, I'd like to remind you of the wider philosophy. We have listened to your requests for a cheaper and more easily laundered uniform and to those who wish to retain the traditional smart Olchfa look. We now need your support in ensuring rules are followed in the interests of fairness. Please pay attention to Mrs Wall's letter, which will cover the details of our new approach (below). Some 'big picture' reminders include:
- Pupils may choose the formal or PE kit option on any day, allowing for the need to wear PE kit when they have PE!
- When buying footwear, the key rule is all black. Do not buy black with white or coloured branding. We cannot make this rule any simpler.
- We would encourage the Olchfa tracksuit/leggings or shorts. However, if you buy your own variations, they must be all black and unbranded.
We feel this will help us to avoid uniforms becoming a brand battle and promote fairness for everyone. Your support is essential and much appreciated.
May I wish you all a peaceful and restful summer, ready for another great year to come.
Julian Kennedy, Headteacher/Pennaeth
|
|
|
As we approach the end of another successful academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support with our school uniform expectations. In particular, we are very grateful for the positive response we have received regarding hoodies, non-school jumpers and training tops. Your support has helped us maintain high standards and a strong sense of pride across the school.
From September, our revised Uniform Policy will come into effect. A copy of the full policy can be found below.
The key principle of the new policy is that pupils should make a simple choice each day. As many of our pupils have described it, they should decide whether they are having a 'Posh Day' or a 'PE Day'. This means pupils must wear either the formal school uniform or the PE uniform in its entirety and should not mix items from the two, with the exception of all-black trainers. Pupils may choose to wear the PE uniform every day if they wish.
Ahead of September, there are a few important points that we would like to draw to your attention:
-
-
Trainers must be completely black, including the soles, with no coloured logos or detailing.
-
All school bottoms, unless they are official Olchfa-branded items, including trousers, skirts, shorts, leggings, jogging bottoms and tracksuit bottoms, must be plain black, with no visible logos, stripes or coloured detailing. Please note that cargo-style bottoms are not permitted.
We recognise that some of these expectations relate to relatively small details. However, they are an important part of ensuring consistency across the school. Following extensive consultation with pupils, parents, carers and staff, we have developed a uniform policy that offers greater flexibility while maintaining the identity, standards and sense of belonging that are central to Olchfa School.
From September, we will expect all pupils to comply with the revised Uniform Policy from their first day back. Where a pupil attends school in uniform that does not meet these expectations, staff will address the matter and parents or carers will be contacted to ensure it is resolved promptly. We appreciate your support in ensuring that pupils arrive at school each day wearing the correct uniform.
Thank you once again for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming all pupils back in September, proud to represent Olchfa School.
|
|
Olchfa Uniform Policy
Pupils must choose either the formal uniform or the PE uniform to wear each day. Items from the two uniforms must not be mixed, with the exception of all-black trainers. Please note that the PE uniform may be worn every day.
Formal uniform
● All white shirt
● Olchfa tie
● Olchfa V-neck jumper
● All black smart school trousers or an all black smart school skirt. Pupils wearing a skirt must wear black tights. Pupils may also choose to wear all black socks in addition to black tights.
● All black footwear (shoes or trainers)
PE uniform
● Olchfa PE T-shirt
● Olchfa quarter-zip top
● All-black bottoms, including the following. Please note: cargo-style items are not permitted.
○ all black tracksuit bottoms
○ all black leggings
○ all black jogging bottoms
○ all black shorts
● All black trainers
Additional uniform expectations
● PE days: Pupils must wear the PE uniform to school on days when they have timetabled PE.
● Religious headwear: May be worn. Black or navy is expected, with plain white permitted during the summer term. Alternative arrangements may be agreed by the Headteacher where required.
● Coats: Weatherproof coats of any colour are permitted. Logos must be small. Hoodies, non-Olchfa tracksuit tops and cardigans are not permitted as coats.
● Jewellery: Multiple stud earrings may be worn. Pupils in Year 10 and above may wear one nose stud. Jewellery must be removed for PE and other practical activities if required.
● Make-up: Must be discreet and natural. False nails, nail varnish and false eyelashes are not permitted.
● Hair: Unnatural colours and patterned styles, including tramlines, are not permitted. Alternative arrangements may be agreed by the Headteacher for cultural or religious reasons.
The official school uniform suppliers will be: J&S Products, 74 Tycoch Rd, Sketty, Swansea SA2 9EQ (http://www.clothing-suppliers.co.uk/)
|
|
|
INSET DAYS 2026/2027
Tuesday 1st September 2026
Wednesday 2nd September 2026
Friday 23rd October 2026
Monday 19th July 2027
Tuesday 20th July 2027
WJEC INSET DAY - TO BE CONFIRMED
|
|
EXAM RESULTS DAYS
Post 16–Thursday 13th August
Years 10 & 11 – Thursday 20th August
|
|
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE PUPIL WELFARE OFFICER
|
|
If a pupil becomes unwell during the school day, there is a clear procedure to follow. Pupils must not contact parents or carers themselves. Instead, they should come directly to my office, where I will assess the situation and contact parents or carers if necessary. This ensures pupils are safely dismissed from the school site when appropriate.
Can all parents/carers please make sure that they read and sign the paracetamol consent forms in pupils' planners.
If a pupil suffers an injury, parents/carers need to contact me before the pupil returns to school. I can then discuss the risk assessment.
If a pupil is taking medication, such as antibiotics, pupils are advised to leave the medication in my room and a time will be arranged for the pupil to take it.
