Primary
Early Insights 2025-2026
Teaching and Learning
Many schools provide purposeful learning experiences, supported by effective teaching and positive relationships that help pupils make secure progress. Pupils generally engage well, grow in confidence and develop positive attitudes to learning. However, provision remains variable, particularly in the quality and consistency of teaching, the accuracy of assessment and progression and the level of challenge. In a few schools, overly directed learning and insufficient challenge limit pupils’ independence, deeper thinking and ability to apply their skills.
What’s going well
- Many schools continue to review their curriculum and adapt learning experiences in response to pupils’ needs and progress.
- Many schools provide authentic and purposeful learning experiences that help pupils make meaningful connections within and across areas of learning and experience. These approaches often focus appropriately on securing deeper learning over coverage.
- In many schools, teaching and assessment are generally effective. Strong relationships, calm learning environments and purposeful questioning support pupils’ learning and progress well.
- Most schools help pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and to school life.
What needs to improve
- In around three in ten primary schools, curriculum planning does not support coherent enough progression in pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Learning activities in these schools often lack purpose, clarity, challenge or breadth.
- In a few schools, teachers do not use assessment information well enough to monitor pupils’ progress or adapt support to help them improve.
- In just over a quarter of schools, teachers do not ensure that pupils learn at a suitable pace.
- In a minority of schools, overly scaffolded activities limit pupils’ independence and reduce opportunities for them to think for themselves.
Well-being, care, support and guidance
Many schools support pupils’ well-being and inclusion effectively through positive relationships, targeted support and meaningful opportunities to influence school life. However, attendance and persistent absence remain significant challenges, particularly for pupils experiencing poverty. Although schools have strengthened their efforts to improve attendance, the impact remains inconsistent across the sector.
What’s going well
- In many schools, provision for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) supports their learning and well-being effectively. Staff share high expectations and prioritise early identification and intervention.
- Most schools have a strong safeguarding culture, and staff understand their responsibility for keeping pupils safe.
- Many schools promote positive, respectful and inclusive relationships that strengthen pupils’ well-being and sense of belonging.
- Many schools have continued to strengthen how they monitor attendance and support pupils to attend regularly.
What needs to improve
- In a minority of schools, strategic oversight of attendance is not strong enough, particularly in relation to persistent absence and the attendance of pupils eligible for free school meals.
- In a minority of schools, pupil leadership is too adult-directed or does not involve all groups of pupils well enough.
Leading and improving
Many schools benefit from effective leadership. In the strongest schools, accurate self-evaluation, purposeful professional learning and effective distributed leadership support sustained improvement. However, the impact of leadership remains variable. In a minority of schools, self-evaluation and improvement planning are not rigorous enough to secure lasting improvement.
What’s going well
- In many primary schools, leaders set a clear strategic direction that helps staff improve teaching and learning.
- Many leaders understand their school and community well and adapt provision thoughtfully to meet pupils’ needs and interests.
- Effective leadership at all levels contributes strongly to improving the quality of teaching in many primary schools.
- In many schools, leaders use well-planned and closely monitored professional learning to support improvement successfully.
What needs to improve
- Where leadership was less effective, self-evaluation does not focus sharply enough on teaching and pupils’ progress. As a result, improvement planning is not always well matched to the school’s priorities.
- Although many schools manage the pupil development grant appropriately, leaders do not always evaluate its impact on pupils’ attendance, well-being and progress well enough.
- In a minority of schools, governors rely too heavily on information from senior leaders and do not challenge them robustly enough about pupils’ progress or the impact of provision.
Overview of recommendations from inspections
During the 2025–2026 academic year, Estyn carried out core inspections in 209 primary schools. 11 schools were placed in a follow-up category. Every school received at least one recommendation, with 454 recommendations made in total.
A total of 191 schools (91%) received at least one recommendation relating to teaching and learning.
- 77 (37%) received a recommendation to improve the quality of teaching or reduce variability in teaching across the school.
- 58 schools (28%) received a recommendation to strengthen pupils’ independent learning.
- 51 schools (25%) received a recommendation to develop pupils’ Welsh language skills.
- 39 schools (19%) received a recommendation to ensure an appropriate level of challenge in pupils’ learning
62 schools (30%) received at least one recommendation relating to well-being, care, support and guidance.
- 52 schools (24%) received a recommendation to improve attendance or punctuality.
76 schools (36%) received at least one recommendation relating to leading and improving.
- 51 schools (25%) received a recommendation to develop or strengthen self-evaluation and school improvement.
- 22 schools (11%) received a recommendation to strengthen leadership.
Effective practice identified during inspection
IA1: Teaching and learning
Blaen-y-Cwm C.P. School
Read about how staff at Blaen-y-Cwm C.P. School ensured that highly effective teaching impacted positively on pupils’ learning and progress.
Ynysowen Community Primary School
Read how Ynysowen Community Primary School in Merthyr Tydfil developed a strategic, whole-school approach that improved pupils’ higher order reading skills and nurtured a love of reading for pleasure.
Cwmffrwdoer Primary School
At Cwmffrwdoer Primary School, staff established a vibrant curriculum that supports pupils to consolidate a wide range of skills through STEM projects.
Ysgol Gynradd Llanfairpwll
Leaders and staff at Ysgol Gynradd Llanfairpwll promote pupils’ skills and broaden their horizons through contemporary and Welsh experiences.
IA2: Well-being, care, support and guidance
Ysgol Plascrug
At Ysgol Plascrug in Aberystwyth, staff provided carefully planned support that helped pupils with ALN, vulnerable pupils and Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) to thrive.
IA3: Leading and improving
Federation of Ysgol Gynradd Talysarn and Ysgol Brynaerau
Read how leaders at the federation of Ysgol Gynradd Talysarn and Ysgol Brynaerau used high quality professional learning to meet the schools’ improvement needs and the development requirements of individual staff.
Ysgol Bryn Coch
Read how leaders at Ysgol Bryn Coch in Mold established a strong and sustained culture of reflection, collaboration and improvement to ensure highly effective teaching and learning.
Ysgol Cefnllys
Staff and leaders at Ysgol Cefnllys used their extensive knowledge of pupils and families to provide highly effective support for vulnerable pupils.