Ysgol Gynradd Hafodwenog is situated in the village of Trelech in Carmarthenshire local authority. Welsh is the main medium of the school’s life and work, and English is introduced in key stage 2. There are 42 pupils between 4 and 11 years old on roll, including 5 full-time nursery age pupils. Pupils are organised into two classes, one for the foundation phase and another for key stage 2. Thirty seven per cent (37%) of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes. No pupils are eligible for free school meals and very few have additional learning needs. The headteacher of a nearby school has been in charge of the school since September 2018. He spends two days a week at the school, and the school was last inspected in November 2012. 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 Gynradd Hafodwenog February 2019 Summary The school has a strong community ethos and most pupils show pride towards their local community. They visit their community regularly and welcome visitors to the school to enrich their learning. Staff place a firm emphasis on creating a safe learning environment for pupils, which has a positive effect on their wellbeing. However, teachers do not always have high enough expectations in terms of standards or pupils’ academic aspirations. As a result, a minority of pupils do not make enough progress, particularly in key stage 2. In a short period of time, the new headteacher has established an ethos of successful co-operation among the staff. She has started to make beneficial improvements to aspects of provision and pupils’ standards. Leaders identify the school’s strengths and many areas for improvement. However, monitoring procedures are not always rigorous enough to identify or address important issues, such as the lack of challenge in teaching. 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 Good Leadership and management Adequate and needs improvement 2 A report on Ysgol Gynradd Hafodwenog February 2019 Recommendations R1 Improve the school’s monitoring procedures and improvement plans to ensure that they focus firmly on raising standards R2 Raise pupils’ standards of Welsh communication R3 Ensure that teaching provides an appropriate challenge for all pupils to achieve to the best of their ability and develop as independent and ambitious learners R4 Ensure that teachers provide a balanced curriculum and develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding in all areas of learning R5 Strengthen the role of governors in monitoring the quality of provision and standards to enable them to challenge the school’s performance effectively What happens next The school will produce an action plan to show how it will address the recommendations. Estyn will review the school’s progress.