Wrexham Primary School Receives Positive Report Following Inspection

A Wrexham primary school has received a positive report following its most recent inspection.

Ysgol Plas Coch, on Ffordd Stansty, Wrexham has been judged as ‘Good’ following a recent inspection by Estyn, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales.

The school, which is a Welsh-medium primary school currently has 363 students on roll. This includes 45 nursery age children who attend on a part-time basis. In total 33% of the pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes, however Welsh is the medium of teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase.

Overall there are four judgments a school can receive from Estyn; Excellent, Good, Adequate and Unsatisfactory. A judgement of ‘Good’ means that a school has ‘Many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement’.

In a report produced by Estyn on ‘Ysgol Plas Coch’ it is noted that the school’s current performance is ‘Good’ because: the school’s attendance rate is consistently good and places it in the upper 50% in comparison with similar schools, most pupils use and apply the numeracy skills they learn in mathematics lessons successfully across the curriculum and almost all pupils make good progress in their learning.

However the report goes onto comment that ‘A few pupils’ literacy skills across the school have not developed fully’ and that ‘the school’s performance at the higher outcome (outcome six) over the last three years has declined in all areas of learning at the end of the foundation phase’.

As well as a school’s current performance, Estyn continues to discuss their prospects for improvement – with Ysgol Plas Coch judged as ‘Adequate’.

The report goes onto comment on why the school’s prospects for improvement are ‘Adequate’, stating: “The headteacher, with the support of two deputy headteachers, has established a
robust vision that has a clear focus on working as a team in order to raise, leaders’ understanding of how well various groups of pupils perform is comprehensive; and the school has established probing procedures for self-evaluation that include analysing data thoroughly and collecting direct evidence.”

Also detailed in the report are separate comments on certain areas of the school, with the standard of school outcomes, well-being, learning experiences, teaching; care support & guidance, resource management, partnership working and the school’s learning environment all judged as ‘Good’.

The learning experience at the school is also described as ‘happy and welcoming’, in which pupils show positive attitudes towards their peers.

Speaking about the learning experiences at Ysgol Plas Coch, Estyn notes: “The school provides rich experiences that meet the requirements of the curriculum fully. Teachers co-operate effectively to create detailed schemes of work that set a firm basis for learning in both key stages.

“Provision for developing the Welsh language and the Welsh dimension is robust across the school. Good attention is paid to developing the Welsh language during pupils’ early years. The school ensures regular opportunities for pupils to perform, compete and participate in extra-curricular activities that enrich the curriculum and reinforce pupils’ understanding of Welsh culture.”

(Picture – Google Maps)