Ysgol Llywelyn

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Ysgol Llywelyn provides a high level of support, care and guidance for its pupils and staff. As a result, nearly all pupils are happy at school and feel valued.

Most pupils behave well in lessons and around the school and are particularly keen to chat to visitors about their work and school life. The headteacher and leadership team create and maintain a strong culture of teamworking, and as a result all staff take advantage of opportunities to develop new ideas, such as experimenting with approaches to delivering the Curriculum for Wales. Leaders have a strong overarching vision for the school based on the mission statement, 'believe, achieve and shine'.

They use a wide range of activities to evaluate the school's work, of...ten identifying key priorities appropriately, although plans to tackle the school's main areas for development are not always clear enough to deliver rapid, focused, and consistent progress. Nearly all pupils make good progress in learning during their time at the school. On the whole, they develop their early literacy skills well and take advantage of suitable opportunities to write for different purposes across the curriculum.

Most pupils develop numeracy skills appropriately, and in the foundation phase they apply these skills effectively in different contexts. Many develop Welsh language skills appropriately and have a positive attitude towards speaking Welsh. Overall, pupils' digital skills are underdeveloped, despite a recent investment in information and communication technology (ICT) equipment.

Many develop creative and physical skills well. They benefit from outdoor resources such as a bicycle track and highly engaging school forest and garden areas which are an exceptional feature of the school's provision. Teachers and their assistants provide activities that engage pupils well.

Recently, they have introduced 'inspiration days' to introduce new topics that capture pupils' imaginations well. For example, younger pupils had a visit from a creature in the woods who left footprints. They tracked him down to the school garden and helped build a den for him.

Teachers throughout the school are beginning to develop opportunities for pupils to develop independent skills in different contexts, such as when accessing different areas of the class and outdoor areas in the foundation phase, or when responding to 'enquiry days'. However, some of this work is at an early stage. Teachers track pupils' progress accurately as they move through the school, and the school arranges suitable additional support for pupils as required, including a range of interventions that supports their educational and social development.

On the whole, teachers provide suitable feedback for pupils, although they do not always provide frequent enough opportunities for pupils to improve or develop their work in light of the feedback they have been given. Recommendations R1 Improve the impact of strategic planning on pupils' outcomes R2 Improve opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their digital skills R3 Improve provision for developing pupils' independent learning skills R4 Provide pupils with more frequent opportunities to improve their work in light of feedback What happens next Estyn will invite the school to prepare a case study on its work in relation to outdoor learning for dissemination on Estyn's website. The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.