Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Calon Y Cymoedd

Overview

The report describes a school where “the pupil’s voice and children’s wellbeing are a clear focus” and “strong features of life.” Leadership places “the rights of the child at the heart of everything,” fostering a community where nearly all pupils behave well and treat others with respect. The school benefits from “strong leadership” with high expectations, resulting in a “stimulating, contemporary curriculum” that successfully engages pupils’ imagination.

Strengths

• “Nearly all pupils make good progress in their learning,” including those with additional learning needs, from their starting points.
• Pupils demonstrate strong ICT skills, using technology effectively to present work and solve problems across the curriculum.
• Staff create a “calm and respectful environment for learning,” providing valuable oral and written feedback that helps pupils improve their work.
• The school is a “happy, caring and inclusive community” with effective support for pupils’ emotional, health, and social needs.
• Governors and leaders maintain “successful self-evaluation procedures” and work closely with other schools to support professional development.

Areas to improve

• Raise standards of reading in Welsh, as lack of fluency and expression currently hinders performance.
• Ensure improvement processes focus in detail on evaluating and improving pupils’ standards and progress, as actions are not always incisive enough.
• Provide more opportunities for pupils to practise writing skills independently in the foundation phase, reducing over-reliance on ready-made worksheets.

Safeguarding

Arrangements for safeguarding pupils “meet requirements and are not a cause for concern.”