Lewis School Pengam is an 11 to 18 community comprehensive school for boys, with a mixed sex sixth form, maintained by Caerphilly County Borough Council. There are 793 pupils on roll with 123 in the sixth form. This is lower than at the time of the last inspection in 2012 when there were 956 pupils on roll with 177 in the sixth form. The school serves communities in the Rhymney valley. Nearly 22% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is higher than the national average of 17% and 36.1% of pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales. Very few pupils come from an ethnic minority background. There are 25% of pupils with a special educational need. This is higher than the national average of 21.5%. The percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is in line with the national average of 2%. The headteacher took up his post in 2013. The senior leadership team consists of the headteacher, a deputy headteacher, three assistant headteachers and two associate assistant headteachers. The school is currently a pioneer school and is working with the Welsh Government and other schools to take forward developments relating to the curriculum and professional learning. 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 Lewis School Pengam January 2018 Summary Lewis School Pengam has an inclusive ethos where most pupils feel safe and part of a community. Working relationships between teachers and pupils are strong and constructive. A majority of pupils make suitable progress in lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. However, a minority of pupils do not engage fully in lessons and make insufficient progress. A few disrupt the learning of others. The school has recently introduced an innovative curriculum for Year 7 pupils, which is contributing to high levels of pupil engagement. However, the school does not have a co-ordinated approach to the progressive development of pupils’ skills across the curriculum. Overall, performance in key stage 4 between 2014 and 2016 showed a steady trend of improvement although in 2017, performance declined. Over a three year period, in those indicators that include English and mathematics, performance of pupils eligible for free school meals has not compared well to that of pupils in similar schools and schools nationally. The headteacher’s vision to help all pupils to fulfil their potential and to be prepared for life after school is shared by a committed team of staff. However, leadership has not led to sufficient or sustained improvements in the quality of teaching, behaviour and the standards achieved by all pupils, including their skills. 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 Lewis School Pengam January 2018 Recommendations R1 Improve standards at key stage 4 for all pupils R2 Improve pupils’ behaviour and attendance R3 Improve the quality of teaching and provision for the progressive development of pupils’ skills, including Welsh language skills R4 Increase the effectiveness and accountability of leaders at all levels R5 Increase the rigor of self-evaluation and precision of improvement planning R6 Provide a daily act of collective worship 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.