A SCHOOL in Ebbw Vale has been celebrating after it received a very positive Estyn report.
The Ebbw Fawr Learning Community has been praised by a team of inspectors following a routine inspection in November 2023.
There was particular praise for the way staff are committed to the school's vision of a "safe, secure and caring environment" in which children are encouraged to "achieve together".
In the headmaster, the school has a "strong role model" whose high expectations of himself and his staff positively reflects on the behaviour and progress of pupils.
The leadership are very much a team who work well to foster the ethos of the "‘Ebbw Fawr Way’ of being ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’".
This is highlighted in the focus on pupil wellbeing within the school, with an "extensive range of provision" available to enable students to feel they are in an "inclusive and supportive environment".
As a result, students feel safe at school, take pride in their work and are given chances to take on leadership positions.
Students with additional needs are well supported, with teachers providing "valuable experiences" to engage with learning and they "successfully remove barriers" for all, ensuring that all pupils make "at least suitable progress" in time.
There was some concern that students don't write "at length or purposefully enough", with inspectors recommending that more opportunities for children to work on their writing skills are provided.
Good behaviour and attendance are promoted, with "robust arrangements" in place to maintain these high standards, including a specialist "off-site provision" for those who may struggle in the regular school environment.
The curriculum is "well-balanced" with the transition from primary to secondary phase managed seamlessly with the pupils' opinions always considered as a means to "make improvements to provision" where changes are effectively implemented where necessary.
However, the evaluations of teaching do not always consider the full impact on student progress when making required developments, as such Estyn has recommended the school focuses on this as a target for improvement.
Headmaster Huw Lloyd shared his delight at the overall positivity of the report.
"I am delighted and proud of this report," he said. "Staff and pupils have worked incredibly hard over a long period of time, and the school has made consistent progress year on year.
"I’m also proud that the report fully recognises the benefits and success of all-age education. Ebbw Fawr was set up in 2012 as the first all-age school in Wales, and this report is testimony to the foresight and courage of Blaenau Gwent in breaking with tradition in setting up a new way of providing education in the authority and indeed in Wales.”
The South Wales Schools and Education Awards are now open for nominations here, and you can nominate a school or staff member in any category.
This year's categories are:
- School of the Year
- Private or Independent School of the Year
- PTA of the Year
- Special Education Needs (SENCO) Award
- Head Teacher of the Year
- Primary School of the Year
- Secondary School of the Year (sponsored by the University of South Wales)
- Above and Beyond Award
- Teaching Assistant of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- College or University of the Year
- Primary Teacher of the Year
- STEM Project of the Year (sponsored by National Grid)
- Secondary School Teacher of the Year
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