Ysgol Heulfan is in Gwersyllt, in Wrexham local authority. There are around 370 pupils on roll, aged between 3 and 11 years, including 43 nursery children who attend on a part-time basis. There are five single-age and seven mixed-age classes in the school. The school also has a resourced provision called Y Canol, comprising four classes for 34 pupils aged between 3 and 14 years with PMLD. There is an additional provision for early years pupils, most of whom have non-verbal ASD. Many of these pupils travel from outside the school’s traditional catchment area. The rolling average for the past three years means that about 31% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. This is well above the national average (19%). Most pupils are of white British ethnicity and speak English. Around 7% of pupils speak English as a second language and are developing competence in English. No pupils speak Welsh at home. The school identifies around 25% of pupils as having additional learning needs. This is higher than the national average (21%). The headteacher took up her post in January 2006. The school’s last inspection was in November 2009. 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 Heulfan February 2018 Summary Ysgol Heulfan is an exceptionally caring and inclusive school. The headteacher and senior leaders are highly effective and provide inspirational leadership. As a result, almost all pupils make strong progress, often from very low starting points and those that are more able achieve highly. The progress that many pupils make in developing their literacy skills is a particularly strong feature of the school’s success. Nearly all pupils are courteous and their behaviour in and around the school is exemplary. They have admirable attitudes to their learning and display high levels of independence and resilience. The overall quality of teaching is good although there are examples of excellent practice in many classes. All staff provide a rich, imaginative and stimulating curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils well. Provision for pupils with additional learning needs is excellent. The high levels of care, support and guidance that staff provide throughout the school is remarkable. As a result, pupils thrive, and feel safe and valued. Inspection area Judgement Standards Excellent Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Excellent Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Excellent Leadership and management Excellent 2 A report on Ysgol Heulfan February 2018 Recommendations R1 Ensure that feedback by teachers consistently reflects what pupils need to do to improve their work R2 Provide all key stage 2 pupils with an appropriate balance of written and mental mathematical work to support their numeracy skills What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection. Estyn will invite the school to prepare two case studies on its work in relation to: 1. Provision for pupils with additional learning needs 2. Promoting the rapid develoment of pupils’ speaking and listening skills for dissemination on Estyn’s website.