Ysgol Ardudwy is a bilingual secondary school for 11-16 year old pupils. It is situated in the seaside town of Harlech in the north-west of Gwynedd. The school serves the coastal communities of Penrhyndeudraeth, Harlech and Barmouth, and the surrounding rural villages. There are 319 pupils on roll, compared with 330 at the time of the last inspection in 2012. Nearly all pupils are from white ethnic backgrounds. Thirty four per cent (34%) of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes, and 89% speak Welsh fluently. Approximately 13% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is lower than the national figure of 16%. Twenty three per cent (23%) of pupils are on the school’s additional learning needs register, which is higher than the national average. Four per cent of pupils have a statement of additional learning needs, which is higher than the national figure. The senior leadership team includes ac acting headteacher and two link members of the senior leadership team. The acting headteacher has been in post since September 2018. 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 Ysgol Ardudwy December 2018 Summary Ysgol Ardudwy is a close and caring community that provides valuable support and guidance to its pupils. As a result, there is a nurturing and supportive ethos, and most pupils feel safe at school. Most pupils are polite and treat their peers, staff and visitors with respect, and these pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Most teachers have a constructive working relationship with pupils. However, in many lessons, teachers do not do enough to ensure that pupils make strong progress in terms of their skills, knowledge and understanding. They do not plan in enough detail to ensure that the level of challenge is suitable for all pupils, including those who are most able. The school’s curriculum is appropriate, but provision to develop pupils’ literacy skills is weak. These factors have led to poor performance in the key stage 4 performance indicators which include Welsh, English and mathematics. The school’s performance in these indicators has been significantly lower than in similar schools over the last three years. The school has faced a challenging period in terms of leadership, following the departure of the headteacher and chair of governors in September 2018. Following an urgent restructure, the deputy headteacher was appointed as acting headteacher and, very recently, two members of staff have been appointed as link members of the senior leadership team. The acting headteacher has a clear vision for the school, which is based on raising standards, ensuring pupils’ wellbeing and improving the quality of teaching. However, the acting headteacher is the only full-time member of the senior management team and, over time, leadership at all levels has not succeeded in raising and maintaining high standards or improving the quality of teaching. Inspection area Judgement Standards Unsatisfactory and needs urgent 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 Unsatisfactory and needs urgent improvement 2 A report on Ysgol Ardudwy December 2018 Recommendations R1 Improve standards in key stage 4 R2 Improve the quality of teaching and assessment R3 Improve provision to develop pupils’ literacy skills R4 Improve the quality and effect of leadership at all levels R5 Improve the use of findings from self-evaluation activities to plan improvement What happens next In accordance with the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that special measures are required in relation to this school. The school will produce an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection. Estyn will review the school’s progress every term.