Ysgol Gynradd Nefyn

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Ysgol Nefyn is a happy, caring and homely community.

Pupils behave excellently, enjoy learning and feel very proud of their school. Pupils feel safe and happy and develop a strong working relationship with staff. Most pupils have positive attitudes and engage well with their learning.

They persevere when tasks challenge them and are very keen to do their best. As a result, most pupils make good progress. The effect of the headteacher's robust leadership can be seen across the school.

The dedicated staff work highly effectively to create a safe haven and an inclusive learning environment for pupils. Leaders monitor and evaluate progress skilfully and identify improvement priorities sensibly. Governors are active as... critical friends and support all of the school's activities respectfully.

Across the school, the positive environment encourages effective and purposeful learning communities. A creative, balanced and imaginative curriculum is provided for pupils, which builds effectively on their knowledge, understanding and skills. Provision is exciting and provides an opportunity for pupils to learn about their local area, Wales and further afield.

This creates a strong sense of belonging. Although teachers use a suitable range of teaching methods in their classes, feedback is not always incisive enough for pupils to reflect on their work and develop it further. Pupils are given regular and valuable opportunities to take part in a wide range of community activities and events, such as eisteddfodau, sports competitions and concerts, which are a means of increasing their self-confidence and their physical, expressive and creative ability.

Recommendations R1 Expand opportunities for pupils to respond to feedback in a timely manner so that they know what to do to improve and develop their work further 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 a case study on how the school plans creative experiences to deepen pupils' learning about the history and culture of their local community. Main findings Learning On entry to the school, most pupils' skills are as expected for their stage of development.

During their time at the school, nearly all pupils make sound progress in their learning. Across the school, pupils take pride in the Welsh language and most communicate confidently and use familiar words correctly. They speak confidently and the area's dialect can be heard in their speech.

The youngest pupils communicate confidently in Welsh and listen attentively to the instructions of staff and each other's contributions. They are enthusiastic when talking, for example when comparing fruit that grow around the world. Pupils at the top of the school use a suitable range of vocabulary and language patterns in interesting contexts, for example when composing and performing a sea shanty.

The reading skills of most pupils across the school develop successfully. The youngest pupils come to recognise the form and sound of letters from an early age and enjoy listening to stories, paying good attention to the pictures. By Year 3, most pupils apply their reading skills in different contexts and read and understand more challenging texts in both languages.

For example, they read an article about the adventures of a local mountaineer who travelled across Mount Everest in a balloon. Most pupils at the top of the school read with expression and consider the audience and listeners when reading aloud. Across the school, pupils' writing skills develop well and there is a wide range of opportunities to write for a purpose.

Many of the youngest pupils begin to write independently and use word banks and frameworks to help them form sentences. There are beneficial opportunities for pupils to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to write independently and attempt to spell unfamiliar words. As they move through the school, most pupils write purposefully and have a good understanding of techniques which help them to improve their work.

At the top of the school, they use their knowledge of migratory animals to write factual reports that explain the reasons for the geographical changes. Most pupils make good progress in developing their mathematical skills. The youngest pupils count to 10 confidently and experiment with using number bonds.

By Year 2, most pupils have a sound understanding of appropriate number facts and use Venn diagrams to sort items. In Years 3 and 4, pupils demonstrate sound mathematical skills. They are able to recall the multiplication facts of the 7 times table and are able to use mathematical terms correctly.

Most older pupils solve problems and apply their numeracy skills in different engaging contexts. For example, they learn about costs and profit as part of their 'Creu Cadwyni Cymru' enterprise project. Nearly all pupils use an increasing range of digital equipment and software confidently in different contexts to support their learning.

They apply their digital skills skilfully and respond to different tasks. For example, the youngest pupils use animation software purposefully to make fruit talk. Older pupils use spreadsheets carefully and accurately when comparing rivers around the world and use formulae to analyse data.

Pupils develop an imaginative range of creative skills and use their skills skilfully across the curriculum. The youngest pupils use recycled items to create sea creatures and older pupils recycle paper and natural resources to make chains based on their thematic work. Across the school, pupils use a variety of techniques to make creative images.

