Standards at popular school given low rating by inspectors
STANDARDS at one of Wales’ most oversubscribed schools have been given a low rating in its first ever inspection by education watchdog Estyn.
Inspectors, who visited Pontprennau Primary in Cardiff in May, have just released their report. And it rates the school’s leadership, management and standards the second lowest rating of adequate and needs improvement.
The 318-pupil school, which opened in 2015, was the most over-subscribed primary in Cardiff this year – refusing 43 of 103 applications from children hoping to join in September.
As a new school Pontprennau has a nursery but no pupils above year three. It has nine, single-age classes and is intended to grow year-on-year to provide for pupils across the primary age range.
The average of pupils eligible for free school meals over the past three years is just 9%, well below the national average of 18%.
Pontprennau was deemed good in the three other areas looked at – wellbeing and attitudes to learning, teaching and learning experiences and care, support and guidance. Inspectors also said nearly all pupils behave well and are keen to learn.
However, it highlighted how younger pupils aged from around six to seven do not write enough at length.
“More able pupils in particular do not use a wide enough range of punctuation or vocabulary and sentence building skills are limited. Pupils’ handwriting skills are underdeveloped and presentation of written work is too often untidy,” the report noted.
On leadership and management, inspectors said the headteacher has a “clear vision for the school” but the system to evaluate the school’s performance needed improving, especially with youngsters’ handwriting.
The report added teachers and learning support staff “provide a broad and balanced curriculum”. And inspectors also said there was a “a positive and inclusive environment for learning”.
However, the report added the school’s finances are currently in deficit “that has developed in recent years”. Estyn said governors and the local authority had “appropriate plans” to eliminate it before the end of March next year.
The primary, which covers addresses in the catchment for sought-after Cardiff High, must draw up an action plan showing how it is going to address Estyn’s recommendations for improvement. The inspectorate will review the school’s progress.
Estyn’s four recommendations are:
■ Ensure all members of the senior leadership team provide effective strategic direction to aspects of the school’s work and improve the capacity of the governing body to support and challenge the school. ■ Improve self-evaluation and improvement processes so that they identify and address shortcomings in leadership, provision and pupils’ outcomes.
■ Ensure all communication with parents is clear, timely and effective.
■ Improve the presentation and quality of pupils’ written work, particularly for the more able.