More than 90 children making the move to secondary school have been given a head start this summer.

Children from ten primary schools across Denbighshire have benefitted from the chance to make new friends and meet their teachers over the holidays on the Food and Fun programme, based at Prestatyn High School.

A Welsh Government funded programme, match funded by Denbighshire Borough Council, to serve pupils that will join Prestatyn High School later this year the scheme gave access to enrichment experiences, sport and educational activity sessions, as well as offering two healthy meals.

James Williams, teacher at Prestatyn High School and co-ordinator of Prestatyn’s Food and Fun programme, said: “We see that children can become isolated during the holidays, and parents can struggle to find suitable activities or keep children busy during the holidays. The Food and Fun programme helps ensure that these children get the nutrition and structure they need while making new friends.’’

“Prestatyn High School has a very large catchment area, with pupils arriving from 10 different primary schools across Denbighshire County. "This year, we hope to help the 90 children coming to us by providing them with breakfast and lunch, keeping them active and ensuring they are happy and secure in their environment before they join us permanently in September.

"We feel the social element of the programme alleviates the anxieties that accompany the move to High School, and many of the children have already formed strong bonds.

“We follow the school meal structure, while also providing a variety of educational subjects, physical activity and a fun activity, with an emphasis on the soft skills that we felt were being lost over the summer break - confidence and collaborative skills."