Ysgol Morgan Llwyd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

The headteacher, senior managers and staff at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd place a clear priority on supporting the well-being of the whole school community. Together, they foster a close-knit and supportive relationship with pupils and this succeeds in creating a familial and caring environment.

A notable element of the school is the provision to support the development of pupils' learning and well-being. The 'Learning Hub' and 'Pastoral Hub' provide quiet, stimulating places for pupils to work with support from teachers or to receive purposeful well-being support. As a result of the extensive use of both 'Hubs', many pupils benefit academically or socially over time.

Most pupils behave in a civilised manner and treat each other, s...taff and visitors with respect. Sixth-form pupils are mature and friendly. They show pride in the Welsh language and see the importance of continuing with Welsh-medium education.

The school provides a valuable range of purposeful learning experiences and relevant courses for pupils of all ages. 'Project' lessons for younger pupils provide valuable experiences and an opportunity for them to work together on a number of interesting areas, such as politics. In addition to developing their literacy and numeracy skills, this also encourages their creativity and promotes their skills in working independently.

Younger pupils are given beneficial opportunities to develop their personal and social skills through health and well-being lessons. However, planning to develop all skills across the school is not strategic enough. In lessons, many pupils make appropriate progress in their subject knowledge and understanding.

In the best cases, where teaching is robust and most successful, pupils make very good progress. However, strong teaching practice is not commonplace across the whole school. In a minority of cases, shortcomings in teachers' planning and how they use questioning mean that pupils do not make sufficient progress.

Leaders at all levels are increasingly developing their ability to evaluate the quality and impact of their work. Clear and comprehensive quality assurance arrangements have now been established. However, the ability of leaders to identify strengths and shortcomings in teaching and learning has not been developed fully to enable them to identify exactly which areas need to be improved and prioritise these.

Governors and all staff take pride in the school and uphold its importance as the only Welsh medium secondary school in the county. There are suitable opportunities for pupils to socialise in various clubs during lunchtime or after school. However, leaders do not plan strategically to ensure co-ordinated opportunities for pupils to use the Welsh language outside lessons.

They also do not provide enough opportunities for sixth-form pupils to develop beneficial personal experiences by leading activities or initiatives and, by doing so, have a positive influence on younger pupils. Arrangements for safeguarding children are appropriate and all staff understand their responsibility to keep pupils safe. The school grounds are extensive and open and, as a result, there are a few health and safety issues that are a cause for concern.

Recommendations R1 Disseminate the good practice in teaching in order to strengthen provision across the school R2 Improve strategic planning for skills, PSE and opportunities to develop and celebrate the Welsh language R3 Strengthen the ability of leaders at all levels to identify strengths and areas for improvement in teaching and learning R4 Address the health and safety issues that were identified during the inspection What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to show how it will address the recommendations from the inspection. We have asked the school to provide an effective practice case study on the impact of the support for pupils' well-being and progress through the 'Pastoral Hub' and the 'Learning Hub' provisions. Main findings Learning Over time, many pupils make suitable progress in their subject knowledge.

In lessons, many pupils recall previous knowledge and apply this information well to new contexts. In a few cases, where teaching is strong and very effective, most pupils make very strong progress in their subject knowledge and understanding. In these lessons, pupils use their knowledge skilfully when undertaking tasks and in new contexts and make direct links with what they have learned previously.

However, in a few cases, pupils make slow progress and do not develop their subject skills or knowledge soundly enough. This is mainly due to shortcomings in teachers' planning and in pupils' ability to express themselves clearly and at length. Most pupils listen attentively and considerately to presentations from their teachers and the contributions of their peers.

Many express themselves suitably in Welsh with acceptable fluency, an appropriate range of subject vocabulary and clear syntax. A few pupils communicate orally eloquently and have a masterful grasp of a wide range of subject terminology and sophisticated general vocabulary. For example, in Welsh lessons, a few pupils give extended oral explanations by using rich and broad vocabulary when analysing the style of the poem 'Y Môr' by Einir Jones.

However, limited vocabulary and the lack of accuracy in the language of a few pupils across the school mean that they have difficulty expressing their ideas clearly in Welsh. Throughout the school, a minority of pupils have a tendency to give short, under-developed oral responses or use English vocabulary when answering and discussing. This is often because they do not have a wide enough range of vocabulary to express themselves in full or due to the nature of questioning by the teacher.

