Coedcae School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Coedcae School provides a highly inclusive and safe environment where pupils and staff are happy and thrive.

Leaders' relentless focus on helping all pupils, whatever their background, to succeed has a notable impact on the progress and well-being of pupils, particularly the most vulnerable. The headteacher provides assured and compassionate leadership. She has collaborated closely with her staff to develop a clear vision that gives all staff a sense of direction and purpose that helps them to secure strong outcomes for pupils.

Staff throughout the school forge positive working relationships with pupils and constantly encourage them to increase their aspirations and achieve their best. High expectations, along with teacher...s' enthusiasm for their subject, help pupils to make strong progress in many lessons. In a few lessons, pupils do not consistently make as much progress as they could.

The school has made strong progress in developing their Curriculum for Wales. Their vision for a successful curriculum is underpinned by a strong focus on improving the quality of teaching and ensuring that pupils develop their subject knowledge and skills through broad and engaging learning experiences. This, along with a comprehensive extra-curricular offer and a wide range of subject choices in Key Stage 4, ensures that pupils have access to an engaging curriculum that caters well for their individual needs.

Leaders and staff have created a culture of safeguarding where most pupils feel safe and free from bullying at school. The support for pupils' well-being is highly effective, and the school provides exceptional, tailored support for those pupils with additional learning needs. The standard of care, support and guidance for pupils is exemplary, and this helps pupils and parents to feel valued as part of the school community.

A particular strength is the way in which leaders identify and support vulnerable pupils, including those who are eligible to free school meals or from low-income households, to succeed. The school has supported pupils well to improve their attendance since their return to school following the pandemic, although those pupils who are eligible for free school meals do not attend as well as other pupils. Leaders at all levels are committed to constantly evaluating their work to ensure that it has a strong impact on pupil progress and engagement.

Their precise evaluation of an extensive range of information about learning, well-being and provision enables them to consistently plan for and secure further improvement. Recommendations R1 Continue to improve pupils' attendance, particularly that of those who are eligible for free school meals 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 the way that the school supports the well-being and progress of vulnerable pupils to tackle the impact of deprivation and the school's approaches to evaluation and improvement, for dissemination on Estyn's website.