Ysgol Pont Y Gof

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Ysgol Pont Y Gof is a close-knit community that celebrates Welshness, courtesy and respect exceptionally well. All staff are committed to ensuring a high quality of care and well-being for pupils in a homely and hard-working learning environment. This has a strong influence on pupils' attitudes towards each other and others both inside and outside the school.

Their behaviour is excellent and they demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. The supportive working relationship between staff and pupils builds pupils' confidence successfully. Most pupils show strong motivation and a curious interest in their learning and make sound progress from their starting points.

This is because teachers plan interesting activities for th...em which make learning exciting and fun. Pupils benefit from rich learning experiences which enable them to develop the skills they need to take advantage of the whole curriculum. On the whole, pupils organise and present their work appropriately.

The school has a strong Welsh ethos. Pupils' pride in the Welsh language is a strong feature and they use the language completely naturally both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers provide a range of valuable experiences that promote pupils' awareness of their local area, its history and traditions.

As a result, pupils show pride in their heritage and a clear appreciation of the culture and history of the local area. A notable quality of the school's work is the clear emphasis placed on providing valuable opportunities for pupils to learn about the economy of the rural community of which the school is a part and develop the skills they need to succeed locally. Pupils have a strong voice in the life of the school and enjoy the opportunities they are given to influence what they would like to learn within the termly theme.

They thrive by contributing to a variety of councils that have a positive effect on school life. This creates a strong sense of belonging. The headteacher provides effective and considerate leadership that values the efforts of everyone who contributes to pupils' education.

She receives strong support from dedicated staff who work well together as a team. They show a strong commitment to promoting continuous and sustainable improvements. Governors have a good understanding of the school's work and support the school effectively.

Recommendations R1 Provide more opportunities for the oldest pupils to make decisions about how they organise and present their work and respond to learning activities with increasing independence