Penyrheol Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Penyrheol Primary School is an inclusive and welcoming school that provides pupils with a rich variety of exciting learning experiences. Staff ensure that all pupils have access to a broad range of opportunities that engage their interest, stimulate their curiosity and develop their skills, knowledge and understanding well. Because of this, most pupils enjoy their time in school and show a high degree of enthusiasm in lessons.

Teachers build on pupils' previous learning successfully. They plan motivating lessons that develop pupils' literacy, numeracy and digital skills progressively, using purposeful activities that are well matched to pupils' needs. Teachers, across the school, provide an appropriate level of support and challeng...e that ensures most pupils make strong progress in developing their skills over time.

However, they do not always provide enough opportunity for pupils to learn independently. Staff question pupils to assess their progress and to extend their thinking effectively. They provide useful feedback to pupils that helps them to further their learning successfully.

Staff have established positive relationships with parents and with partners in the local community. They build on these to enrich the curriculum beneficially. The school makes good use of its grounds and local area to develop pupils' understanding of the environment and of their Welsh heritage and identity.

Staff promote the Welsh language well and foster pupils' positive attitudes towards speaking Welsh. Leaders and teachers set high expectations for themselves and for pupils' progress and attitudes to learning. They model these consistently well.

As a result, pupils' behaviour is exemplary and all members of the staff team demonstrate strong professional commitment to their role. Leaders and governors set a clear direction for the school's development. They focus beneficially on securing consistently effective teaching and have created a climate where all staff collaborate effectively to develop their practice further.

Recommendations R1 Improve opportunities for pupils to make decisions about their learning and to work with independence