MEMBERS of Bridgend Council’s cabinet have heard the results of recent Estyn inspections from 2024 which will see one local school leaving special measures while another is put into them.
The inspections, which were carried out in the autumn of 2024, looked at a number of primary schools and one secondary school in the county borough, and detailed how well the schools were helping children to learn.
The report given to members at a cabinet meeting on March 11, said that no follow-up action would be required at a number of schools including Pencoed Comprehensive, Maes-yr-Haul Primary, Oldcastle Primary, Mynydd Cynffig Primary and Pen-y-fai Church in Wales Primary.
It also discussed positive feedback for each of the schools, with “robust systems to monitor pupils’ attendance” noted at Maes yr Haul, while “exemplary behaviour” was seen at Pen y Fai, and all schools being praised for having strong leadership.
The report also highlighted how Caerau Primary School would be removed from the list of schools requiring special measures after making “sufficient progress” in relation to recommendations that were made in a previous inspection.
However, while Caerau will be leaving special measures it was recommended that Bryncethin Primary School be placed in to them, with measures needed to improve attendance, literacy, numeracy, and digital learning.
An action plan will now be provided by the local authority along with the Central South Consortium to show how these recommendations will be addressed.
Officers speaking at the meeting added that support would be multi-faceted with a range of experts deployed to work with the school as well as making sure improvement was effectively monitored.
