Deiniol C.P. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

adults. By the end of key stage 2, nearly all pupils have very well developed oracy skills, which they use in a range of situations confidently. Most older Foundation Phase pupils read simple texts aloud and use their phonic knowledge well to decode unfamiliar words.

By Year 6, most pupils read at the level expected for their age. They discuss appropriate texts by their favourite authors and extract information quickly when researching. Most pupils use and apply their mathematical skills successfully, for example when solving problems involving money and measures.

Older pupils in the Foundation Phase use their data handling skills well and can extract information from simple tally charts to produce bar graphs accurately. M...any key stage 2 pupils order decimal numbers confidently. They use a range of graphs and charts to organise data from their science work successfully, choosing appropriate scales.

Most pupils apply their numeracy skills competently across the curriculum. Most pupils develop suitable skills in information and communications technology. By the end of the Foundation Phase, they use tablet computers to support their learning well, particularly when counting and sorting objects and to practise forming letters with increasing control.

In key stage 2, many pupils search for information online competently. They produce informative presentations about their history topics, importing graphics to add interest. However, their use of spreadsheets and databases is underdeveloped.

Many pupils make appropriate progress in developing their Welsh oracy skills. By Year 2, many use a small number of familiar sentence patterns and respond appropriately to simple questions. Many older key stage 2 pupils are beginning to form their own questions around hobbies and interests.

They use a known range of sentence patterns and suitable vocabulary. As they move through the school many pupils read and write in Welsh at an appropriate level. However, too many pupils do not use their Welsh language skills often enough outside of Welsh lessons.

At the end of the Foundation Phase, over the last four years, pupils£ performance in literacy and mathematical development at the expected outcome 5 has fluctuated. At the higher than expected outcome 6, performance has improved. At the end of key stage 2, performance in English, mathematics and science over the last four years at the expected level has shown a downward trend.

At the higher level 5, over the same period, performance in all three subjects has been more variable. In general there is little difference in the performance of boys and girls at the end of Foundation Phase and key stage 2 at the expected levels. In the Foundation Phase at the higher than expected outcome 6 girls outperform boys in literacy.

At the higher than expected level 5 in key stage 2, performance is similar in mathematics and science. However girls generally outperform boys in English. 2: Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good Nearly all pupils feel safe, well cared for and valued.

They demonstrate respect and tolerance towards each other in classes and on the playground. The positive interaction and strong levels of collaboration amongst pupils of all ages, at work and play, is a strong feature of the school. Most pupils are kind and caring towards each other and this is especially evident through the school's lunchtime buddy system.

Most pupils understand the need to eat and drink healthily and to take regular exercise. However, their choice of food and drink in school does not always reflect this. Many pupils improve their fitness through participating in an extensive range of extra-curricular sporting activities enthusiastically.

Nearly all pupils show high level of independence and engagement in learning activities. They work confidently and cooperatively in pairs and in groups. For example, pupils in Year 1 work happily in pairs to make long and short sounds using musical instruments and to construct a suitable house for one of the £Three Little Pigs£.

Most pupils persevere well when faced with problems and challenges. For example, pupils in Year 3 demonstrate determination when trying to find the combination code to a lock during a numeracy lesson. Nearly all pupils move quietly and respectfully around the school, between lessons and to and from the playground.

Standards of behaviour are consistently high across the school. 3: Teaching and learning experiences Good Overall, the quality of teaching in the school is good and has many strengths. Teachers provide exciting and engaging learning activities that motivate and enthuse pupils successfully.

All teachers adopt a flexible approach to planning and take account of pupils£ interests well. They use activities at the start of the day effectively for pupils to recap on their prior learning and to practise different skills. This is highly beneficial in developing pupils£ mathematical skills in particular.

All staff manage behaviour effectively and have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Teachers make effective use of questioning to extend pupils£ thinking skills. The use of learning challenges, of varying degrees of difficulty, encourages pupils to take responsibility for extending their learning successfully.

In the Foundation Phase, teachers make beneficial use of outdoor areas to develop pupils£ literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills. Foundation Phase planning and practice provides a good balance between adult-led and child-initiated learning. This encourages pupils to be independent and inquisitive learners.

Across the school, teachers promote pupils£ independent learning skills well, allowing them to make regular choices about how they present their work. Adults use praise and ongoing useful feedback to let pupils know what they have done well and to help them to improve their work. Informative comments tell pupils Teachers assess pupils£ work accurately and make effective use of assessments to set targets for improvement.

As a result, standards of writing and the presentation of pupils£ work in particular, have risen across the school. High quality planning for the development of pupils£ oracy skills is a prominent feature and teachers use ICT to support this well. For example, younger pupils have worthwhile opportunities to record themselves retelling stories.

Teachers analyse information from tests carefully to improve provision and to inform future planning, particularly with regard to developing pupils£ numeracy skills across the curriculum. Pupils£ mathematical reasoning skills have improved notably and most apply these well when solving real-life problems, for example when calculating the costs of a trip. However, opportunities for pupils to use their ICT skills across the curriculum are less well developed.

