Ysgol Mynydd Isa

Highlights from Latest Inspection

The school is a happy and welcoming community in which all pupils and staff feel valued. Pupils enjoy the learning experiences and the extra-curricular activities that the school provides and have very positive attitudes towards school and learning. The headteacher and his senior leadership team give the school strong strategic direction.

They have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and identify areas that need improvement accurately. Their leadership skills through the pandemic period were very effective in ensuring that the school maintained a close relationship with pupils and their families. This helped to ensure that pupils learning continued as effectively as possible.

At the start of this academic year,... leaders and teachers identified the precise support for both learning and well-being that pupils needed following the disruption caused by the pandemic. They implemented a range of strategies and support programmes swiftly to meet individual pupils' needs. As a result, most pupils across the school have made exceptional progress since September 2021.

Pupils' speaking, reading and writing skills in English are of a high standard. In particular, they use a mature vocabulary when speaking and writing. Teachers and leaders recognise the need to raise pupils' standards in Welsh.

The school has maintained momentum in developing its provision in line with the requirements of the Curriculum for Wales. Teachers and leaders are reflective practitioners who think carefully about how they are developing the provision for their pupils. The curriculum currently offers pupils a wide range of authentic, high quality learning experiences that engage and interest them successfully.

However, opportunities for pupils to learn about diversity in society are less well developed. Recommendations R1 Improve pupils' Welsh oracy skills R2 Develop the school's curriculum planning to reflect the diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives found in society What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection. Estyn will invite the school to prepare a case study on its work in relation to ensuring rapid progress for pupils following the disruption caused by the pandemic, for dissemination on Estyn's website.