Coedpenmaen County Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Most pupils at the school behave well and are polite and well mannered. Many make suitable progress as they move through the school and by the time they leave have appropriate skills in literacy and numeracy. However, around half of pupils are not enthusiastic about the learning experiences that the school provides and they do not enjoy learning.

The school has experienced a period of instability in leadership. The newly appointed leadership team has begun to implement change, for example improving safeguarding procedures and the security of the site and improving relationships with parents. However, the school's evaluation and improvement planning processes are not sufficiently robust and do not identify the most important shortco...mings that leaders and teachers need to address.

Members of the school's governing body do not provide effective support and challenge to the school's leaders. Teachers and leaders have focused appropriately on pupils' well-being as they return to school following the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and teaching assistants deliver a good range of interventions to support pupils' emotional and mental health and this is having a positive impact on pupils' well-being.

The support for pupils with additional learning needs is strong. The well-being of staff has been affected negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in leadership during the past two years. Teachers do not collaborate well together or share their expertise willingly.

This has made it difficult to address national priorities such as planning to implement the Curriculum for Wales. As a result, this work is at a very early stage of development. The high number of pupils, the ratio of teachers to pupils and the overcrowded teaching areas in the classes for younger pupils makes it difficult for teachers to deliver learning experiences that match the needs and ability of these pupils.

Recommendations R1 Improve the effectiveness of leadership at all levels, including that of the governing body R2 Develop stronger collaborative working arrangements between staff R3 Improve self-evaluation and improvement processes R4 Ensure that teachers match teaching and learning opportunities closely to pupils' needs R5 Ensure that the school is prepared for the implementation of the Curriculum for Wales R6 Ensure that the organisation of the classing structure of the school meets the needs of all pupils and enables pupils to access the learning experiences that are required for their age and ability What happens next In accordance with the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that special measures are required in relation to this school. The school will draw up an action plan to show how it is going to address the recommendations. Estyn will monitor the school's progress on a termly basis.