The school's curriculum, after school activities and a broad range of trips enrich pupils£ learning experiences successfully. Residential visits for older key stage 2 pupils develop their social skills and self-confidence well. Regular Welsh lessons help pupils of all ages to understand the importance of learning Welsh.

Teachers plan valuable opportunities for pupils to visit places of interest around Wales as part of their topic work. Trips to the Llangollen Eisteddfod and to Conway Castle promote pupils£ understanding of the culture and heritage of Wales suitably. 4: Care, support and guidance Good The school has robust and effective systems for identifying and tracking the progress of pupils with additional learning needs.

High quality learning plans meet the needs of individual pupils successfully. Staff, pupils and parents review these regularly and most targeted pupils make very good progress. Well trained staff deliver a range of intervention programmes to improve pupils£ literacy and numeracy skills well.

There are beneficial programmes to support vulnerable pupils, including those with emotional and physical needs. For example, nurture groups have a positive impact on raising pupils£ self-esteem and pupils demonstrate improved levels of confidence and engagement in school life. Informative and individualised annual reports give parents an accurate picture of their child's progress and include specific targets for improvement.

The school provides useful opportunities for pupils to learn about how to eat and drink healthily and the importance of taking regular exercise, and older pupils organise play activities at lunchtimes. Regular opportunities for physical education lessons and a broad range of after school sports clubs, for example, football and netball, help improve pupils£ fitness levels beneficially. The school teaches pupils how to stay safe online.

Meetings with the police liaison officer make pupils aware of how to keep themselves safe, including dealing with peer pressure and road safety. The school's arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet requirements and give no cause for concern. The school council is well established and members take their role seriously and make valuable contributions to decision-making in the school.

They are currently leading a project to renovate the school nature reserve and were recently involved in choosing new reading books. Pupils of all ages participate in making decisions about the content of their topics on a regular basis. The school provides pupils with appropriate opportunities to be active in the local community.

The school choir performs at local venues and pupils improve the local environment through litter picking. A recent whole school topic on the Olympic Games helped to develop pupils£ understanding of diversity and the wider world. However, overall provision for promoting pupils£ understanding of global citizenship is underdeveloped.

Regular school assemblies, charity fundraising and learning activities, provide suitable opportunities for pupils to reflect on how they should treat others and to think of others less fortunate than themselves. A visit by the school council to the mayor's chambers improved pupils£ understanding of democracy effectively. The school provides a variety of valuable learning experiences to help pupils engage with the creative arts and cultural activities, for example through participating in the school choir, weekly music lessons and in whole-school and class productions.

5: Leadership and management Good The headteacher has a clear vision for the school. This is based on ensuring high standards of wellbeing and improving pupils£ outcomes by raising expectations of what they can achieve. An effective and hardworking leadership team support him well, and share his values.

All members of staff are aware of their specific roles and carry out their responsibilities effectively. Regular school meetings have a clear focus on the school's priorities for improvement. The school is addressing most national priorities well, especially in improving pupils£ literacy and numeracy skills.

There are beneficial links with other schools, for example, to improve provision for more able pupils. Members of the governing body know the school well and are supportive of the headteacher's vision. They have a sound understanding of how well the school is performing.

They make regular visits to the school to monitor priorities in the school development plan and receive detailed information from the headteacher about pupils£ progress. Governors are beginning to challenge the school about pupils£ standards and aspects of provision, but this at an early stage of development. Leaders undertake a wide range of self-evaluation activities to help them to identify the school's strengths and areas for improvement accurately.

A strong feature is how well leaders involve older pupils in learning walks and respond to their suggestions. Leaders take account of the views of parents suitably. For example, they introduced an exciting computer application to improve communication, allowing them to share in their child's learning successfully.

The school development plan is a useful document that includes appropriate targets for improvement, taken directly from the school's self-evaluation work. The school has a strong track record of making improvements. For example, leaders identified the need to improve pupils£ handwriting and the quality of their writing.

The implementation of detailed action plans and a consistency of expectation and practice, has improved standards notably. All teachers and support staff are involved in appropriate procedures for appraisal. Their objectives link suitably to their own professional development needs as well as to school priorities.

However, these are not always measureable in terms of the outcomes that pupils achieve, clearly enough. Leaders organise a useful range of training opportunities for teachers and support staff to develop their expertise. These link well to school and national priorities.

For example, whole school training about using adventurous sentence starters has had a very positive impact on improving standards of writing across the school. Leaders use grant funding to support pupils appropriately. They use additional funds effectively to train staff to deliver one to one support for targeted pupils.

There are enough well qualified staff to teach the curriculum successfully. Leaders use the expertise of individual teachers well to provide pupils with specialised teaching, for example in music. They allocate the budget appropriately to address school priorities for improvement, for example, the purchase of a new reading scheme is improving many pupils£ attitudes towards reading.

Governors monitor spending regularly to ensure that Ieaders use finances effectively to raise standards. Ysgol Deiniol C P is situated on the outskirts of Wrexham. Most pupils come from the village of Marchwiel and the surrounding areas of Llwyn Onn and Pentre Maelor.

