Halfway C.P. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

•Senior leaders provide beneficial opportunities for teachers to share goodpractice through 'team teach' sessions. This has created a positive andconsistent approach to teaching writing throughout the school.

•Staff in the foundation learning classes plan suitable activities for pupils todevelop their fine motor skills and to promote writing skills through imaginativeplay. As a result, most younger pupils are beginning to communicateeffectively through drawing and by making marks using a range of resources.• Many older pupils write neatly and take pride in their work.

However, this is inconsistent throughout the school. • Overall, teachers' expectation of pupils' writing is appropriate to their age and ability. Most pupils... enjoy writing and write enthusiastically during 'free write' sessions.

Many pupils are developing their ability to write at length well, they use basic punctuation accurately and their spelling of familiar words is often correct. However, a few pupils lack the skills needed to organise and communicate their ideas clearly. • Senior leaders monitor the impact of school development actions on outcomes for pupils regularly.

They have a sound knowledge of the attainment in writing for individuals and groups of learners over time. • Teachers are beginning to develop a sound understanding of the individual writing skills for pupils in their class and their next steps in learning. However, senior leaders recognise that they need to plan further opportunities for staff to discuss progression in writing and focus monitoring activities more sharply on progress in writing skills.

• Overall, senior leaders and staff have created a positive culture of writing throughout the school. Improve opportunities for pupils to use numeracy skills independently across the curriculum worthwhile opportunities for pupils to develop numeracy across the curriculum. • Teachers use a range of first-hand evidence and pupil self-assessments to inform them of the progress that pupils make in mathematics.

Where this is most effective, teachers consider the pupils' mathematical ability carefully when planning numeracy activities and pupils apply their numeracy skills at the same level as they do in mathematics lessons. • In most foundation learning classes, teachers plan worthwhile opportunities for pupils to practice and develop their mathematics and numeracy skills within a rich learning environment. Most younger pupils use their early understanding of number through imaginative play skilfully.

• Older pupils talk confidently about their learning and how they apply their mathematical knowledge across the curriculum, for example when using their knowledge of co-ordinates to locate important places on the Titanic's journey. • Senior leaders measure pupils' progress in mathematics and identify any gaps in learning and understanding well. However, these tend to focus too closely on formative assessments.

Senior leaders recognise the need to further develop teachers' understanding of mathematical skills progression to identify next steps in learning and to ensure numeracy activities are suitably challenging. • Leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics and the opportunities for developing numeracy regularly. Their evaluations are accurate, and they have suitable plans in place to further develop this area.

The school's arrangements for safeguarding pupils do not give any cause for concern The school's latest core inspection report and further information on the process and purpose of interim visits can be found on our website: http://www.estyn.gov.

wales/provider/6692188 Yours sincerely A close up of a textDescription automatically generatedLiz Miles Assistant Director