Latest news with #NotInMissOut

South Wales Argus
18-06-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
New competition launched in Torfaen by county council
The scheme, launched by Torfaen Council, invites pupils to design banners, posters, and digital images that celebrate what they enjoy about school, as part of a campaign to promote regular attendance. The Not In Miss Out campaign, which began in 2022, highlights the positive experiences and opportunities that come from being in school. Councillor Richard Clark, executive member for children, families and education, said: "The Not In Miss Out campaign launched in 2022 and since then it's featured more than 20 schools and had a social media reach of more than 1,100,000. "Pupils are at the heart of the campaign and I look forward to seeing their designs celebrating the reasons they love going to school." The competition is open to individual, class, or year group entries, and schools may submit multiple designs. Winners will be announced in September. Entries must be submitted by Wednesday, July 16.

South Wales Argus
14-05-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Torfaen schools hit by norovirus outbreak in early 2025
Education officials say they are now encouraging parents to send children to school when they have a 'cough or a sniffle' but acknowledge this is contrary to advice issued during the Covid pandemic. School attendance has failed to recover to the levels before the 2020 pandemic when education was disrupted due to lengthy lockdowns that closed schools. Attendance at primary schools in Torfaen in 2019/20, the last full year before the pandemic, was 94.8 per cent, but that dropped to a low of 90.81 per cent in 2021/22 but has been creeping back up and in April this year stood at 93.12 per cent at its 25 primary schools. For secondary schools the 2019/20 figure was 93.9 per cent with a low of 83.78 per cent in 2021/22 and improved to 89.21 per cent in April across six schools. A report for the borough council's education scrutiny committee said there are currently four primary schools in Torfaen with higher attendances than they had before the pandemic. But Andy Rothwell, the council's head of learning and achievement, said when he checked the very latest figures the night before the May 7 meeting attendance at one had dipped back below that benchmark. The education officer suggested a bout of the winter sickness bug, norovirus, was to blame. He said: 'We had a mini wave of norovirus that went through schools from February to April and the Easter break managed to calm things down. Events like that impact school attendance.' Mr Rothwell said the council's environmental health department had also been involved in responding to the outbreak at the school, which he said he wouldn't name. Victoria Horler, a parent governor member of the committee, asked if the council differentiates between medical issues and other reasons when recording absences. Mr Rothwell said education officials collate and monitor monthly data and if they spot shifts will look at 'attendance codes' with illness identified as an I code which was apparent at the school. He said the council's 'Not In Miss Out' campaign intended to encourage attendance also aims to get parents to send children feeling under the weather into school. 'Part of the Not in Miss Out campaign is saying to parents it's okay for your children to come to school if they've got a bit of a cough or a sniffle. If they are really poorly, or there is genuine medical condition, we don't want them to be in school we want them at home recovering but equally if they've got a bit of a cough or the sniffles it is okay to go into school. READ MORE: Torfaen sees an increase in school attendance rates 'Part of that is messaging. Covid changed that as during Covid times, and after, a lot of messaging was 'if you've got a cough, stay away'.' Unverified data provided by the Welsh Government shows attendance in Torfaen has moved above the Welsh average with the borough's attendance rate joint sixth best of the 22 local authority areas in Wales. Two years ago Torfaen was at 17 of 22 in attendane league tables. Primary school attendance in Torfaen currently ranges from a low of 91.13 per cent to a high of 95.77 per cent and in secondary schools the lowest figure is currently 85.69 per cent and the highest 93.97 per cent.

South Wales Argus
09-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Praise for Cwmbran High for reaching Welsh Cup final
Cwmbran High School's year nine football team are due to play in the Welsh Cup final this Saturday, May 10 when they will take on northern rivals Flint High School at Park Hall, in Oswestry, the home ground of Cymru Premier league champions TNS. The team of 13 and 14-year-olds got through to the final after elimanting various Gwent rivals in the earlier rounds and then defeating Cardiff's St Teilo's Church in Wales High School, 4-3, in the semi-final played in Bridgend last month. Their achievement in reaching the final has been praised by Torfaen Borough Council education official Andrew Rothwell who said such activities help sell the benefits of school attendance. The council's head of learning and achievement had been asked, at the council's education scrutiny committee, whether it is confident its 'Not In Miss Out campaign' to promote the benefits of school attendance is working. Mr Rothwell said he believed the campaign is one of the factors contributing to increased school attendance in Torfaen and highlighted how sharing experiences, such as sporting success is part of that. He said: 'Cwmbran High's football team has got to the year nine Welsh Cup final and stuff like that is really exciting and targeting a specific group, boys, who are often really hard to engage with. 'Pushing messages like that out on why it's good to be in school has got to be a good thing.' Cwmbran High School's Year 9 football team pictured with fellow pupils who cheered them on during the semi-final played at Cymru Premier side Penybont's home ground in Bridgend Labour councillor for Cwmbran's Fairwater ward, Rose Seabourne, added: 'It is history repeating itself. Cwmbran High, or Fairwater High as it used to be, had a football academy at one time that kept students in school.' READ MORE: Planning for Cwmbran High 3G sports pitch submitted The 'Not In Miss Out' campaign shares case studies and content from schools, including some videos produced by students, on social media to highlight the benefits of attendance and banners promoting it are also placed outside schools. Mr Rothwell described the campaign, launched three years ago, as Torfaen council's 'single longest running campaign' and praised support from schools in contributing to it. He also said from September it will also focus on the transition from nursery to primary schools to encourage 'good habits from an early stage'. The council's director for children and families, Jason O'Brien, said the 'Not In Miss Out Campaign' had also promoted new developments such as the 3G football pitch at Ysgol Gwynllyw in Pontypool.