Pupil numbers have steadily increased over the last four years. There are currently 197 pupils on roll, aged from 3 to 11. Pupils are taught in seven classes, of which four are single-age and three mixed-aged.

English is the predominant language for nearly all pupils. A very few pupils have English as an additional language. No pupils speak Welsh at home.

Approximately 8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is notably lower than the average for Wales. The school has identified that around 15% of pupils have additional learning needs. This is lower than the national average of 25%.

A very few pupils have a statement of special educational needs. There have been no fixed-term exclusions during the past 12 months. The headteacher took up his post in September 2015.

In the last two years there have been a number of changes in staffing throughout the school. The school was last inspected in February 2009. Appendix 1: Summary table of inspection areas Standards Good Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Good Leadership and management Good Estyn evaluates a provider's effectiveness using a four-point judgement scale: Excellent Strong, sustained performance and practice Good Strong features, although minor aspects may require improvement Adequate, needs improvement Strengths outweigh weaknesses, but important aspects require improvement Unsatisfactory, needs urgent improvement Important weaknesses outweigh strengths Appendix 2: Performance data 6652204 - Ysgol Deiniol C PNumber of pupils on roll189Pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) - 3 year average10.

5FSM band2(8%
392.0Benchmark quartile2433Language, literacy and communication skills - English (LCE)Number of pupils in cohort24222325Achieving outcome 5+ (%)87.577.

391.392.0Benchmark quartile3433Achieving outcome 6+ (%)20.

818.243.556.

0Benchmark quartile4421Language, literacy and communication skills - Welsh (LCW)Number of pupils in cohort****Achieving outcome 5+ (%)****Benchmark quartile****Achieving outcome 6+ (%)****Benchmark quartile****Mathematical development (MDT)Number of pupils in cohort24222325Achieving outcome 5+ (%)91.781.891.

396.0Benchmark quartile3432Achieving outcome 6+ (%)20.827.

339.148.0Benchmark quartile3322Personal and social development, wellbeing and cultural diversity (PSD)Number of pupils in cohort24222325Achieving outcome 5+ (%)95.

881.895.7100.

0Benchmark quartile3431Achieving outcome 6+ (%)54.236.447.

880.0Benchmark quartile2441* This item may disclose information on individuals, or it is not sufficiently robust for publication, not applicable or is otherwise unavailable.The Foundation Phase indicator (FPI) represents the percentage of pupils achieving outcome 5 or above in PSD,LCE/LCW, and MDT in combination.

The benchmark quartile compares the performance of one school against others who have similar levels of pupils with free school meals (FSM). FSM is used as a proxy of social deprivation in schools. This allows a comparison of the performance of a school against others who are in the same FSM category, and who might therefore have a similar intake of pupils from deprived backgrounds.

A school in benchmark quartile 1 is in the highest performing 25% of schools with similar levels of free school meals to this school. Therefore, the school's attainment levels are higher than many other schools with similar levels of pupils from deprived backgrounds. A school in benchmark quartile 4 is in the lowest performing 25% of schools with similar levels of free school meals to this school.

Therefore, the school's attainment levels are lower than many other schools with similar levels of pupils from deprived backgrounds.6652204 - Ysgol Deiniol C PNumber of pupils on roll189Pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) - 3 year average10.5FSM band2(8%
0100.085.089.

5Benchmark quartile1144EnglishNumber of pupils in cohort13202019Achieving level 4+ (%)100.0100.095.

089.5Benchmark quartile1124Achieving level 5+ (%)38.565.

040.052.6Benchmark quartile2131Welsh first languageNumber of pupils in cohort****Achieving level 4+ (%)****Benchmark quartile****Achieving level 5+ (%)****Benchmark quartile****MathematicsNumber of pupils in cohort13202019Achieving level 4+ (%)100.

0100.085.089.

5Benchmark quartile1144Achieving level 5+ (%)30.855.050.

052.6Benchmark quartile3122ScienceNumber of pupils in cohort13202019Achieving level 4+ (%)100.0100.

095.089.5Benchmark quartile1134Achieving level 5+ (%)38.

565.040.052.

6Benchmark quartile2132* This item may disclose information on individuals, or it is not sufficiently robust for publication, not applicable or is otherwise unavailable.The core subject indicator (CSI) represents the percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above in English or Welsh (first language), mathematics and science in combination. The benchmark quartile compares the performance of one school against others who have similar levels of pupils with free school meals (FSM).

FSM is used as a proxy of social deprivation in schools. This allows a comparison of the performance of a school against others who are in the same FSM category, and who might therefore have a similar intake of pupils from deprived backgrounds.A school in benchmark quartile 1 is in the highest performing 25% of schools with similar levels of free school meals to this school.

Therefore, the school's attainment levels are higher than many other schools with similar levels of pupils from deprived backgrounds. A school in benchmark quartile 4 is in the lowest performing 25% of schools with similar levels of free school meals to this school. Therefore, the school's attainment levels are lower than many other schools with similar levels of pupils from deprived backgrounds.