Darparwyr sydd wedi gwella’n gyflym

Provider: Cylch Meithrin Llannerch-y-medd

Level of follow-up: Estyn monitoring

Removed: December 2021

Leaders at Cylch Meithrin Llannerch-y-medd have established a clear vision for the setting based on providing a wide and enriching range of experiences for the children. They have established self-evaluation processes, which include all stakeholders and provide the setting with manageable priorities for improvement. As they develop their approach to delivering the curriculum for non-maintained settings, they have raised the expectations of practitioners and have provided opportunities for professional learning. They work closely with the local authority’s advisory teachers, and with umbrella organisations, such as the Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin, to introduce elements of responsive planning, and to develop practitioners’ confidence. They now make far more effective use of the different learning areas, creating a stimulating environment for the children to play. They have shared their work with other settings across the authority.

Provider: Ysgol Gymraeg Ffwrnes

Level of follow-up: Significant improvement

Removed: November 2021

As in many other schools during this academic year, the COVID-19 pandemic affected Ysgol Gymraeg Ffwrnes’ ability to implement improvements. Leaders demonstrated sound judgement when adjusting their improvement plans, such as by changing the timeframe for implementing some activities or using technology to better support their improvement goals. Although the pandemic restricted the opportunities for direct monitoring, leaders, including the governors, continued to evaluate important aspects virtually. For example, they scrutinised the quality of distance learning provision to identify what was good and what needed to improve. Leaders created a bespoke school improvement plan that includes the core inspection recommendations as well as other priorities. Leaders monitored their progress against the actions carefully, clearly stating what had been achieved and what the next steps would be. As a result of robust self-evaluation procedures, the school made good progress against the core inspection recommendations.

Provider: Tŷ Gwyn Education Centre

Level of follow-up: Special measures

Removed: November 2021

At Tŷ Gwyn Education Centre, the introduction of trauma-informed approaches and practice has contributed significantly to improvements in provision across the PRU This has been achieved through professional development for all staff, including accreditation as trauma-informed practitioners. The therapeutic model of support and intervention for pupils is a strength. The model is enhanced greatly by the assistant educational psychologists based full-time at the PRU. This approach deepens staff understanding of pupil behaviour and impacts in turn on increased levels of pupil engagement and progress.

Provider: Croesyceiliog School

Level of follow-up: Estyn review / Special measures

Removed: November 2021

Croesyceiliog School was inspected in 2018 and placed in non-statutory follow-up (Estyn review). When inspectors re-visited in 2020, progress was found to be too slow and the school was deemed to require special measures. An executive headteacher was appointed, who quickly developed a clear vision for the school’s improvement. Roles and responsibilities at senior and middle leader level were refined to make best use of the existing staff, and these leaders ensured that the school’s improvement work had a sustained focus on developing effective classroom practice. Valuable professional learning activities helped leaders to develop their capacity to accurately evaluate their areas of responsibility, especially the effectiveness of teaching. This enabled them to identify precisely the specific aspects that required development.

The strategic direction provided by the executive headteacher helped staff to work collaboratively, for example by regularly sharing good practice. As a result, the school made rapid progress against the recommendations from the core inspection.

Provider: Plasnewydd Primary School

Level of follow-up: Special measures

Removed: October 2021

Plasnewydd Primary School was placed in special measures following the core inspection in 2018. The school was removed from further follow-up in 2021. Following a period of leadership turbulence, all staff now understand and accept their roles and responsibilities but know that they will be held to account for any underperformance where appropriate. Teachers and support staff appreciate the support, coaching and mentoring that they receive from leaders to help them to do their best for the pupils in their classes. Leaders now have the confidence to tackle any underperformance robustly. However, they also ensure that they balance addressing underperformance with support for their colleagues, for example when teachers move to classes in unfamiliar age groups, or when temporary staff cover for absence.

This collaboration between staff and leaders, along with clear, high expectations of everyone to do their best, has contributed to the school’s improvements over time. Together, these actions have helped to build a culture where all staff relish their core responsibility for the education and progress of pupils in their class, and across the school. This shared culture supports everyone to become ‘#proud to be Plas’.

Provider: Bryn Celyn Primary School

Level of follow-up: Significant improvement / Special measures

Removed: 2014 and revisited in 2022

Bryn Celyn Primary School in Cardiff was placed into significant improvement, and then special measures, following its core inspection in 2011. The school serves an area of significant deprivation where the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is around 74%. The school was removed from statutory follow-up in 2014, following three years of regular monitoring from Estyn and intensive support for the local authority and regional consortium.

