Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn is a naturally bilingual secondary school for pupils between 11 and 16 years old. It is situated in the seaside town of Tywyn in the old Merionethshire in Gwynedd. There are 268 pupils on roll in comparison with 298 at the time of the last inspection in 2012. Pupil numbers have decreased year-on-year over the last ten years, and this has led to significant cuts in funding and staffing. The school serves pupils from the town, in the main, in addition to the nearby villages and the surrounding wide rural area. A majority of pupils live in areas that are neither prosperous nor economically disadvantaged. Approximately 11% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is lower than the national figure of 17%. Thirty-three per cent (33%) of pupils are on the school’s additional learning needs register, which is higher than the national percentage. Three per cent (3%) of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, which is slightly higher than the national figure. Nineteen per cent (19%) of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes. Very few pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds and very few speak English as an additional language. The headteacher has been in post since September 2009, and the senior leadership team includes the headteacher and deputy headteacher. 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 Uwchradd Tywyn January 2018 Summary Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn is an extremely caring and inclusive community. The headteacher and all staff embrace a culture of high expectations and respect towards others. Very effective leadership has led to excellent standards of wellbeing and an exceptional level of care and support for pupils. It has also led to robust standards over time and good quality teaching. Most pupils’ behaviour is excellent and many make very valuable contributions to the school’s life and work. Overall, many pupils make sound progress during their time at the school. They develop as independent pupils with very positive attitudes towards learning. Inspection area Judgement Standards Good Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Excellent Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Excellent Leadership and management Good 2 A report on Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn January 2018 Recommendations R1 Improve standards, particularly for more able pupils and in Welsh R2 Strengthen and ensure consistency in the quality of teaching across the school R3 Improve the quality of self-evaluation and planning for improvement among middle leaders R4 Address the financial deficit What happens next The school will produce an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection. Estyn will invite the school to prepare a case study on its work in relation to pupils’ attitudes towards learning and the quality of care, support and guidance that are provided to them, to be disseminated on Estyn’s website.