CARREG HIRFAEN

Overview

Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen is described as a "safe and highly caring community" where staff and pupils "respect each other" and prioritise well-being. The headteacher leads "robustly and effectively," creating a "modern, friendly and caring environment" that successfully supports pupils’ emotional needs and overall development.

Strengths

• The school places a "specific focus on their emotional needs and mental health," using an "online well-being register" to address concerns sensitively.
• Pupils are "polite and courteous," "very caring of each other," and make "good progress" in literacy, numeracy, and ICT skills.
• There are "extensive opportunities" for "valuable outdoor activities" which have positively influenced pupils’ well-being and awareness of healthy lifestyles.
• Teachers "know the pupils very well" and use continuous assessment effectively to plan next steps, particularly in foundation learning classes.
• Staff work together to create a "stimulating learning environment" using both the school building and outdoor areas efficiently.

Areas to improve

• Ensure pupils speak Welsh regularly in learning sessions, as a minority "have a tendency to turn to English too much."
• Share good practice across the school regarding effective methods for responding to pupils’ work, as written feedback is "not always consistently effective."
• Plan more opportunities for pupils to apply numeracy skills in subjects other than mathematics.

Safeguarding

The report states that the school is a "safe and highly caring community" where there is a "strong priority to each other’s well-being."