Flint special school receives glowing inspection report

A Flintshire special school has received a glowing inspection report.
Officials from Estyn found standards at Ysgol Maes Hyfryd in Flint were ‘good’ in all areas.

The school is co-located with Flint High School and currently has 102 pupils aged 11 to 19.

Youngsters at the school have a range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorders, speech, language and communication needs and learning difficulties.

After visiting in October, inspectors said pupils were happy at the school, enjoyed their lessons and treated all staff with respect.

In a recently published report, they said: “Over time, most pupils make strong progress in their learning in relation to their individual needs and abilities.

“The school provides a relevant and engaging curriculum and works effectively with outside agencies and other education providers to ensure that its pupils have enriching learning experiences.

“Leaders, teachers and support staff place great importance on working with parents and the community in order to improve outcomes for their pupils.

“This is a particular strength of the school.

“Staff at all levels are proud of their pupils and share in the school’s successes.”

The inspection body also made a small number of recommendations for improvement.

They include improving the development of pupils’ Welsh language skills and to ensure that monitoring systems allow teachers to measure the progress of youngsters.

The inspectors added: “Over time, most pupils make strong progress in their learning from their starting points and in relation to their individual needs and abilities.

“However, a few pupils with complex needs do not engage well enough in their learning and, as a result, do not make enough progress.

“Generally, the number and range of qualifications that pupils gain has increased over the last three years.

“A minority of pupils use and respond to basic greetings in Welsh.
“However, pupils’ understanding and use of Welsh is underdeveloped.”
The school has been asked to draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.

It has also been invited to create a case study showcasing its work with parents and the community to support pupils’ wellbeing, which will be displayed on Estyn’s website.

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