When inspectors returned in 2022 to complete a core inspection, the school had improved markedly and did not require any follow-up. Nearly all staff had remained at the school, including the headteacher, creating a cohesive, well-focused culture of collaboration. Leaders have established a strong partnership with parents that has been highly successful in raising pupils’ aspirations. Inspectors found a much-strengthened focus on pupil achievement and, as a result, significant well-embedded improvements to the quality of teaching and classroom practice.

Provider: Abertillery Learning Community

Level of follow-up: Significant improvement

Removed: February 2022

At Abertillery Learning Community, after a period of staffing instability, the headteacher and senior leadership team provide strong leadership that is committed to securing high quality teaching and provision for pupils of all ages. They strengthened arrangements for self-evaluation and improvement planning across the school. As a result of more robust monitoring and appropriate professional learning, teaching across the school has improved and had a positive impact on pupils’ progress, behaviour and attitudes to learning. Staff have a good understanding of what is expected of them and what they can expect from leaders. This has helped to improve the morale of staff, create a sense of teamwork across the school and raise expectations around what pupils can achieve. Leaders also strengthened their arrangements for consulting with pupils on many aspects of the school’s work, which led to notable changes to the school’s provision and general improvement.

Provider: Ysgol Bryn Alyn

Level of follow-up: Special measures

Removed: October 2021

Ysgol Bryn Alyn had been in special measures for just under a year when the current headteacher was appointed in 2018. She focused initially on ensuring that pupils and staff felt pride in being members of the school community, improving pupil behaviour and strengthening leadership. Over the course of three years, and particularly during the pandemic, she worked on forging a sense of teamwork across the school. This was crucial to the school’s improvement and helped to change the culture and ethos of the school. To support positive pupil behaviour, the school revised its curriculum so that there is now a broader range provision to meet pupils’ differing needs and interest.

Leaders also introduced a new behaviour policy and developed internal provision and support strategies to help disaffected pupils. The roles and responsibilities of leaders were clarified and distributed appropriately. Professional learning around aspects such as self-evaluation, improvement planning and being a leader has helped leaders to better undertake their roles and have a clearer understanding of the strengths and areas for development within their areas of responsibility. Governors recognised that in the past they had not been sufficiently aware of what was happening in the school. They now ensure that they are well informed and challenge the school more effectively.

Provider: Adult Learning Wales

Level of follow-up: Estyn review

Removed: June 2021

Adult Learning Wales was inspected in January 2019 and placed in Estyn review. The provider was removed from the list of providers requiring Estyn review in June 2021, following a desk-based review of evidence on progress made since the inspection.

Following the core inspection, the provider responded swiftly to the recommendations contained in the inspection report by widening the participation of staff and external partners in self-evaluation processes and improvement planning. Leaders also implemented a range of initiatives to improve the ways in which tutors shared good practice and resources across the organisation. These included improvements to online resource areas and the introduction of lead tutor roles.

Leaders gave particular attention to improving the quality of information and guidance relating to supporting learners with additional learning needs (ALN) and to ensuring that all staff received appropriate training on ALN. For example, staff now make good use of clear flow-charts that provide tutors with an easy reference tool to help them understand how and when to apply for help for self-referring and identified learners requiring ALN support. This helped to improve access to additional learning support. Tutors also benefited from useful training to help them identify learners with ALN and to adapt their teaching approaches to provide more effective support.

Provider: Powys County Council Education Services

Level of follow-up: Significant concern

Removed: October 2021

Following our monitoring visit in the autumn term, we judged that Powys education services had made sufficient progress to be removed from our list of local authorities causing significant concern. Officers and elected members had responded well to the findings of the core inspection, acknowledged the challenges they faced and worked quickly to begin to address the recommendations that we made.

The chief executive appointed a new director of education who strengthened the relationship between the education service and schools. A positive feature has been that, although the improvement work was at an early stage at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, officers and elected members maintained a robust focus on the implementation of the improvement strategies at the same time as addressing the urgent needs of schools caused by the pandemic.

We found that the local authority had made strong progress in aspects of its work that caused concern during the core inspection. For example, support for schools including those participating in the Welsh Government’s pilot multi-agency approach has resulted in secondary schools showing sufficient progress to be removed from a statutory category of follow-up. Officers also improved the planning and co-ordination of provision for pupils with special educational needs and those who require extra support.

The local authority implemented an ambitious programme of school organisation proposals based on the Transforming Education Strategy. These proposals have included the opening of a new all-age school, the merger of a number of primary schools and the closure of small rural schools, as well as changes to the language category of schools. Officers and relevant members of the council engaged well with parents, pupils, staff and governors to discuss proposals and allay concerns.