Ysgol Garndolbenmaen

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Ysgol Garndolbenmaen is a caring and inclusive school that nurtures well-being and supports pupils' learning successfully. The new headteacher leads the school effectively and, in the short period since being appointed, she has succeeded in forging a close working relationship between all stakeholders.

She sets high expectations of herself and her commitment and enthusiasm have ensured that the school is making good strides towards meeting its priorities. The close relationship between staff and parents contributes effectively towards pupils' pride in their society and their strong sense of belonging to the local community. The sense of belonging to one big family is a strong element of this school.

Staff identify pupils' ...well-being needs very well. They provide continuous opportunities for pupils to discuss their feelings and share their emotions. This has a positive effect on their self-confidence and their willingness to take risks.

Teachers provide a range of exciting and interesting experiences that stimulate pupils' enthusiasm and curiosity towards their activities. As a result, pupils make good progress in their skills, particularly their problem-solving and digital skills. Teachers listen well to pupils' views and comments and parents' contributions to plan a curriculum that supports pupils to apply their skills across the curriculum.

This contributes well to all pupils' full development. Teachers are beginning to use assessment findings to plan purposefully for pupils' further development. They gather initial information from an increasing number of sources.

However, they do not always use this information incisively enough to ensure that pupils make the best possible progress. A strong feature of the school is the respect and courtesy that pupils have for each other and adults. Many show an infectious pride in their work and make sound progress in their understanding of the local area, Wales and the wider world.

Recommendations R1 Ensure that feedback for pupils and the information that derives from assessing and tracking their progress has a better impact on the next steps in their learning R2 Ensure an appropriate level of challenge in pupils' learning activities