Rhydri Primary School is in the rural village of Rudry in Caerphilly local authority. There are currently 89 pupils between 3 and 11 years old on roll, including 12 part-time nursery age pupils. They are divided into four mixed age classes. The average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals over the last three years is around 3%. This is well below the national average of 18%. The school identifies that around 20% of pupils have additional learning needs, which is similar to the national average. No pupil speaks Welsh at home, and there are very few pupils from an ethnic minority background. The school currently works in close partnership with a local junior school with the intention of establishing a more formal federation. The governing bodies of Bedwas Junior and Rhydri Primary schools, together with Caerphilly local authority, propose to establish the federation of Bedwas Junior and Rhydri Primary schools. If the proposal is accepted, the federation will come into effect on 1 September, 2019. The school was last inspected in September, 2013. The headteacher was appointed in September, 2017. 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 Rhydri Primary School February 2019 Summary A particular strength of the school is the warm, caring and nurturing learning environment that it provides for pupils. This contributes significantly to pupils’ strong levels of wellbeing and their attitudes to learning, and helps them grow into caring, considerate and polite individuals. Most pupils make at least good progress from their starting points, especially in their literacy skills. This is a result of good teaching overall and the strong and effective working relationships between staff and pupils. Teachers develop learning experiences that build effectively on pupils’ current knowledge. This helps to develop and maintain pupils’ positive attitudes to learning. Leaders know what the school needs to do to improve. They have developed staff’s leadership skills and shared responsibilities well, and this enables the whole school team to work towards achieving its aims. Inspection area Judgement Standards Good Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Good Leadership and management Good 2 A report on Rhydri Primary School February 2019 Recommendations R1 Ensure consistency in the application of the principles and practices of the foundation phase R2 Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their ICT skills R3 Improve pupils’ independent learning skills and increase the effectiveness of pupil voice groups in influencing the life and work of the school What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.