Many pupils develop beneficial reading skills when gathering information and locating facts in extended texts. For example, in humanities lessons, they gather relevant information in written pieces when discussing who was to blame for the sinking of the Titanic. A majority of more able pupils gather relevant information skilfully from a range of texts and summarise the evidence to come to sensible conclusions.

In Welsh and English lessons, a minority of pupils make strong progress in their higher-order reading skills when analysing style, identifying language techniques and rhetorical devices by considering their effect on the reader. For example, pupils analyse how and why the playwright depicts some characters positively in the play 'An Inspector Calls' and identify his techniques to gain the audience's sympathy. While pupils develop beneficial reading skills in a few subjects other than Welsh and English, they do not develop them to the same degree in other subjects across the curriculum.

Overall, many pupils organise their written work sensibly by using paragraphs, sub-headings and tables, where appropriate. A majority of pupils write fairly fluently in Welsh in a suitable style for a range of purposes and audiences. They have an adequate understanding of grammatical rules and an appropriate range of vocabulary to enable them to convey their ideas or share information clearly.

More able pupils use a wide range of vocabulary and sophisticated syntax or phrases in their written work. However, the work of a minority of pupils lacks clarity and contains many grammatical errors and English words. Throughout the school, many pupils write at length in English with a good level of clarity and appropriate vocabulary, for example when preparing an appealing speech to attract support for a charity of their choice.

However, a minority of pupils make frequent spelling errors in both languages. Many pupils have a strong grasp of basic number skills and use them successfully without relying too much on a calculator. In their mathematics lessons, a majority recall their knowledge of multiplication tables, factors and prime numbers when completing tasks, such as using a trial and improvement method with whole numbers to solve cubic equations and complete increasingly challenging questions.

A majority of pupils make purposeful use of their number skills in a very few subjects other than mathematics. For example, they use equations to calculate the resistance in a wire, bulb and diode in science lessons. However, pupils do not develop their number skills in a wide range of contexts across other relevant subjects.

Overall, many pupils develop their digital skills appropriately across the subjects when completing investigative work or creating presentations. In a few subjects across the curriculum, pupils make very strong progress in their digital skills. For example, they develop beneficial production skills when adapting and editing videos by experimenting with speed, colour, sound and special effects.

In a minority of subjects where pupils are given beneficial opportunities to work independently, many make sound progress in their thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, in business lessons, pupils consider and describe strategies that companies use to target different customers. Pupils demonstrate analytical skills of a high standard when they evaluate film genres in their media lessons and when describing the roles of employees in the care industry in health and care lessons.

In a few subjects, many pupils develop valuable creative skills. For example, in art lessons, pupils experiment with watercolours and this leads to developing their confidence and skills to create pictures of a high standard. In physical education lessons, many show successful creative skills when performing gymnastic sequences.

Most pupils in the sixth form are keen and responsible learners. They discuss their work maturely and confidently. They are enthusiastic about their studies and are proud to be studying through the medium of Welsh.

Many respond to their teachers' questions at length and with sophisticated vocabulary. They provide legitimate reasons and explanations and make links with their previous learning skilfully. Pupils in the 'Camau' specialist resource unit make strong progress in their social, emotional and behavioural skills over time.

They do so by learning about important life skills, such as eating healthily, washing clothes, shopping and kitchen safety. They develop their subject knowledge and understanding through engaging practical work. For example, when learning about the digestive system, they model the journey of food from the mouth to the stomach and the bowel by pushing different foods through a pair of tights.

Well-being and attitudes to learning Most pupils feel safe at school and many say that they are not affected by bullying. Many enjoy school and know who to approach if they need support with their work or if they have any concerns. A significant number of pupils benefit from the academic and emotional support that is available to them through the 'Pastoral Hub' and the 'Learning Hub'.

For example, small groups of pupils develop resilience and a positive mindset when working with mentors and specialist teachers on specific programmes. Overall, pupils with behavioural difficulties achieve the objectives in their personal support plans and develop improved attitudes to learning over time. Most pupils behave in a civilised manner during break times and lunchtimes.

They treat each other and staff with respect and many make use of the extensive outdoor areas to sit and socialise with their friends. In lessons, most pupils arrive punctually, settle quickly into work and behave well. They concentrate well and persevere with tasks.

