Croesyceiliog School is an 11 to 18 comprehensive school situated in Cwmbran and maintained by Torfaen local authority. Most pupils come from the Croesyceiliog, Llanyrafon, Maendy and Pontnewydd districts of Cwmbran. There are currently 1,607 pupils on roll, including 259 in the sixth form. These figures are very similar to those at the time of the last inspection. Around 12% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is lower than the national average of of 17%. Around 16% of of pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas of Wales. The proportion of pupils that have an additional learning need is 18% and 1% have a statement of special educational needs. Both of these figures are below the Welsh averages of, respectively, 21.5% and 2.2%. Most pupils are from a white, British background. There are very few pupils who are fluent in Welsh or have English as an additional language. The headteacher has been in post since 2013. The senior leadership team currently consists of an acting deputy headteacher, an assistant headteacher, an acting assistant headteacher and a business manager. Further information is available from the Welsh Government My Local School website at the link below. http://mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk/Schools/SchoolSearch?lang=en 1 A report on Croesyceiliog School January 2018 Summary Croesyceiliog School has a supportive and inclusive ethos. Pupils participate well in decision-making and a wide range of extra-curricular activities and have a sound understanding of how to keep healthy. Most pupils behave well in lessons and many engage positively in their learning. However, a minority of pupils are not resilient or independent enough in their learning, and a few pupils do not always behave maturely and respectfully as they move around the school. Rates of attendance are lower than in similar schools, and this has a negative impact on pupil progress. In the majority of cases, teaching is engaging and effective and helps pupils to make sound progress in their lessons. However, there is too much variation in the quality of teaching. Senior leaders have a clear and well-understood vision for how to improve the school and they have a sound understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. However, there is too much variation in how effectively middle leaders evaluate their work and plan for improvement. This has limited the school’s ability to secure consistent enough improvement in important areas of the school’s work, such as key stage 4 outcomes, rates of attendance and the quality of teaching. Inspection area Judgement Standards Adequate and needs improvement Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Adequate and needs improvement Teaching and learning experiences Adequate and needs improvement Care, support and guidance Adequate and needs improvement Leadership and management Adequate and needs improvement 2 A report on Croesyceiliog School January 2018 Recommendations R1 Raise standards at key stage 4, improve pupils’ skills and develop their independence and resilience in learning R2 Improve the quality of teaching R3 Improve attendance R4 Strengthen leadership at all levels R5 Strengthen arrangements for self-evaluation and improvement planning, in particular the role played by middle leaders in this aspect of the school’s work What happens next The school will draw up an action plan that shows how it is going to address the recommendations. Estyn will review the school’s progress.