A Swansea Comprehensive School having a £10 million makeover is now also celebrating an excellent inspection report from Estyn.
Pupils and staff at Cefn Hengoed Community School in Winch Wen have proved they are more than worthy of the investment after inspectors said it was a school already laying the foundations for success.
Inspectors found the behaviour of pupils to be exemplary and the ethos of the school to be outstandingly strong.
Sue Hollister, Headteacher at the school, said she was hugely proud of the achievements of pupils and praised the contribution of parents.
She said: “We will take pride and satisfaction in our report and recognise that our hard work must continue, as every year presents new challenges. It shows that we have a strong foundation to take over to our new building and, with such a special learning environment, there is even more we can achieve.
“Our staff are simply brilliant and give so much to our pupils and our wider community.
“The role of our families in valuing their children’s education has resulted in inspectors noting that improvements in our attendance are outstanding. This major factor impacts directly on our pupils’ progress.”
And she said: “Our strong partnership with our local primaries supports our pupils to enjoy a happy transition, continuing and progressing their learning to the benefit of our whole community.”
The Estyn report said the school’s prospects for further improvement were judged to be excellent due to the support from staff at all levels, the well-established and rigorous systems to review progress and the ability to identify areas for improvement along with the school’s clear priorities.
The report noted the strength of the Core Subjects of English, Mathematics and Science at the school.
It commented that at Cefn Hengoed, English results have been in the top quarter when compared with similar schools for three consecutive years and those pupils achieving the Level 2 Threshold including English and Mathematics has risen 7% in 3 years.
Boys have done particularly well in the critical Core Subjects, according to the report.
And the Estyn report said arrangements for pupils with learning needs in mainstream classes and the school’s Special Teaching Facility for pupils with moderate learning needs are outstanding.
The school buildings are the subject of a multi-million improvement programme masterminded by Swansea Council and funded by an £8m grant from the Welsh Government and £2m from Swansea Council.
Mair Gibbs, Chair of Governors, said she was delighted that the community’s pride in the school has been validated by this excellent report.
Mike Day, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “This is a very pleasing report and gives the school a strong foundation on which to build its success which will without doubt be helped by their soon-to-be completed new learning environment.
“The development is part of the Council’s QEd (Quality in Education) 2020 programme to raise educational standards, make better use of resources and improve learning environments.”
