WILLIAMSTOWN PRIMARY

Overview

Williamstown Primary is described as a “happy and caring community” where pupils feel “safe and valued,” supported by a “dedicated and hardworking team.” However, the report judges standards, wellbeing, teaching, and leadership as “Adequate and needs improvement,” noting that pupils’ ability to work independently and apply skills across the curriculum is limited.

Strengths

• The school fosters a positive atmosphere where pupils are “polite and respectful” and feel “safe, secure and well cared for.”
• Provision for pupils with communication needs in learning resource classes is “strong,” with staff using “person-centred planning” effectively.
• Pupils make “solid progress” in literacy and numeracy in the foundation phase, with many reading with “suitable fluency, accuracy and expression.”
• Staff establish “very good working relationships” with pupils and maintain “strong relationships with parents.”
• Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for ICT and Welsh language learning in the foundation phase.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure self-evaluation identifies key issues and that past improvements are sustained in the longer term.
• Teaching needs to challenge all pupils at a higher level to develop independent learning skills and resilience.
• The school must improve provision in the foundation phase and ensure the curriculum develops literacy and numeracy skills across all subjects.

Safeguarding

The report states that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils “meet requirements and give no cause for concern.”