Derwendeg Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Derwendeg Primary School is a caring and inclusive school with a strong sense of community.

Most pupils enjoy their time in the school and value the working relationships they develop with staff and their peers. The school's nurturing ethos supports pupils to behave responsibly and to show courtesy to others in lessons and around the school. Most pupils settle to tasks readily and focus well on their learning.

Many pupils make sound progress in developing their literacy, numeracy and digital skills, although they do not always extend their use of these fully enough in their wider learning. Teachers provide a worthwhile variety of learning experiences, including a stimulating variety of visits and extra-curricular activitie...s. They support pupils to develop their Welsh language skills effectively and provide beneficial opportunities for them to explore their locality and understand the wider world.

Staff tailor provision to secure pupils' well-being and to meet their emotional needs successfully. This supports pupils to feel valued and to learn how to manage their feelings effectively. Teachers structure pupils' learning thoughtfully.

They provide clear objectives in lessons and monitor pupils' progress carefully. However, overall, teachers manage pupils' learning too closely and this hinders their development as independent learners. They do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their skills at a suitably challenging level in their learning across the curriculum.

Leaders have successfully developed a committed staff team. They work well together to secure improvements, such as increasing rates of pupils' attendance and developing pupils' reading skills. However, leaders' evaluation of the quality of teaching does not focus closely enough on its impact on pupils' progress.

The headteacher and governors understand the needs of the school community well. Staff work energetically to foster strong relationships with families who value the support the school provides. Recommendations R1 Sharpen self-evaluation processes to focus more keenly on the quality of teaching and learning R2 Improve teaching to provide suitable challenge to all pupils and develop their independence as learners R3 Strengthen the curriculum to provide richer opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their skills and knowledge What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.