Ysgol Rhiwabon

Overview

Ysgol Rhiwabon is described as a “caring and inclusive school” where staff are ambitious for pupils to “succeed with soul” and achieve their full potential. Since being removed from special measures in 2017, leaders have worked diligently to improve provision, fostering a “strong sense of collaboration” and using evidence to plan for improvement. Most pupils behave well, feel safe, and make good progress in their knowledge and understanding.

Strengths

• The school promotes “good attendance” and ensures pupils have regular opportunities to learn about keeping themselves “safe and healthy”.
• “Younger pupils benefit from effective transition arrangements” that help them settle well into school life.
• Pupils with additional learning needs receive “helpful support” to develop their academic and life skills.
• Staff value and benefit from a “wide range of professional learning opportunities” which are positively impacting teaching.
• Leaders “identify strengths and areas for improvement accurately” through worthwhile quality assurance activities.

Areas to improve

• Improve the quality of teaching to ensure all pupils make strong progress in subject knowledge and skills.
• Strengthen provision for developing pupils’ Welsh language, numeracy, and ICT skills, which are currently underdeveloped.
• Further develop self-evaluation processes to focus more precisely on the impact of provision on pupils’ learning.

Safeguarding

The report states that “many pupils feel safe in school” due to strategies promoting safety and health, but notes that specific “health and safety issues identified during the inspection” must be addressed.