Pupils, staff and governors at an Oakdale primary school are celebrating after receiving a glowing report from Estyn Inspectors.
The Rhiw Syr Dafydd School community is delighted with the findings of the report which states that the current performance of the school is ‘good’ with ‘excellent’ prospects for future improvement.
Headteacher, Mike Glavin said: “I am thrilled that all the hard work has paid off. Our talented staff have worked so hard to strive for continued improvement. We do what we do for the pupils. Nevertheless, it’s great that what we do has been recognised.
“I am particularly pleased that the outstanding ethos and team work at the school has been noted. No one person in our school is more important than anyone else. They are all important, as they perform a vital role. Governors and parents are part of the team.
“The icing on the cake for me is that it’s our pupils that are the stars of this report. Their behaviour, progress and engagement with learning really is to be congratulated. I am so proud of them.”
The report states that ‘the school is an inclusive learning community with an outstanding ethos and sense of unity that supports the learning and wellbeing of pupils greatly.’ It also goes on to say that ‘standards of behaviour and levels of participation in learning are excellent.’
The school was praised for having many innovative practices to support teachers improve the quality of teaching and assessment. The report states ‘staff have responded very well to a challenging, yet supportive, culture of improvement that permeates the school.’
Cllr Rhianon Passmore, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “I would like to congratulate the whole school community on this very positive inspection report. As a local education authority we are committed to ongoing improvement in our schools and it’s great to know that children in Oakdale are benefitting from a top class learning environment at this impressive primary school.”
Chair Of Governors Beth Aldridge said: “I am delighted that the tireless hard work of Mr. Glavin, his staff and the pupils at Rhiw Syr Dafydd has been recognised in what is a very pleasing inspection report. It is a pleasure to be part of such a dedicated, committed and hard working team.
“It is extremely pleasing that inspectors were able to recognise what a happy and productive learning environment the school is,” she added.
Rhiw Syr Dafydd officially opened in September 2007 following the amalgamation of Oakdale Infant School and Rhiw Syr Dafydd Junior School. The site caters for approximately 641 children aged 3 – 11 years of age.
The school boasts a large, modern site with excellent indoor facilities that include bright classrooms, two large halls with state of the art audio visual systems and a well stocked library. The large grounds are equally well equipped with outdoor adventure play equipment for all age groups, an outdoor classroom, forest school area, wildlife pond, allotments and a large sports field.