They emulate the work of artists skilfully and vary tone and colour carefully, for example when creating a butterfly and when making a batik drawing of icebergs. Pupils' creative outputs are displayed and celebrated tastefully in the colourful learning environment, which fosters their pride in their work. Well-being and attitudes to learning Nearly all pupils' behaviour is excellent across the school and they understand the importance of respecting rules, which has a positive influence on their everyday behaviour.

They are considerate of others and extremely polite, and treat their peers, familiar adults and visitors with care and respect. As a result, they develop as responsible, knowledgeable and moral citizens who understand how their actions affect others. Most pupils' understanding of their rights develop well and nearly all pupils say that they feel safe at school and know whom to approach if anything is worrying them.

Most pupils enjoy themselves at school and feel happy within a caring, inclusive and homely ethos. They are given opportunities to explain what is important to them and to describe how adults at the school can support them and help them learn. Many pupils have a sound awareness of the digital world and how to keep themselves and others safe online.

Most pupils across the school have positive attitudes to learning. They develop their creative skills enthusiastically. For example, across the school, they are adventurous when experimenting with a variety of media and materials to create artwork of a high standards and when experimenting with music, drama and ICT to present their work in imaginative ways.

Most pupils offer ideas and express opinions about the content of their learning activities. For example, when placing suggestions on a leaf on the planning tree at the beginning of a termly theme, they work successfully with their peers to contribute purposefully. As a result, pupils' participation and enthusiasm towards their learning are very sound.

Most pupils show resilience and perseverance and show pride in their work when completing tasks. Most pupils understand the importance of making wise decisions that affect their health. They understand the importance of maintaining a balanced diet and the link between a healthy body and mind.

They are keen to promote the importance of drinking water and eating fruit among their peers and their families. For example, they explain why it is beneficial to eat healthy snacks and which drinks contain too much sugar. Pupils work together effectively and listen attentively to the opinions of others, for example when gathering resources to create an animation on the water cycle.

They are enthusiastic learners who are happy to attempt tasks and understand that it is fine to make mistakes and that it is an important part of the learning process. Although most pupils are aware that they have targets, they are not always able to explain specific aspects of their work that need to be improved. Most pupils have an extremely robust understanding of their local area and its history.

For example, older pupils explain the benefits of living locally and the effect that second homes have on the area by performing the rap “Hawl i Fyw Adra”. Most also appreciate Llyn's coastal landscape and participate in looking after the environment with genuine pride. As a result, most pupils are principled, informed citizens who show a commitment to the sustainability of the planet and their local area.

Most pupils develop as moral individuals through their work in the local community. For example, when visiting a home for the elderly regularly, pupils have the opportunity to communicate and perform for residents. This allows pupils to listen to stories and anecdotes and makes the residents interact, which promotes their overall happiness.

Teaching and learning experiences The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum that supports the principles of the Curriculum for Wales very successfully. Teachers have a clear vision for building on knowledge and links with the community, Wales and the wider world to develop pupils' understanding and skills very imaginatively. Pupils are challenged and encouraged to contribute as respectful members of the community of Nefyn.

Teachers' expertise is skilful when introducing elements of the curriculum to provide valuable opportunities for pupils to work individually, in pairs and in groups. Teachers encourage pupils' independence while facilitating learning in an imaginative way. By planning carefully, providing engaging experiences that inspire and ensuring the dedication of all pupils, they are successful in promoting a strong sense of belonging to the village.

Staff have an extremely beneficial and close working relationship with pupils. This fosters a positive and supportive environment for learning. They know the pupils well and encourage and praise their efforts regularly while they work and interact with their peers.

Nearly all members of staff have high expectations for pupils' standards and show enthusiasm towards the Welsh language. They model language masterfully, which enables most pupils to make good progress in acquiring linguistic skills and using them in different contexts. The school's strong Welsh ethos, in addition to provision, encourages pupils to make purposeful use of the Welsh language in all aspects of school life.

As a result, most pupils develop as competent bilingual learners. Staff use a range of effective questions that lead pupils to reflect on their learning and respond at length. The staff's probing questioning helps pupils to confirm their understanding of tasks and recall previous learning successfully.

They also provide regular opportunities for pupils to make choices about their learning. For example, Year 6 pupils choose specific elements and intelligent content when writing a letter from the perspective of a character in a novel. In the youngest pupils' classes, teachers and assistants ensure that creative and practical learning experiences are incorporated skilfully into the learning areas.