Please note that I am a First Aider and not a nurse.
Thank you all for your support during the last school year.
Have a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you all in September.
Mrs Hopkins
|
|
SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD UPDATE
|
|
This term, the School Advisory Board’s Communications Group successfully installed suggestion boxes around the school site. A huge thank you to everyone who has used them, we are listening and working hard to respond! Through our latest "You Asked, We Did" initiative, we have already installed practical hooks behind toilet doors and introduced a handy storage solution for planners during toilet visits. Thank you for helping us make our school even better, and please keep those brilliant suggestions coming!
|
|
|
Congratulations to Sophia in Year 9, who took part in a swimming gala on Saturday. She achieved 3rd place in the 25m and 50m backstroke, and 1st place in the 50m freestyle. Well done, Sophia!
|
|
|
Axiom Maths: Rising Mathematicians Festival at Swansea University
On Monday 29th June, 27 pupils participated in this festival organised by Axiom Maths. 17 pupils from Year 7 who are currently attending in-person Axiom Maths every Tuesday at lunchtime and 2 pupils from Y10, 5 pupils from Y9 and 3 pupils from Y8 who are attending Axiom Maths circles online weekly from home.
|
|
Congratulations to Harrison and Jack in yr 8 who proudly represented Wales in the U14 squad recently in the Barcelona Euro Basketball Cup, and at the 4 Nations tournament against Ireland, Scotland and England. Well done!
|
|
|
Congratulations to Sienna in Year 8, who won the national Eisteddfod for Wales for the second year running, back to back despite being a non-Welsh speaker. She represented Olchfa by wearing her school uniform. Well done Sienna! (the clip can be accessed via the link below).
|
|
On 25 March, our students joined millions around the world to celebrate World Maths Day through live Mathletics challenges. We’re incredibly proud of two standout achievements:
• Minh (Year 7) — 1st place in the UK Year 7 Category
• Aydin (Year 10) — 2nd place in the UK Year 9+ Category
Huge congratulations to both!
|
|
A huge congratulations to Rhea Choudhary, Jess Hewes, Rosie Collins-Burns and Leah Morris, who represented Olchfa School at the Swansea Enterprise Challenge on Friday 19th June. Over the preceding weeks, the pupils worked incredibly hard to design and create a range of beautiful garden ornaments to sell at their market stall. Their creativity, teamwork and dedication certainly paid off, as their products proved extremely popular with the people of Swansea - the stall completely sold out! Throughout the project, the pupils developed a wide range of valuable skills, including enterprise, communication, problem-solving, teamwork and customer service. We are also delighted to share that they raised over £300, which will go towards rejuvenating Olchfa's Memorial Garden. Well done to everyone involved on such a fantastic achievement!
|
|
|
|
The school is proud to share with you links to Case Studies of strong practice at Olchfa, following last year's inspection (as below).
As you can read on the website, the idea of Case Studies is to share strong practice widely for the benefit of all schools in Wales. Many thanks/diolch yn fawr to everyone involved.
|
|
CHAT!
A huge thank you to our amazing Year 10 CHAT team.
Our Year 6 transition would not have been possible without your support, dedication, and hard work.
Thank you for being such fantastic role models and for helping our new students feel so welcome.
We truly appreciate everything you've done!
|
|
|
|
-
Year 11 pupils have received excellent results and have gained their King's Trust qualification in Personal Development & Employability Skills. We are very proud of their achievements.
-
Year 10 pupils had a wonderful time at Parc Bryn Bach, participating in enjoyable outdoor activities. Thanks to King's Trust for providing this enrichment activity.
-
Pupils have thoroughly enjoyed spending time in the garden this term, planting, caring for, and harvesting a range of fruit and vegetables. It has been fantastic to see them develop new skills, work together as a team, and gain a greater appreciation of where food comes from. Their enthusiasm and commitment have been evident throughout the project, and they are looking forward to enjoying a delicious lunch made from the produce they have grown themselves.
|
|
Pupils in Mrs Davey's Newid - Enhanced Provision class have been busy over the past couple of months sowing seeds and planting wildflowers and plants. They are currently growing potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, strawberries, aubergines and a variety of herbs.
Pupils have also constructed a beautiful arbour seating area for everyone to enjoy relaxing in nature. We are very proud of their hard work, teamwork, and dedication in creating such a wonderful outdoor space for all to enjoy!
|
|
This term, our Year 10 Textiles Design pupils had the fantastic opportunity to take part in two creative workshops hosted by the BA (Hons) Surface Pattern & Textiles team at UWTSD Swansea College of Art.
Students explored the inspiring end-of-year degree shows, gaining first-hand insight into the creativity, innovation and professional practice behind higher education art and design courses. They developed their composition skills by creating scallop-inspired motifs that contributed to a large collaborative artwork, inspired by the work on display.
The day also included an exciting introduction to screen printing, where students worked together to design and print their own decorative banner.
Experiences like these help our learners understand the wide range of skills, processes, collaboration and creative thinking that underpin careers in the creative industries. At Olchfa, we are committed to providing authentic, real-world learning opportunities that inspire the next generation of artists and designers.
|
|
This is just a snapshot of our news! You can follow our school updates via Instagram and Facebook.
|
|
Contact Details
For all enquiries/information - olchfa@olchfa.org.uk
Years 7–11 absences – MCAS or pastoral@olchfa.org.uk
Sixth Form absences – MCAS or sixthform@olchfa.org.uk
Telephone - 01793 534300
|
|
