Ysgol Gyfun y Strade is a close-knit and proud community. Close and productive relationships between staff and pupils make a valuable contribution towards creating a familial and supportive atmosphere. The respectful behaviour of nearly all pupils, and their polished social skills, are notable strengths. During their time at the school, many pupils make sound progress in terms of their knowledge, understanding and skills. Providing care and support of the highest standard, in addition to a rich range of learning experiences, is at the heart of the school’s work. As a result, pupils benefit from comprehensive support, effective teaching and a variety of rich experiences that broaden their horizons and make an important contribution to their Welsh identity. Leaders work together effectively in order to support the wellbeing and progress of pupils and staff. Successful leadership has had a positive influence on important aspects of the school’s work, including pupils’ attendance and positive attitudes to learning. Inspection area Judgement Standards Good Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good DRAFT AND C ONFID ENTIAL Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Good Leadership and management Good 2 A report on Ysgol Gyfun y Strade March 2019 Recommendations R1 Improve pupils’ standards, particularly those who are more able R2 Ensure that pupils’ views have more influence on the school’s work R3 Improve the quality of teaching, including provision for numeracy and ICT and provision for challenging more able pupils R4 Improve self-evaluation processes, including the use of data and progress-tracking systems R5 Address the safeguarding and health and safety issues that were raised during the inspection 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 supporting pupils’ mental health, to be disseminated on Estyn’s website DRAFT AND C ONFID ENTIAL 3 A report on Ysgol Gyfun y Strade March 2019 Main findings Standards: Good During their time at the school, many pupils make sound progress in their lessons and external examinations. They recall previous knowledge efficiently and apply their skills skilfully, particularly their literacy skills. A few pupils, including those who are more able, do not make enough progress. Most pupils listen attentively and respectfully to each other and their teachers. Many are willing to contribute to class discussions and a majority convey themselves clearly and support their views effectively. They communicate by using local dialect and use subject terminology confidently, for example when discussing musical elements when preparing an arrangement of a local folk song. A minority speak fluently and elegantly, and they have rich vocabulary. However, a minority provide limited oral responses, and a few are reticent and unwilling to contribute to discussions. Pupils’ reading skills are a strength. Many read confidently in order to find facts and gather information. They analyse literary and factual texts suitably, and explain the effect of writing techniques competently, such as persuasion techniques in holiday advertisements in their English lessons, or when interpreting sources about the Black Death in history. A majority interpret and analyse literary texts sensitively. They use appropriate technical vocabulary and include purposeful quotations. A minority do this skilfully, and show a mature and keen understanding of texts, such as when they compare love poems in their English lessons. A minority are too superficial when interpreting texts and the effect of writing techniques. DRAFT AND C ONFID ENTIAL When writing, many pupils organise their work sensibly by using paragraphs, and they write extended pieces across a range of subjects. A majority have suitable vocabulary, and a minority of pupils’ vocabulary is broad and refined. However, a few pupils’ vocabulary is limited. A majority apply writing techniques and genres appropriately, and write in a suitable register. A minority use language and style skilfully, for example when writing a monologue by the character Eli Brown. A minority of pupils make numerous careless mistakes in terms of their grammar and spelling. These pupils do not take enough responsibility for correcting their work before the teacher looks at it. Many pupils have appropriate number skills and use subject terminology suitably. They use units and produce and interpret graphs correctly, for example when interpreting distance-time graphs in mathematics. However, a majority do not apply their number skills in order to solve multi-step mathematical problems often enough. Many pupils use information and communication technology (ICT) programs confidently in order to share information and work together on projects. They use word processing programs, create presentations and basic spreadsheets competently. However, their progress in developing their advanced ICT skills across the subjects is limited