Myrddin C.P. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Myrddin Community Primary School is an inclusive and caring environment where pupils feel safe and valued.

Staff in the three mainstream and four specialist Additional Learning Needs (ALN) unit classes work effectively to build strong relationships and provide good support for pupils' emotional well-being. Pupils are enthusiastic learners who are proud to share their successes and achievements with visitors. A majority of pupils in the mainstream classes make suitable progress in developing their literacy and numeracy skills.

In a few aspects of the curriculum pupils make good progress, for example when developing their oracy skills. Teaching in the specialist ALN unit is highly effective and as a result, many pupils in th...ese classes make strong progress from their starting points. However, leaders have not monitored the school's work carefully enough and have not ensured that teachers in the mainstream classes have high enough expectations for pupils' learning and progress.

In a majority of lessons, learning experiences do not support mainstream pupils to make the progress they are capable of. The school is beginning to develop its curriculum appropriately and is providing a few engaging learning experiences for pupils. However, progress towards embedding the principles of Curriculum for Wales is slow and the school has not yet developed its curriculum well enough to ensure that pupils build on their skills progressively.

The recently appointed acting headteacher is working to improve staff well-being and pupils' progress. However, this arrangement is temporary and there remains a lack of capacity in leadership at all levels. Leaders do not have a clear enough strategy for improving the quality of teaching and learning that is understood by all staff.

Recommendations R1 Improve leadership at all levels to ensure that self-evaluation and monitoring processes are used accurately to identify and address the key improvements needed in teaching and learning R2 Improve the quality of teaching and assessment so that all pupils make the progress they are capable of R3 Develop the curriculum to provide a systematic, whole school approach to developing pupils' literacy, numeracy and digital skills R4 Improve attendance 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 usually every four to six months.