Pupil Support is very important to everyone here at Dwr-y-Felin; it is vital that a pupil’s personal needs are not overlooked. Each term pupils complete a 'Respect and How Safe Do You Feel' survey online so we can monitor any issues relating to bullying. Support and advice is readily available for all pupils from experienced and caring staff. Pupil Support provides an important link between home and school, and we strive to provide help and care for all pupils to ensure that they make the best use of their educational opportunities. Although all teachers in school have a responsibility for pupil welfare, it is the Safeguarding teacher who has an “all round” picture of an individual pupil’s progress.

Our Personal and Social Education curriculum develops appropriate skills and attitudes that will help young people to grow into stable, caring and well-balanced adults. The Pupil Support teacher is closely involved in all aspects of a pupil's learning and development during their time in school. This includes matters relating to the curriculum, health, attendance, careers and personal development. Guidance staff encourage parental involvement and seek to establish strong links between school and home. On any occasion where there is a cause for concern, Pupil Support staff will contact parents by telephone or by letter. Similarly, parents are urged to inform Pupil Support staff of any circumstances which may affect their child’s progress or behaviour in school.

When pupils come to make course choices, Pupil Support staff, in consultation with teaching staff and parents, will help them to make the choices which best suit their needs and ambitions using the wide range of resources and expertise available. The school has excellent links with further education institutions to ensure that pupils are made fully aware of the wide range of opportunities which exist.

Bullying at School

If a pupil is concerned, worried or affected by any aspect of bullying, the school has a designated teacher who deals with any issues confidentially. This teacher can be contacted by emailing dwr-anti-bullying@npted.org. Please be assured that all matters will be dealt with in a sensitive and confidential manner. Also:

• Yellow slips - Anti-bullying Referral Forms can be found opposite the counselling room. You can fill one in and post it in the brown letterbox outside the counselling room.
• In your PSE lessons you will fill in Questionnaires linked to respecting others, safeguarding and anti-bullying throughout the year.
• Display TV’s will display Anti-bullying messages frequently.
• You will have assemblies throughout the year to remind you of our safeguarding systems in school.

A recent Estyn report highlights good anti-bullying practice in our school.
Click here to read an extract.

Is someone being nasty to you on Twitter? You can block or mute Twitter accounts....

Help from ChildLine

You can ring ChildLine on 0800 1111 where you can speak to someone in private and the number will not show up on your phone bill. ChildLine is managed by the NSPCC and is there to help you so please don't be afraid to make the call. The ChildLine website also offers excellent help and advice on a whole range of issues, for example bullying.

ChildLine has developed an app for young people, which is designed to help them diffuse pressures on them to send an explicit image. The app, called Zipit, offers witty images to send instead of explicit ones and provides advice on how to engage in safe chat and what to do if you are threatened. You can get the app from this link.

The NSPCC is complementing the ChildLine initiative by providing advice to parents and carers on what they can do to advise and support their children in relation to "sexting." Many children and young people are more savvy about internet and mobile phone technology than their parents, so the advice, posted on the NSPCC website will enable parents to take action.

School Based Counselling Service

School-Based Counselling Service is available in all comprehensive schools through-out Neath-Port Talbot County Borough Council. All counsellors are fully trained and qualified to work with children and young people on a range of issues and problems. For more information and to request an appointment click here. We have three counsellors who work in the school to support pupils, two of them are in school every Monday and one every Tuesday. Pupils are informed in assembly's how to use the counselling services and they are able to self refer themselves to a counsellor if necessary. There are five counselling sessions on Monday's and five on Tuesday's each lasting one hour and these are by appointment only. There are also emergency sessions available to pupils during break time and lunchtime on these days.

Family Information Service NPT

The Family Information Service in Neath Port Talbot is a free information service for children, young people, families and professionals who work with families. Based in Ffrwdwyllt House in Taibach, the service can bring you up to date, relevant and accurate information on services, facilities and publications.

Click on the folder icon below for pupil support documents

Vaccinations

Second only to clean drinking water, vaccinations are one of the most effective ways to protect the public against a variety of infectious diseases.  The World Health Organisation estimates that 3 million lives are saved every year worldwide through immunisation.  The vaccination programmes detailed below are offered in school by the School Nursing Service who will provide information to you prior to the programme being delivered, along with a consent form that will need to be signed by a parent/guardian and returned to the school. The School Nurse will also attend at school to speak to the pupils to ensure they are informed about the vaccination that they are due to receive.

• HPV Vaccine – for girls in year 8.  For further information about this vaccine click here
• Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio (3 in 1 teenage booster) – for girls and boys in year 9.  For further information about this vaccine click here
• MenACWY – for girls and boys in year 9 (given at the same time as the Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio vaccination).  For further information about this vaccine click here

For information about other routine vaccinations click here