The school is situated in the village of Gilfach on the outskirts of the town of Bargoed, in the heart of the Rhymney valley in Caerphilly local authority. Pupil numbers have declined over the last three years. There are now 141 pupils between 3 and 11 years old on roll, including 17 part-time nursery pupils. Over the last three years, an average of 20% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals, which is higher than the national average of 18%. The school has identified 21% of its pupils as having additional learning needs. This is the same as the national average. Very few pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes. The school was last inspected in January 2012. Since the summer term 2019, there has been a significant change in the school’s leadership, and the acting headteacher began in post on a part-time contract 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 Gymraeg Gilfach Fargod October 2019 Summary During their time at the school, many pupils make adequate progress in their learning. This includes those with special educational needs. Although pupils’ achievement and attainment are now beginning to improve, on the whole, only a few achieve to the best of their ability in their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. The school has a caring ethos, in which pupils and staff respect each other. As a result, pupils behave well and are willing to learn. On the whole, teachers provide tasks and experiences that engage many pupils’ interest appropriately. However, teachers do not have high enough expectations to encourage all pupils to achieve as well as they could. The school does not have systematic procedures for tracking and evaluating pupils’ progress. This is an important shortcoming and means that teachers do not identify pupils’ specific needs in enough detail or measure their progress regularly enough. The lack of strategic leadership over an extended period means that provision has not had a positive enough effect on pupils’ standards. However, following significant support and guidance from officers from the regional consortium over the last six months, the school’s leadership and management are beginning to improve. In a short period of time, the acting headteacher has identified the school’s current strengths and areas for improvement well, and provides robust leadership in order to move it forward. Inspection area Judgement Standards Adequate and needs improvement Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Adequate and needs improvement Teaching and learning experiences Adequate and needs improvement Unsatisfactory and needs urgent improvement Unsatisfactory and needs urgent improvement Care, support and guidance Leadership and management 2 A report on Ysgol Gymraeg Gilfach Fargod October 2019 Recommendations R1 Ensure that leaders, including the governors, operate more effectively in setting a strategic direction for the school and challenging its performance R2 Improve self-evaluation and planning for improvement processes R3 Establish manageable progress-tracking procedures and ensure that teachers use them efficiently to extend learning R4 Ensure that provision for pupils with special educational needs meets their needs R5 Improve pupils’ standards of literacy R6 Ensure that planning and teaching provide appropriate challenge for pupils to achieve to the best of their ability and develop as independent learners What happens next In accordance with the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school is in need of significant improvement. The school will produce an action plan to show how it will address the recommendations. Estyn will monitor the school’s progress around 12 months after the publication of this report.