Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg (YGG) Cwm Garw is located in the village of Pontycymer in the Garw valley, north of the town of Bridgend. The school provides a bilingual education for 152 children. The school receives children from a very extensive catchment area, from the Garw Valley, the Ogmore valley and the village of Betws. YGG Cwm Garw was established in its current form in 1988, on the site of the former Garw Grammar School and Ynysawdre Comprehensive School. The community has a high level of unemployment and is described as being economically disadvantaged. Twenty-five per cent (25%) of the pupils are entitled to free school meals. This is marginally higher than both the local and national averages. Pupils are accepted on a full-time basis to the Nursery in the September following their third birthday. Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin holds ‘Cylch Meithrin' and ‘Ti a Fi' groups on the site. The school has six classes and six full-time teachers as well as a headteacher. There are also six full-time classroom assistants and one part-time classroom assistant. Four per cent (4%) of the pupils receive additional learning needs (ALN) support. Language support is received by 43 pupils (28%) and numeracy support by 23 children (15%). A very small minority receive care from the local authority. No temporary or permanent exclusions were recorded during the year prior to the inspection. Almost every child comes from a home in which English is noted as the main language except for two children in which Welsh is noted as the home language. Three children are of ethnic origin. The school is undergoing a period of change, following the retirement of the headteacher in July 2010. A permanent headteacher was not appointed for September 2010, but the school is in the care of an acting headteacher and deputy headteacher. Both teachers have previous experience in the posts, following the secondment of the headteacher for two terms in 20008/09. A number of staff changes have taken place since the previous inspection in 2004. Half the teachers and a number of the assistants, particularly in the Foundation Phase, have been appointed since then. In 2009-2010, the individual school budget for YGG Cwm Garw is £3,719 per pupil which compares with a maximum of £4,826 and a minimum of £2,758 for primary schools in Bridgend. The school has the 12th highest budget per pupil of the 52 primary schools in Bridgend.