St Gerard’s School places a strong emphasis on both well-being and academic standards. The well-being of each member of the school community is a priority. Leaders and staff have high expectations of both themselves and their pupils. Pupils are proud of their school. They are listened to and feel that they can positively influence the work of the school. Pupils have a strong work ethic, and most are highly engaged and enthusiastic about their learning. A prompt move to online provision, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was refined throughout the periods of lockdown. This ensured that pupils learning continued and outcomes in public examinations remain strong. The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum and within the challenges of its context as a small school, responds appropriately to the individual interest of pupils at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form. However, the delivery of personal social and health education (PSHE) and careers are less well developed than other aspects of the curriculum. Teachers know their pupils extremely well and in the best lessons provide a stimulating and creative learning environment. In these lessons a variety of wellpaced activities, along with effective questioning by staff enables pupils to make strong progress and results in strong engagement and enjoyment of lessons. The headteacher was appointed in 2017 and has worked along with his senior team as they faced the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The school has streamlined its approach to governance and the trustees are developing their role as a critical friend. In addition, the school has experienced a period of staffing challenges and as a result, there is some inconsistency in practice and not all new initiatives are embedded. St Gerard’s School meets all the Independent School Standards (Wales) Regulations 2003, needed to maintain registration.