Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen

Overview

Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen is described as a “caring, inclusive community” where staff prioritise pupils’ well-being and engagement. The headteacher provides “calm, assured leadership,” and leaders at all levels understand their roles, though self-evaluation does not always focus sharply on pupil outcomes.

Strengths

• Staff ensure that “pupils’ well-being and engagement is central to their work.”
• “Care, support and guidance is a strength of the school” and positively impacts attendance, including for those eligible for free school meals.
• “Effective provision for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) helps them to make good progress against their individual targets.”
• The Learning Resource Centre is “successful in supporting these pupils through Key Stages 3 and 4 and preparing them for life after school.”
• Leaders have created a “strong culture of safeguarding,” resulting in most pupils feeling “safe and valued.”

Areas to improve

• Streamline self-evaluation processes to ensure they “focus consistently on the impact of provision on pupil outcomes.”
• Increase teaching effectiveness by ensuring lessons “provide appropriate challenge for all pupils.”
• Strengthen provision for the “progressive development of pupils’ literacy, numeracy and Welsh skills,” as current opportunities are not well co-ordinated.

Safeguarding

Leaders have been successful in creating a “strong culture of safeguarding across the school,” ensuring that most pupils feel safe and valued.