Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle

Overview

Following a challenging period, strong leadership has driven important improvements, establishing a ‘familial, Welsh ethos’ where pupils take pride in their identity. The school now demonstrates a ‘strong ethos of teamwork’ among staff, with clear line management structures and increased accountability for the quality of provision.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy ‘high levels of well-being’, feel safe, and appreciate the care, support, and guidance provided.
• Sixth-form pupils make a ‘valuable contribution to school life’ by supporting younger students.
• The senior management team has ‘prioritised wisely’ with purposeful plans that have already begun to improve behaviour.
• There are ‘valuable opportunities’ across the curriculum for pupils to develop literacy skills through reading, writing, and oral discussion.
• Most teachers are ‘caring’ and succeed in creating a ‘productive environment for learning’.

Areas to improve

• Improve the quality of teaching, as shortcomings in around half of lessons mean pupils do not make as much progress as they could.
• Reinforce leaders’ ability to specifically identify strengths and areas for improvement in learning and provision, addressing current inconsistencies.
• Improve provision to develop pupils’ numeracy skills, digital skills, and ability to work independently, as high-quality opportunities are currently lacking.

Safeguarding

The report states that the care, support, and guidance provided are a strength, resulting in pupils feeling safe and knowing they have someone to turn to if they need support.