Posted on: Friday 31 March 2023
Children stood in front of a Not In Miss Out banner
Pupils at Llanyrafon Primary School enjoy the opportunities they have to learn and play, according to an Estyn report.
Inspectors visited the school in Cwmbran in January and found pupils made good progress in all areas of learning and that their behaviour was "exemplary".
In their report, published this week, the inspectors also praised the school staff for their approach to wellbeing.
They said: "The school’s approach to wellbeing is a significant strength and, in particular, all pupils, staff and families know they will get the emotional support they need.
"Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and they generally engage well with their learning. As a result, they make good progress in many aspects of their learning."
Headteacher Eve Rowlands said: "As a school we are very proud of our recent Estyn inspection report and are pleased that the importance that we place on pupil wellbeing has been recognised.
"Estyn summarised us perfectly when they said ‘Llanyrafon Primary is a happy and nurturing school.’ We look forward to continuing to build upon our good practice."
The report also recognised the work staff do to create a " strong sense of belonging and maintain positive relationships across the whole school community".
In October last year, staff took part in the Three Peaks Challenge of Abergavenny walk in memory of pupil five-year-old Olivier Roberts, who died of a rare type of brain tumour in March 2022.
Councillor Richard Clark, Executive Member for Educaion, said: "The staff and pupils at Llanyrafon Primary should be very pleased with this Estyn report. Not only did the inspectors praise pupils for their attitude to learning but they also rightly recognised the school's nurturing approach to all forms of education."
The inspectors made four recommendations: to focus self-evaluation and improvement processes to focus more specifically on the impact of teaching on learning across the school; to continue to develop the school’s curriculum to ensure that it provides breadth and depth of learning across the full range of learning and experience; to improve opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their digital skills and address a safeguarding issue regarding the school fence.
The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.
Pupils at Llanyrafon Primary School were among the first to back Torfaen Council's #NotInMissOut campaign to improve attendance.
They took part in a promotional video alongside three other schools - you can see the video here. You can follow the campaign on social media by searching for #NotInMissOut.