When there are suitable opportunities to do so, pupils cooperate well and conduct enthusiastic discussions in pairs or small groups, for example when playing a game of 'word tennis' to identify suitable adjectives to describe teenagers. Many younger pupils develop a suitable understanding of the importance of making healthy choices in relation to their diet, physical activity and emotional well-being in well-being lessons and 'Project' lessons. Many pupils benefit from taking part in a wide range of extra-curricular sports activities, such as football, gymnastics and basketball.

A few pupils develop valuable social skills by being members of various clubs, such as the reading club, the friends club and the model-building club. A very few pupils develop beneficial leadership skills through the school council and the learning forum. Over time, they have had a positive influence on improving the quality of facilities and the outdoor area, in addition to increasing the digital resources.

A very few pupils also contribute enthusiastically to promoting important issues across the school community, such as equality, human rights and respecting diversity, including awareness of LGBTQ+ issues. Sixth-form pupils are mature and friendly. They communicate effectively with visitors and share their views confidently.

A few pupils support staff to run sports clubs. However, sixth-form pupils do not always take advantage of their status as mature pupils to contribute fully to the school's life and community. As a result, they miss opportunities to develop social skills and to gain beneficial leadership experiences and have a positive influence on the school's younger pupils.

Teaching and learning experiences Most teachers have sound subject knowledge and foster a strong and constructive working relationship with their pupils. They use effective classroom management strategies, which ensures that many pupils comply and work together effectively in lessons. These teachers usually set stimulating 'starter tasks' at the beginning of lessons to set the context of the lesson, settle pupils into work and review previous work successfully.

Many teachers use purposeful questioning to check that pupils understand the work and give them beneficial individual feedback to help them to proceed with the task. A majority of teachers plan tasks or activities that build well on previous work and develop pupils' understanding and skills appropriately. Throughout the school, activities provide a suitable challenge that allows pupils to make progress.

A majority of teachers are good language models, give clear explanations and model answers and subject terminology to help pupils understand what they need to achieve. In the few cases where teaching is at its best, teachers plan carefully to ensure that all pupils make strong progress in their subject understanding and skills. They have very high expectations of all pupils.

These teachers are very enthusiastic about their area of learning and ignite pupils' interest in the subject. They question pupils skilfully by asking probing questions that stimulate pupils to think more deeply and broaden their understanding. These teachers respond quickly to pupils' misinterpretations and adapt teaching skilfully to ensure strong progress.

In a minority of cases, shortcomings in teaching mean that pupils do not make sufficient progress. In these cases, teachers do not plan their lessons carefully enough to ensure sufficient challenge in activities or to enable pupils to make strong progress. Teachers do not ask probing enough questions to encourage pupils to think more deeply or to consider wider views.

They have a tendency to focus too much on getting pupils to complete a series of tasks rather than considering what pupils need to know, understand or do. In these lessons, teacher often over-direct learning, give long presentations or allocate too little time to complete tasks. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to discuss or work in pairs and small groups.

A few teachers do not address pupils' linguistic errors and are too willing to accept responses in Welsh that are littered with English words. Overall, the quality of written feedback on pupils' work varies within and across departments. In the best examples, teachers draw pupils' attention to mistakes, including language and spelling errors, and provide valuable comments and beneficial suggestions on how to improve.

Teachers have recently started to give feedback on pupils' work digitally, which includes modelling expectations in terms of quality and content. However, this feedback does not always show pupils how to improve their work. On the whole, pupils are not given enough opportunities to respond to teachers' written feedback on their work.

The school provides an appropriate curriculum that meets the needs of nearly all pupils from key stage 3 to sixth form courses. This includes a broad selection of general and vocational courses for pupils in key stage 4. The school works effectively with external providers to enrich the learning experiences of these pupils, for example by providing hair and beauty, engineering and animal care courses.

In the sixth form, most pupils are able to pursue courses of their choice. The school expands its provision by working effectively with other schools and external providers, for example through the 'E-sgol' scheme. Specific pupils are also given valuable opportunities to pursue courses that contribute to developing their life skills, such as the Prince's Trust course and financial management courses.

Relevant staff provide pupils with useful advice to make suitable choices in line with their career aspirations. Leaders have a sound vision to develop the Curriculum for Wales where skills and elements of pedagogy are at the heart of planning. The school has planned and trialled curricular activities over time and has reviewed their effect purposefully.

As a result, the school has developed a 'Projects' programme in Years 7 and 8, which satisfies aspects of the new curriculum. This programme succeeds in supporting smooth transition from primary education to secondary school. Activities and tasks stimulate pupils' learning by building on learning from primary school, gaining confidence and improving pupils' oracy skills.

