22-05-2025
Welsh medium school where pupils speak English put into special measures
Welsh medium school where pupils speak English put into special measures
Pupils at a Welsh medium secondary school in Cardiff don't speak the language well enough, Estyn said
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern
A Welsh medium school where pupils speak to their teachers in English has been put into the highest level of Estyn monitoring. Many pupils at Ysgol Bro Edern in Cardiff "struggle to convey ideas in Welsh" responding to teachers and assistants in English, inspectors found when they visited.
Only "a few" pupils have a very good grasp of the Welsh language and express themselves with sophistication, inspectors said. Less than a quarter of children at the school in the Pen-y-lan area of the city speak Welsh at home.
In a hard hitting report, Estyn said: "In a minority of lessons, teachers promote the use of the Welsh language by pupils effectively.
"However, too often, teachers are not successful enough in feeding language to pupils or ensuring that they use the language in their discussions.
"As a result, many pupils do not make enough progress in their ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh."
It goes on to say: "In a few lessons, teachers' high expectations and positive encouragement mean that nearly all pupils use the Welsh language during discussions. However, in many lessons, pupils do not use the language when talking and discussing." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
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Placing the school in special measures Estyn went on to say that in general, pupils at Bro Edern don't make strong enough progress in their literacy skills.
While a majority of pupils write fairly fluently and accurately a minority make frequent grammatical and spelling errors in their work and mutate incorrectly.
The school has 936 pupils including 127 in the sixth form with rates of those eligible for free school meals and assessed as having additional learning needs both below the national average.
"In a majority of cases, pupils make suitable progress in their subject understanding, with strong progress in a few lessons," the report went on, but it adds that in minority of cases "shortcomings in teaching hinder pupils' progress" and "overall, pupils do not make enough progress in their oracy, reading and writing skills".
On a more positive note they found that the school fosters "a strong sense of belonging and provides a close knit family environment for its pupils". Provision for pupils' well-being is generally sound and there's a host of engaging extra-curricular activities available. The school's sports teams have also had national success in several areas.
The school provides "valuable experiences to develop pupils' understanding of diversity and prejudice" and as a result, many pupils treat each other and adults with fairness and respect.
There are also "suitable opportunities", such as the Year 9 work programme relating to 'Tafwyl' within the curriculum, to promote Welshness.
On well-being, care, support and guidance inspectors found Ysgol Bro Edern to be "a welcoming, supportive and close-knit learning community that prides itself on promoting the well-being and happiness of all pupils". Inspectors found that staff know the pupils well, are "extremely dedicated" and "work diligently to meet the needs of many of the pupils".
"Pupils take pride in the support they receive and appreciate that the adults at the school take care of them. Most pupils feel safe when working and socialising," the report adds.
On behaviour and attendance, issues facing a lot of schools, Estyn found that at Bro Edern "many pupils" behave well in their lessons and around the school. Attendance rates remain significantly lower than before the pandemic, an issue reflected in many schools.
In a majority of lessons, pupils show fairly positive attitudes to learning. Many listen respectfully to their teachers, follow instructions and work well with others. In a minority of cases, "mainly as a result of shortcomings in teaching", a lack of perseverance and interest is evident, inspectors found.
Estyn said the school's headteacher "is a thoughtful leader" with the inclusion and well-being of pupils and staff "at the heart of his vision", which includes providing "extensive opportunities" for pupils to learn and enjoy school through the medium of Welsh.
But this "has not had enough of an effect on important areas of the school's work, such as the quality of teaching and provision for skills, including pupils' Welsh language skills".
In a few lessons, there is poor behaviour that disrupts learning and "a few" pupils also arrive late for their lessons or wander the corridors.
In "a few" lessons, teachers' high expectations and positive encouragement mean that nearly all pupils use the Welsh language during discussions. However, in many lessons, pupils do not use the language when talking and discussing.
Placing the school in special measures, Estyn made the following recommendations:
Improve strategic leadership and accountability at all levels, including the quality of self-evaluation and planning for improvement
Ensure that governors offer an appropriate challenge to leaders
Strengthen the quality of teaching
Strengthen pupils' literacy skills and their willingness to use the Welsh language
Improve attendance and punctuality to lessons.
Hywel Jones, chair of Bro Edern's governing body, said: "I welcome the report and look forward to working closely with the school leadership team and the Local Authority to address the matters outlined and further strengthen those areas of concern."
In a statement Cardiff Council said Bro Edern is already addressing the report's findings and recommendations. These include enhancing the school's development of literacy skills across the curriculum and ensuring that pupils get a broad range of opportunities to practise their Welsh language skills.
The school is also implementing a range of strategies "to enhance teaching and learning further" and is working to improve attendance.
In February this year a new partnership arrangement to share and strengthen leadership responsibilities between Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern was agreed.
From September the two schools will collaborate for a two-year period, sharing leadership, governance and management to focus on teaching, learning and raising standards, the council said.
Matthew Evans, the current Headteacher of Ysgol Glantaf will take a new leadership role with strategic leadership responsibility for Ysgol Bro Edern and Ysgol Glantaf.
Responding to Estyn's report Mr Evans said: "We realise that the Ysgol Gyfun Bro Edern needs to urgently address matters relating to the recommendations regarding leadership, governance, teaching and learning and skills development. The school looks forward to working in partnership on these matters with colleagues from Estyn, local improvement partners and the local authority."
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