The only Welsh medium school in Penarth has been put in special measures by inspectors who said “the standard of teaching is too inconsistent”. Only minority of pupils at Ysgol Pen-y- Garth speak Welsh with their peers in lessons and informal situations and sometimes incorrect work is marked as correct, according to an Estyn report.
Inspectors said pupils are not given enough opportunities to celebrate their Welshness at the Penarth school, for example through expressive arts. And while “there have been recent improvements to the school’s leadership” resources have not been managed well enough.
After visiting Ysgol Pen-y- Garth in November Estyn inspectors found “at times, work that is incorrect is marked as being correct and given positive comments” and "there also continue to be shortcomings in the way in which leaders respond to complaints” .
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On teaching and learning the report said teachers’ feedback does not explain clearly enough what pupils need to do to improve their work and “on the whole, learning experiences do not provide an appropriate level of challenge for pupils".
Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ achievement are not always high enough. As a result, a minority of pupils do not make as much progress as they could.
The report goes on to say: “There are few opportunities for pupils to celebrate Welsh culture and traditions, for example through the expressive arts. Teachers also do not influence pupils consistently enough to speak Welsh when working independently and during their leisure time.
“The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the school. In the best practice, teachers provide interesting tasks that engage pupils’ interest. However, too often, teachers’ presentations are too long, they over-direct learning and are not lively enough.”
On the plus side only “a few pupils” disrupt the flow of lessons, “nearly all pupils behave very well” and “a majority make suitable progress in developing and applying new skills”.
But while they develop to become confident Welsh speakers “only a minority persevere with speaking Welsh in informal situations and with their peers in lessons”. The report adds: “Pupils are not given enough opportunities to celebrate their Welshness, for example through the expressive arts”.
Around 46% of Pen-y-Garth's 331 pupils speak Welsh at home and qround 5% are eligible for free school meals, well below the 21% average for Wales, the documents shows. Most children arrive at the school with basic skills at the expected level or lower.
“Where teaching is at its best, pupils persevere resiliently, participate fully in lessons and work diligently” the report says, but adds,“they do not always show enjoyment in learning due to the nature of the tasks, which do not motivate or challenge them sufficiently.
“They make little progress in terms of developing as independent learning due to the lack of opportunities to do so.”
Estyn said pupil attendance has improved since the pandemic and more are attending school more regularly this year than last. But the absence rate of pupils who are eligible for free school meals and those with ALN is significantly higher compared to other pupils.
During the inspection in November, an acting executive headteacher was in charge of the school and was working at the school on a part-time basis. She was appointed to the role in May 2022. A full-time, permanent headteacher has recently been appointed to the school and was due to begin in the role in January 2023, the report adds.
Placing Ysgol Pen-y-Garth in special measures, its highest monitoring category, Estyn said it will monitor the school’s progress, usually every four to six months.
The inspectorate also made five recommendations for the school to improve. They are to:
- Strengthen leadership to operate more strategically
- Ensure that self-evaluation and planning for improvement procedures are rigorous enough to address the areas for improvement
- Provide activities that set an appropriate level of challenge so that all pupils can achieve to the best of their ability consistently
- Provide stimulating learning activities that support older pupils to develop and apply their skills purposefully over time
- Ensure that teachers’ feedback on pupils’ work is purposeful and provides regular opportunities for pupils to improve their work
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