Gaer Primary School is on the west side of the city of Newport. It opened in 2014 following the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools. The school has 459 pupils between the ages of 3 and 11, including 63 part-time pupils in the nursery. There are 17 classes, including a resource base class in key stage 2 for pupils with a range of speech, behavioural and general learning difficulties. The average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals over the last three years is around 20%. This is close to the national average of 19%. A few pupils are from a minority ethnic background. The school has identified 32% of its pupils as having additional learning needs, which is well above the national average of 21%, but this includes the pupils in the resource base class. A very few pupils have a statement of special educational needs. The headteacher took up his post in September 2014. This is the school’s first inspection. 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 Gaer Primary School July 2018 Summary Nearly all pupils make good, and often very good, progress as they move through the school, often from low starting-points on entry. The school is a happy and caring community where pupils have strong attitudes to learning and very good behaviour. Nearly all pupils show very good levels of concentration in their work and they are keen to progress in their learning. They work hard and complete learning tasks to a high standard. The quality of teaching is excellent across the school and assessment for learning is a particularly strong feature. Pupils receive a broad, balanced and rich curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils very well. The school benefits from strong and effective leadership. There is a clear strategic direction for developing the school and there has been a very strong track record of improvement over recent years. Governors are extremely effective in their roles and embrace new initiatives and change purposefully. Inspection area Judgement Standards Excellent Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Excellent Teaching and learning experiences Excellent Care, support and guidance Excellent Leadership and management Excellent 2 A report on Gaer Primary School July 2018 Recommendations R1 Continue to improve attendance What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendation from the inspection. Estyn will invite the school to prepare a case study on its work in relation to assessment for learning for dissemination on Estyn’s website.