Cefn Mawr Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Cefn Mawr Primary School has an inclusive, nurturing learning environment for pupils.

The headteacher and staff work with dedication to create a warm and valued culture for pupils and the wider school community. This culture of inclusivity helps pupils to build confidence and develop their self-esteem. The school has an exceptionally strong focus on well-being and emotional support, with a particular emphasis on daily physical activities and outdoor learning.

This supports pupils to behave well and engage enthusiastically in lessons. Most pupils make strong progress during their time at the school. They make good progress in developing their literacy, numeracy, digital, physical and creative skills.

However, many ...pupils lack confidence when speaking Welsh, as teachers do not ensure that pupils have enough opportunities to use the language. A notable strength of the school is the outstanding use of the outdoor learning areas. There is daily use of outdoor learning across the school where pupils engage in purposeful activities.

As a result, pupils from an early age learn to communicate, co-operate, and collaborate well with each other to solve problems, create 'masterpieces' using loose parts and develop an appreciation of living things in the world around them. Their ability to work independently is commendable. Leaders and staff know their pupils well.

This is reflected in their approaches to teaching individuals. Many teachers use questioning, assessment and feedback effectively to check pupils' understanding and to move learning forward. However, this is not consistent across the school.

Provision for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) is strong. Staff carefully tailor support to meet the needs of individuals. They work well with outside agencies to create bespoke packages of support when needed.

The headteacher works purposefully with her senior leaders, alongside the governing body to drive school improvement. Self-evaluation procedures are robust and support leaders to identify strengths and areas for development. They use this Information well to plan appropriate strategic actions to secure future improvements.

Leaders adopt an effective collaborate approach to school improvement, embracing the input of pupils, parents, community, governors and the staff. Recommendations R1 Improve opportunities for pupils to use their Welsh oracy skills R2 Consistently use suitable feedback strategies to ensure that pupils know how to improve their work 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 facilitating a child centred approach in the early years using loose parts indoors and outdoors to enhance creativity, resilience and collaborative skills, for dissemination on Estyn's website.