Islwyn High School is an English-medium, mixed 11-16 comprehensive school situated in the town of Oakdale, near Blackwood. The school was opened in September 2016 following the amalgamation of Oakdale and Pontllanfraith Comprehensive Schools. The school serves a wide geographical area that includes both Pontllanfraith and Oakdale. The catchment area also extends east to Trinant, to Bryn in the west and south to Ynysddu, Cwmfelinfach and Wattsville. Islwyn High School works in partnership with three other schools and the local further education college to provide post 16 education for their pupils. There are 1,154 pupils on roll, including 53 pupils in the secondary special resource base. Around 19% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. This figure is above the Welsh average of 16.4% for secondary schools. Around 18% of pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas of Wales. Around 25% of pupils have additional learning needs, and just over 7% have a statement of special educational needs. Both of these figures are above the Welsh averages of 22.9% and 2.2% respectively. Almost all pupils are from a white, British background. Very few speak English as an additional language. Very few pupils speak Welsh as a first language. The current headteacher took up his post in 2016. The current leadership team includes two deputy headteachers, three assistant headteachers and the 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 Islwyn High School October 2018 Summary Over the last two years, senior leaders have successfully managed the challenging task of transferring the school from two separate sites into one new school building. This has been undertaken well ensuring minimal disruption to teaching and learning in the school. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school where innovative teaching and learning experiences challenge pupils to become happy, healthy and confident learners. However, the school has not maintained consistently high outcomes at key stage 4 and attendance requires improvement. Most teachers develop positive working relationships with pupils and manage their behaviour well. This is having a beneficial impact on pupils’ engagement in their learning. Many pupils make suitable progress in their learning. Overall, pupils make sound progress in developing their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. In the secondary special resource base (SSRB) classes, teachers deliver highly effective lessons that engage and challenge pupils. These teachers adapt their teaching methods skilfully to meet the diverse needs of pupils. Many pupils in the SSRB make effective progress in lessons in line with their ability. Overall, Islwyn High School has a supportive ethos that promotes the wellbeing of pupils appropriately. Many pupils feel safe in school and demonstrate positive behaviour in lessons. Most pupils are respectful towards one another and to visitors. This contributes to a calm environment across the school. Inspection area Judgement Standards Adequate and needs improvement Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Adequate and needs improvement Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Adequate and needs improvement Leadership and management Adequate and needs improvement 2 A report on Islwyn High School October 2018 Recommendations R1 Raise standards, particularly at key stage 4 R2 Improve attendance R3 Address the safeguarding concerns identified during the inspection R4 Improve the quality of self-evaluation and improvement planning What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to show how it is going to address the recommendations. Estyn will review the school’s progress.