Primary schools
This page provides a summary of the key messages from our work in the sector during the academic year 2021-22. Click on the arrows for details of what’s going well and what needs to improve, along with links to resources for providers.
What’s going well
- Schools have introduced useful strategies to support pupils’ physical and emotional well-being and to address issues arising from the pandemic.
- Frequently, pupils have a good understanding of their rights as a child, the rights of others and important issues around fairness and equality.
- Increasingly, pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning, such as an ability to persevere, collaborate and find alternative solutions to problems.
- Most schools are preparing well for additional learning needs (ALN) reform.
What needs to improve
- On occasion, pupils’ opportunities to influence what and how they learn are limited. Click here to see resources that School Councils and pupil groups can use to consider how they can work with staff to improve this.
- In some schools, as they prepare for the Curriculum for Wales, too often teachers make superficial reference to the four purposes rather than thinking carefully enough about how planned learning activities can allow pupils to develop and demonstrate these values in their work and social interactions. View resource.
What’s going well
- Staff are working well with parents, pupils and the community to establish a shared vision for the curriculum.
- Schools are focusing on improving pedagogy and, where this is most effective, the quality of teaching and learning is an ongoing and honest conversation amongst staff and leaders.
- Where schools have evaluated the effectiveness of teaching, pupils are receiving more engaging learning experiences.
- Overall, pupils’ digital skills are strong in many schools.
What needs to improve
- Following the pandemic, in some schools, pupils of all abilities often make basic mistakes with grammar, spelling and punctuation and struggle to write at length.
- A few schools have prioritised designing the curriculum without enough emphasis on improving the quality of teaching.
What’s going well
- Leaders have sought to strengthen partnerships with other schools, parents and outside agencies.
- As a result of the challenges of the last two years and the response by leaders and staff, there is a stronger team ethos in many schools.
- Leaders have adapted their approach to professional learning and schools now increasingly engage well with research to support improvements in teaching and learning.
- Many schools continue their important focus on improving teaching as a key driver to improve pupils’ standards and their curriculum delivery.
What needs to improve
- In a few schools, leaders haven’t yet re-established their self-evaluation arrangements. This means that some important areas of their work, such as effective foundation phase learning, are not as successful as they could be.
- A few schools are only just beginning to think about their vision for teaching and their curriculum in preparation for the Curriculum for Wales.