The school has a valuable Welsh immersion resource for pupils who come from English-medium primary schools. This provision succeeds in developing these pupils' Welsh language skills and prepares them to integrate fully into school life and Welsh-medium education by the end of Year 8. The skills co-ordinator works purposefully with key teachers to plan to develop pupils' skills through the 'Projects' programme for pupils in Year 7 and 8.

They plan beneficial opportunities to develop oral, thinking, digital and independent learning skills. For example, there are valuable opportunities for pupils to create a mental health podcast, design a website to promote a million Welsh speakers and to produce a video with a voiceover to present 'My Identity'. Although there are appropriate opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy skills and, to a lesser extent, their numeracy skills, provision to develop these skills across subjects has not been co-ordinated strategically.

As a result, there is inconsistency in opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy, numeracy and digital skills across the curriculum. Interventions by specialist staff in the Learning Hub support pupils who have difficulty developing their basic literacy and number skills successfully. Aspects of personal and social education (PSE) provision provide learning experiences to develop valuable social and emotional skills for pupils in key stage 3.

For example, pupils benefit greatly from the politics 'Project' in Year 8 and from visits by Wrexham Youth Justice service and their work on knife crime through 'The Knife Angel' project. Beneficial aspects of PSE are also included in a minority of subjects, for example 'La Variété et la Difference' on diversity and discrimination in French lessons and the women's rights campaign in English lessons. However, PSE is not planned cohesively and strategically enough to ensure comprehensive, consistent and progressive provision for pupils in all years, particularly the school's older pupils.

There are appropriate opportunities to promote Welshness and the use of the Welsh language in informal situations. However, there is not a decisive enough strategy to co-ordinate this provision to strengthen and increase opportunities for pupils to celebrate their Welsh heritage and use the Welsh language socially and outside lessons. The school provides a range of beneficial extra-curricular activities and experiences that enrich the curriculum and develop pupils' interests, for example jiu jitsu, photography and gardening clubs.

There is a range of enriching school trips available, such as residential trips to Glan Llyn for Year 7 pupils and foreign trips to Iceland and other countries. Care, support and guidance Ysgol Morgan Llwyd is a caring community that prioritises the well-being of pupils and staff in a familial and close-knit environment. An effective team of staff work together productively and effectively to ensure that support is tailored to meet pupils' individual needs.

Since the full return to school following the pandemic, leaders have given significant attention to promoting the mental health and well-being of all pupils. A notable element of the school's work is the strong and beneficial support that is given to the most vulnerable pupils through the 'Pastoral Hub'. Staff at the Hub work effectively with relevant external agencies, such as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and social services to offer personalised support to pupils and their families.

Another strong feature is the way in which the school succeeds in supporting pupils with substantial emotional and behavioural needs or who are absent frequently by ensuring that they continue with their education until the end of Year 11. The 'Learning Hub' provides successful support to pupils to overcome barriers to learning. The passionate team of staff knows the pupils and their backgrounds well and organise personalised support to all individuals that need it.

Pupils are able to self-refer to this service or teachers and parents can refer individuals who need further support. Effective intervention sessions are provided to improve pupils' basic skills and leaders track their progress regularly. A strong aspect of the school is the support for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN).

The additional learning needs co-ordinator provides sound guidance and ensures that the whole team uses a pupil-centred approach while working. By working closely with parents and carers, they provide support that responds to pupils' individual needs. They track pupils' progress against their targets thoroughly and adapt support as required.

Support for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders who attend the 'Camau' specialist resource unit is an excellent feature. The school promotes a culture of respect effectively and, as a result, most pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. There are clear procedures for identifying and dealing with any negative behaviour and the pastoral team monitors this regularly.

The school promotes pupils' moral development well. Pupils are given a range of suitable opportunities to understand the importance of equality, treating others with empathy and celebrating diversity, for example through specific days such as anti-racism day. Pupils are given beneficial opportunities to contribute to school life through a few forums such as the school council, the learning forum and the new PSE forum.

This has led to pupils contributing to improving the physical environment and some learning activities. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to contribute to discussions that have a direct influence on their learning experiences. Older pupils are not given enough opportunities to lead and contribute productively to the school's life and work.

