Gwyn Jones Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Gwyn Jones Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school.

The vision and values of 'inspired and empowered' run through much of what happens at the school. Pupils and staff take personal responsibility for their actions and do their best.

The school has high expectations for all pupils' achievement.

Those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate support to ensure that they can fully engage with the learning. Pupils achieve well in external assessments.

Behaviour inside of lessons... supports pupils' learning well.

Pupils are kind to each other and provide support and encouragement so that they can all achieve. Pupils, parents and carers and teachers work together as a team to help pupils to be successful. Leaders understand the importance of pupils attending school each day and they make sure that support is put in place to enable this to happen.

Pupils feel safe and are kept safe at the school.

The school has identified what pupils need to support them to grow in their personal development. Staff make sure that there are a wide range of clubs available that enrich pupils' wider experiences.

The school has also developed a number of different therapeutical projects designed to support pupils' well-being and mental health.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. This is particularly true in the core subjects where outcomes are often above national averages.

Pupils know and remember what they are learning in English and mathematics. Pupils also enjoy studying subjects in the wider curriculum. However, they sometimes struggle to remember what they have been learning previously in some wider curriculum subjects.

At times, subject content is not taught in a way that helps pupils to secure their understanding, and then build on and apply what they know.

The school has thought carefully about how the curriculum that children learn in early years is built on throughout their time at the school. Securing children's early mathematics knowledge and communication skills is given appropriate focus.

The curriculum also promotes children's experiences and understanding of the wider world around them and helps them to make links with what they find out across different areas of learning.

Pupils learn to read well, with reading prioritised across all subjects. Pupils are also taught correct subject-specific vocabulary and pronunciation with rigour.

Staff make sure that the phonics programme is carefully tailored to meet the needs of all pupils, including older pupils who join the school with little experience of reading in English. Appropriate assessments are used to quickly identify any gaps in pupils' knowledge. This allows teachers to put in place precisely targeted extra help for pupils who need it so that they catch up.

Pupils with SEND are well supported. The school has ensured that early identification and careful staff training mean that pupils are able to study and succeed in the same curriculum as their peers. This is the case from the early years to the end of Year 6.

Teachers carefully check for any pupils' misconceptions. They then adapt their lessons to address these misconceptions to help make learning accessible for all pupils. The school also uses checks on learning to revise and develop its curriculum, centred on its ambition for all pupils to be successful in their next stages of learning.

Pupils develop the knowledge and skills needed to be ready to attend secondary school.

The school has continued to adapt and refine its behaviour systems. This has led to learning in lessons being very productive.

At break times, however, particularly when play and activities are less structured, there are occasions where issues arise in friendship groups. The school is developing plans to address this, which include, for example, more structured play opportunities at social times. It is too soon to see the impact of these plans.

Pupils have developed a sound understanding of fundamental British values. They are taught to know and understand the world that they are growing up in. The school provides a wide range of outings, clubs and further enrichment opportunities to develop the whole pupil.

The residential visits are a particularly memorable experience with pupils speaking joyfully about their break in the 'pods' in the forest.

Leaders and the governing body work together successfully to support the well-being of all at the school. They are also united and effective in their efforts to continue to improve the performance of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, the delivery of the curriculum is not supporting pupils to build upon and apply their prior knowledge and engage successfully with new learning. This means that pupils find it difficult to recall securely their previous learning.

The school should ensure that, in all curriculum areas, pupils are supported successfully to know and remember more of the subjects that they are studying

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2014.