Ysgol Gynradd Llys Hywel is situated in the village of Whitland in Carmarthenshire local authority. It provides education for pupils through the medium of Welsh and English in two streams. There are 153 pupils between 3 and 11 years old on roll, including five nursery age pupils who attend on a full-time basis. The school has six mixed-age classes. A majority of pupils attend the Welsh-medium department and 23% of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes. Over a three-year-period, around 18% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals. This corresponds with the national percentage. The school has identified around 19% of its pupils as having additional learning needs. This is lower than the national percentage of 21%. The school was last inspected by Estyn in April 2013 and the current headteacher was appointed in September 2019. 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 Llys Hywel November 2019 Summary Pupils feel happy and safe at the school. They are caring towards each other and respect their peers and adults. During their time there, many pupils in the Welsh stream gain robust Welsh and English communication skills. Considering their starting points, they achieve soundly in their speaking and reading. Many pupils in the English stream make sound progress in their English communication skills, but their progress in their Welsh second language skills is limited. Teachers and assistants care for their pupils well and provide them and their parents with effective guidance and support. The school provides effective opportunities for foundation phase pupils to develop their communication, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills successfully. However, the standard of provision in key stage 2 is inconsistent. In a short time, the headteacher has identified the need to improve aspects of teaching and planning in order to raise standards. The headteacher and governors have new plans in place to achieve these improvements but, as yet, they have not been embedded in full. 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 Llys Hywel November 2019 Recommendations R1 Develop the role of leaders to enable them to contribute effectively towards developing the school’s strategic direction R2 Improve the quality of teaching in key stage 2 to ensure that all pupils achieve to the best of their ability R3 Improve pupils’ writing skills R4 Improve provision to develop pupils’ numeracy skills 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.