Dylan Thomas Community School

Overview

Dylan Thomas Community School is described as having an “inclusive, family feel” with “strong working relationships” between pupils and staff. While most pupils enjoy school and receive “consistently high-quality care,” the report notes that curriculum development is “in its infancy” and there are shortcomings in how literacy and numeracy are taught across subjects.

Strengths

• Staff provide “consistently high-quality care support and guidance,” ensuring pupils feel well-supported.
• There is “consistently high-quality teaching” in the specialist teaching facilities for pupils with additional learning needs and autism.
• A “notable strength” is the way staff develop pupils’ understanding of the Welsh language and Welsh culture.
• Leaders ensure all pupils have access to “beneficial cultural and educational experiences.”
• In the majority of cases, teachers have “suitably high expectations” and plan engaging lessons that ensure secure progress.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must strengthen self-evaluation to ensure they evaluate the quality of teaching by its impact on learning.
• The school needs to address shortcomings in teaching where expectations are not high enough and lessons do not ensure progress.
• Planning for curricular continuity between Year 6 and Year 7, and the progressive development of literacy and numeracy skills, requires improvement.

Safeguarding

The report states that staff offer pupils “consistently high-quality care support and guidance” and that pupils feel well-supported within an inclusive environment.