Ysgol Bro Idris is a bilingual school for 3 to 16-year old pupils, and is maintained by Gwynedd local authority. The school opened as Ysgol Bro Idris in September 2017 following the merger of Ysgol y Gader, Ysgol Gynradd Dolgellau, Ysgol Gynradd Brithdir, Ysgol Ieuan Gwynedd, Ysgol Dinas Mawddwy, Ysgol Gynradd Llanelltyd, Ysgol Friog, Ysgol y Clogau and Ysgol Ganllwyd. There are currently 581 pupils on roll, 352 of whom are of primary school age and 229 are of secondary school age. The school serves the town of Dolgellau and villages in the wide surrounding area. Eight point eight per cent (8.8%) of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is lower than the national average of 16.4% for secondary schools and 18% for primary schools. No pupils live in the 20% most disadvantaged areas in Wales. Very few pupils are eligible to receive support for English as an additional language or come from ethnic minority backgrounds. Over half of pupils speak Welsh fluently, but nearly all pupils understand the language. Thirteen point eight per cent (13.8%) of pupils have special educational needs, which is lower than the national average of 22.9%. Around 1.2% of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, which is below the national average. The headteacher was appointed in 2016 in time for the school’s opening in 2017. A deputy headteacher, three heads of phase and special educational needs co-ordinators complete the senior management team. The school is currently working with Welsh Government and other schools to proceed with developments in relation to education reform in Wales. 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 Bro Idris December 2019 Summary Ysgol Bro Idris is an inclusive and welcoming community in which provision for pupils’ wellbeing is at the heart of all of the school’s work. As a result, most pupils behave well, are friendly and caring towards each other, and treat adults and visitors with respect and courtesy. The headteacher has a clear vision that is based firmly on ‘creating a school that ensures that every learner is happy and safe and reaches his or her full potential, both educationally and socially’. Leaders and staff work together successfully to establish innovative provision across a wide area, and to create an ethos of one school. Between the foundation phase and the end of key stage 2, pupils develop their skills successfully. However, by the end of key stage 4, pupils do not demonstrate the literacy, numeracy or information and communication technology (ICT) skills expected for their age and ability. Provision for skills is not co-ordinated effectively enough between key stage 2 and key stage 3. The principles of the foundation phase have been embedded firmly and, on the whole, teachers provide valuable experiences for pupils. However, the quality of teaching is not consistently high across the school. Inspection area Judgement Standards Adequate and needs improvement Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good 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 Ysgol Bro Idris December 2019 Recommendations R1 Raise standards, particularly for secondary age pupils R2 Develop pupils’ skills across the school through co-ordinated planning R3 Improve the quality of teaching, with specific attention to meeting all pupils’ needs, particularly for secondary-age pupils and more able pupils R4 Improve leadership in order to strengthen self-evaluation and improvement planning processes What happens next The school will produce an action plan that shows how it will address the recommendations. Estyn will review the school’s progress.