BIGYN

Overview

Leaders and staff provide strong emotional support, ensuring pupils feel safe, well cared for, and enjoy coming to school. However, the overall quality of teaching is inconsistent and lacks purpose, resulting in slow progress for many pupils. The school is in the early stages of implementing Curriculum for Wales, and leaders’ self-evaluation processes are not rigorous enough to drive necessary improvements.

Strengths

• Pupils “enjoy coming to school” and “feel safe and well cared for by staff.”
• Leaders have “worked effectively to develop the school’s support for pupils with additional learning needs.”
• In many classes, teachers provide “interesting and enjoyable lessons and activities that help pupils to make progress.”
• Pupils generally “behave well and show care and respect for each other, their teachers, and other staff.”

Areas to improve

• Improve the rigour of self-evaluation to ensure “consistently good teaching in all classes.”
• Develop an engaging curriculum that systematically develops digital, numeracy, and literacy skills in “meaningful contexts.”
• Ensure lessons have a “clear purpose” so pupils understand what they do well and how to improve.
• Improve attendance.

Safeguarding

The report states that pupils “feel safe and well cared for by staff,” reflecting the high priority placed on ensuring good emotional support.