AN ACTION plan will be put in place to address some of the concerns highlighted in a Gwynedd secondary school’s latest inspection.
While two of the inspection areas at Ysgol Eifionydd were reported to be ‘good’, the remaining three were found by Estyn to be only ‘adequate and needing improvement’.
The Porthmadog secondary currently has 364 pupils on the roll, with 69 per cent coming from Welsh speaking households.
But while Estyn inspectors found that “efficient leadership has ensured a strong sense of pride and belonging among the school’s pupils and staff”, “it has not had enough of an effect on pupils’ achievement in important areas or ensured teaching of a consistently high quality.”
Estyn’s main findings also reported that in terms of standards, Key Stage 4 pupils’ achievement had not compared favourably with the performance of pupils in similar schools over the last two years.
It went on to note that not enough progress has been made between Key Stages two and four with the performance of pupils eligible for free school meals also being lower than in similar schools. The report also references that in a minority of lessons, teachers do not have high enough expectations with the overall quality of teaching found to be “adequate and needing improvement”.
Governors, while found to be supportive and making a valuable contribution to school life, were also found to have not challenged the school adequately to raise standards in underachieving departments.
However, other aspects of school life have been praised, including wellbeing and attitudes to learning, which was described as a “strong aspect” of school life.
Responding to the report, headteacher Dewi Bowen, said: “It’s good to report that wellbeing, attitudes to learning, care and support are great strengths at Ysgol Eifionydd. We’re proud of our pupils’ excellent GCSE maths results which are amongst the best in north Wales. Both our pupils and teacher attendance are excellent and pupils’ satisfaction with the school exceptionally high.”
A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “The Estyn report notes a number of positive aspects and it’s pleasing to see that the inspectors have particularly praised the work carried out in terms of ensuring the wellbeing of pupils along with the care, support and guidance provided to them. Whilst other areas have been identified where strengths outweigh the weaknesses, the report notes that some improvements can be made. As part of the school’s continuous efforts to improve, an action plan addressing any recommendations will be put in place.”