Most teachers at Abertillery Learning Community develop positive working relationships with pupils and create calm and supportive classrooms. Many use positive approaches effectively, which helps pupils to behave well and engage purposefully with their learning. In many classes, including the Complex Needs Resource Bases (CNRBs), staff provide clear instructions and suitable support, which ensures that pupils know what is expected of them. Overall, the school provides a caring and inclusive environment. Staff prioritise pupils’ well-being and offer helpful support through strong partnerships with external agencies. In a majority of sessions, teachers plan activities that support and challenge pupils successfully. As a result, pupils often demonstrate positive attitudes, participate enthusiastically, and make appropriate progress. Many primary-aged pupils develop suitable literacy and numeracy skills, and a few make strong progress in reading and writing. However, the school provides too few opportunities for pupils of all ages to develop their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. The upper school’s provision for the Welsh language is underdeveloped. In a minority of sessions, teachers do not provide enough challenge or engaging activities. This limits pupils’ opportunities to develop independence and thinking skills. In these cases, teachers overuse worksheets or talk for too long, meaning that pupils spend less time on meaningful tasks. As a result, pupils rely too much on teacher guidance and do not make sufficient progress, particularly in the upper school. The school’s curriculum reflects its community well and includes relevant themes such as local mining history. There is a clear vision for Curriculum for Wales, with a focus on developing pupils’ life skills. Many pupils understand the importance of attending school, and attendance has improved notably. The pupil Senedd offers valuable leadership opportunities, although a minority of older pupils are less aware of its impact. The headteacher provides strong leadership and has high expectations for herself and the entire school community. Leaders take clear responsibility for their areas, using data suitably to evaluate and improve performance. Senior leaders help others develop their evaluation skills. However, planning for improvement often lacks precision, limiting progress in teaching and skills development.