Estyn: Saltney primary school removed from list of those in need of “significant improvement”.

A Flintshire primary school has been removed from a list of education settings in need of “significant improvement”.

Saltney Ferry Primary School has been under monitoring after it was inspected by Estyn in September 2022.

The education inspectorate highlighted a number of concerns in its report, including regarding pupils’ reading and writing abilities, and the development of their Welsh language and digital skills.

A follow-up visit was conducted by inspectors in February this year to check if the school had made enough progress against their previous recommendations.

The latest report shows most issues have now been addressed, meaning the school will no longer need to be monitored.

The inspectors said: “Saltney Ferry Primary School is judged to have made sufficient progress in relation to the recommendations following the most recent core inspection.

“As a result, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales is removing the school from the list of schools requiring significant improvement.

“Leaders have introduced a suitable range of initiatives to support the development of pupils’ reading skills across the school.

“Teachers plan purposeful opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills and to ensure that they expand and deepen their understanding of spelling and punctuation systematically as they move through the school.”

They added: “The school has worked hard to ensure that pupils take pride in their Welsh heritage and language.

“Teachers provide pupils with a strong range of opportunities to develop their digital skills in specific lessons and build regular opportunities into the wider curriculum for pupils to use these skills purposefully.”

The report states that a number of new teachers have been appointed at the school since the original inspection and that they plan pupils’ learning effectively.

The school is currently being led by acting headteacher Nick Martin, who was previously its deputy headteacher.

The report concludes that leaders have put suitable strategies in place to evaluate the school’s work in the future.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).