Safeguarding and child protection arrangements are appropriate. The designated safeguarding person ensures that staff receive regular and relevant training on important and essential aspects of safeguarding. As a result, they understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children's well-being and ensuring their safety.

However, governors have not received up-to-date training and there are not robust enough arrangements to share relevant information about safeguarding with the governing body. A number of health and safety issues relating to the school's building and grounds came to the attention of the inspection team. The headteacher is aware of these and is working with the local education authority to resolve them.

The school will receive a well-being letter to draw attention to all of these issues. The school has robust arrangements for promoting and monitoring pupils' attendance. Attendance has improved in comparison with the same period last year and compares well with the national average.

Leadership and management The headteacher is a hard-working and caring leader who gives of her best to support the well-being of the school's pupils and staff. She has a clear vision that is based on encouraging all pupils to thrive academically, creatively and personally. She places an emphasis on developing Ysgol Morgan Llwyd as a close-knit and supportive community and this has led to purposeful co-operation between staff and pupils.

The headteacher is supported robustly by the deputy headteacher and the remainder of the senior management team. There is an appropriate balance in their roles and responsibilities and they work together closely and productively to inform the strategic direction of the school. Together, they promote a strong sense of teamwork among the school's staff, particularly in developing the work of the 'Pastoral Hub' and, more recently, the 'Learning Hub'.

Senior leaders give appropriate attention to national priorities. They plan and adapt provision to support the new Curriculum for Wales and develop the skills of pupils in Year 7 and 8 through valuable 'Project' work. The school gives careful consideration to reducing the impact of poverty on pupils' attainment through the Pastoral Hub and Learning Hub provision and through other suitable initiatives.

Although there are valuable opportunities for pupils to develop their Welsh language skills in informal situations through extra-curricular activities, the school does not plan this strategically enough. The school also does not co-ordinate the development of pupils' skills or PSE experiences across the school carefully enough. A useful range of management meetings focus on the school's academic and pastoral work.

Purposeful line management meetings are organised between members of the senior management team and middle leaders to discuss self-evaluation and planning for improvement within departments. However, there is no consistency in the way in which senior managers hold middle managers to account in these meetings. Overall, middle leaders have a good understanding of their roles and areas of responsibility.

In many cases, department meetings are beneficial, particularly when staff are given opportunities to scrutinise pupils' work jointly. Performance management arrangements are appropriate and objectives align with the school's main priorities and support the professional development and personal aspirations of staff. The headteacher deals appropriately with underperforming staff.

The school has recently made significant changes to its improvement planning processes. It now has specific progress-monitoring periods in its self-evaluation and improvement calendar. Leaders conduct a comprehensive range of appropriate quality assurance activities, including lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils' work and gathering the views of pupils and staff.

Leaders at all levels take part in these processes. They are beginning to develop their ability to use findings from monitoring activities to evaluate their work. However, processes for gathering information do not focus specifically enough on developing pupils' skills or the quality of provision.

They focus mainly on consistency and compliance procedures, rather than the effect of learning on pupils' progress in their literacy and numeracy skills. As a result, an over-reliance on compliance procedures prevents leaders from gaining an accurate picture of strengths and areas for development. There is a suitable link between the findings of the school's self-evaluation processes and the main priorities for improvement.

However, these priorities are too broad and do not focus clearly enough on the main issues that need to be addressed. Actions are not always incisive enough to enable leaders to focus on specific aspects that need to be improved. The school promotes a strong culture of professional learning.

Staff are given a wide range of opportunities to attend courses by external providers and to share good practice through meetings and the use of the school's internal website. Again, professional development still does not link closely enough to the findings from self-evaluation activities. Leaders communicate clearly with parents.

The school's website provides parents with comprehensive information and beneficial support, for example on how to help their child and seek pastoral support or learning support. There are suitable opportunities for parents to share their views through opinion surveys and open evenings. Governors are very supportive of the school and are passionate about its status as the only Welsh-medium secondary school in the county.

There is a suitable structure of committees and meetings to share information about the school's work. Governors are knowledgeable about some aspects of the school's work, including the school's priorities and the role of middle leaders. They are developing their role as critical friends.

However, they do not have a robust enough overview of aspects of the school's work, such as their role in promoting healthy eating and drinking. They have also not received up-to-date training on important aspects, such as safeguarding. The governors, the headteacher and the business manager manage the school's resources carefully.

They make purposeful use of grants, including the Pupil Development Grant, to support the needs of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. 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).