They are attractive areas that are used purposefully to encourage pupils to work productively and enrich their experiences. Across the school, staff work together closely as effective team members by planning stimulating visits and workshops that interweave opportunities to develop pupils' literacy, numeracy and ICT skills very effectively. For example, pupils at the top of the school wrote a story and converted it to create an animated film on the history of Nefyn's herring fishermen.

Through these experiences, they are given rich opportunities to deepen their understanding and knowledge of the lives of local residents, past and present. Across the school, teachers provide exciting opportunities for pupils to work with local artists and national poets, for example when creating an impressive mural, “Gair mewn Gwlân”, which reflects the history of the local community. Teachers provide beneficial opportunities for pupils to read their work aloud, giving constructive oral feedback on how to develop the work further.

They track pupils' progress in detail by using a wealth of information intelligently when assessing work. Teachers provide appropriate opportunities for pupils to assess their own work and that of their peers. With the youngest pupils, teachers create agreed success criteria and the oldest pupils draw up their own criteria confidently and use them to check their progress.

Most pupils engage with their learning for extended periods and develop a useful understanding of diverse and effective ways of learning. Teachers respond thoroughly to pupils' work in books and provide useful comments for improvements. However, there are not enough timely opportunities for pupils to respond to feedback to build on their good work and improve it further.

Care, support and guidance The school is a caring community and it has a very warm and friendly ethos. Positive relationships are a strong feature between staff and pupils and amongst the pupils themselves. Staff promote respect, courtesy and pupils' behaviour highly successfully.

They know the pupils well and respond wholeheartedly to their emotional and social needs. This contributes significantly to their happiness and well-being. The school's arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet requirements and are not a cause for concern.

Staff have a sound awareness of safeguarding processes and leaders respond appropriately to any individual cases, working effectively with other agencies, where appropriate. Staff supervise pupils vigilantly during leisure times and as they arrive at, and leave, the school. The school's procedures for ensuring pupils' regular attendance are robust.

Staff keep a record of any absences and contact parents in a timely manner to discuss any concerns regarding their children's attendance. Provision for pupils with additional learning needs is one of the school's strengths. The headteacher, who acts as the additional learning needs co-ordinator, works closely with the teaching team to tailor suitable and prompt help and support, which enables pupils to make progress.

Purposeful one-page profiles include useful information about pupils' individual needs and what they need to do to develop further. The emphasis placed on targeting intervention, individually and in groups, has a very positive effect on pupils' well-being and development. The school has a comprehensive system for gathering information about pupils' achievements as they move through the school.

Teachers use the tracking system to monitor pupils' progress regularly in their classes. The school uses learning support staff effectively and efficiently in the classrooms and to deliver a range of intervention programmes. They fulfil their duties highly conscientiously.

As a result, staff assess pupils' achievements and their well-being purposefully, which means that teachers develop a deeper understanding of each pupil's needs. When staff identify areas for improvement, the school provides valuable support and interventions to improve pupils' learning and their personal and social development. The school organises a range of events in partnership with the community, which reinforces pupils' sense of belonging.

The school's staff plan opportunities for pupils to develop purposeful links with the local community and pupils engage with them enthusiastically. For example, staff arrange for pupils to take part in carol singing before switching on the Christmas lights in the village. This helps pupils to understand the importance of being part of the community.

The school has clear and beneficial arrangements for collective worship. For example, teachers and pupils hold services on religious and moral themes. Teachers inspire pupils by sharing the stories of influential famous people, such as Martin Luther King, encouraging pupils to reflect on people they admire and that inspire them.

The school ensures that there are a variety of opportunities for pupils to apply to be members of various councils. They meet regularly and contribute skilfully to the school's activities. For example, the school council leads beneficial initiatives, such as recycling school uniforms.

Teachers provide beneficial opportunities for pupils to express their opinions about what they would like to learn within their termly themes. By providing creative, stimulating experiences and engaging themes, teachers develop pupils' understanding of their identity, heritage and Welsh culture very successfully. For example, when visiting the local lifeboat centre, teachers take advantage of valuable opportunities to teach pupils about the influence of the sea on life in the area.

Leadership and management Through her robust leadership, the headteacher provides clear direction and creates a happy, welcoming and inclusive learning environment. This ensures that nearly all pupils make good progress. The vision is reflected clearly through the school's motto and values, 'Angor gadarn cyn hwylio'r don' ('A firm anchor before setting sail'), and has been shared successfully with the school community.

A strong feature of the school is the natural Welsh and Welsh-speaking ethos and pupils' sense of pride in the language and their local area. The rich range of arts projects is a very effective means of developing pupils' knowledge and understanding of their local area and its wealth of history and traditions. Staff and parents work together effectively to realise the vision and its effect can be seen in the development and well-being of pupils.

A prominent feature is the way in which staff and leaders foster and maintain a sense of identity and belonging. They have high expectations of pupils and themselves and encourage all pupils to enjoy learning in an inclusive environment. As a result, pupils are polite and welcoming and try their best to develop their skills across the areas of learning.

The school has very effective self-evaluation processes and includes all members of staff to assure quality. They evaluate the school's performance by gathering first-hand evidence and consider the contributions of staff, parents and governors. Information from monitoring activities is used effectively to set clear priorities for improvement.

For example, when allocating staff roles and responsibilities effectively, support staff take ownership in delivering beneficial intervention sessions to support and challenge specific individuals and groups. Members of the governing body support leaders and staff well and have a beneficial understanding of the school's day-to-day arrangements. Between them, they have a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the school, which contributes intelligently to strategic decisions which ensure improvements.

For example, they conduct learning walks and discuss pupils' work alongside teachers. As a result, they are more aware of strengths and areas for improvement. The governing body also ensures that the school has appropriate arrangements to promote healthy eating and drinking.

They receive termly reports from the headteacher which highlight the life and work of the school. Leaders make smart use of funding, including the pupil development grant and arts grants. This has an excellent effect on improving pupils' skills.

For example, they have used arts grant funding to organise highly effective visits and workshops that broaden pupils' horizons and deepen their art, drama, music and ICT skills. Leaders use and monitor the use of the pupil development grant sensibly and allocate resources effectively to provide specific interventions across the school. By doing so, assistants provide beneficial support for pupils to progress with their learning.

Regular professional learning opportunities are available to staff, which link closely to the school's improvement priorities and their personal professional needs. They support each other and meet regularly to share ideas, for example by providing short presentations on effective teaching practices. The school also works closely with a network of local schools that provides purposeful opportunities for them to learn and share good practice.

This develops the school as a learning organisation and creates a highly effective culture of co-operation. Evidence base of the report Before an inspection, inspectors: • analyse the outcomes from the parent and pupil questionnaires and consider the views of teachers and the governing body/members of the management committee through their questionnaire responses During an inspection, inspectors normally: • hold a meeting with parents to hear their views on the school and its effectiveness • meet the headteacher, governors, senior, middle leaders, and individual teachers to evaluate the impact of the school's work • meet pupils to discuss their work and to gain their views about various aspects of their school • meet groups of pupils in leadership roles, such as representatives from the school council and eco-committee • visit a broad sample of lessons, including learning support groups and the specialist resource base (where appropriate), and undertake a variety of learning walks to observe pupils learning and to see staff teaching in a range of settings, including classrooms, support groups (where appropriate) and in outdoor areas • visit the specialist resource base within the school to see pupils' learning (where appropriate) • observe and speak to pupils at lunch and break times and at a sample of after-school clubs • attend assemblies and daily acts of collective worship • look closely at the school's self-evaluation processes • consider the school's improvement plan and look at evidence to show how well the school has taken forward planned improvements • scrutinise a range of school documents, including information on pupil assessment and progress, records of meetings of staff and the governing body, information on pupils' well-being, including the safeguarding of pupils, and records of staff training and professional development After the on-site inspection and before the publication of the report, Estyn: • review the findings of the inspection alongside the supporting evidence from the inspection team in order to validate, moderate and ensure the quality of the inspection Copies of the report Copies of this report are available from the school and from the Estyn website (http://www.estyn.

gov.wales) The report was produced in accordance with Section 28 of the Education Act 2005. Every possible care has been taken to ensure that the information in this document is accurate at the time of going to press.

Any enquiries or comments regarding this document/publication should be addressed to: Publication Section Estyn Anchor Court, Keen Road Cardiff CF24 5JW or by email to [email protected] This and other Estyn publications are available on our website: http://www.

estyn.gov.wales/ This document has been translated by Trosol (Welsh to English).