PEMBROKESHIRE LEARNING CENTRE has been placed in special measures after inspectors raised serious concerns about standards and leadership at the pupil referral unit.

Estyn confirmed the decision following a recent inspection of the centre, which supports pupils who are unable to attend mainstream school. The move means the provision will now be subject to increased monitoring, with inspectors returning to assess progress.

Pembrokeshire County Council said it has accepted the inspection findings in full and has begun implementing urgent improvement measures.

The council and school are required to submit a detailed post-inspection action plan to Estyn by February 5, 2026, setting out how each recommendation will be addressed. Work on the plan is already underway.

According to the council, immediate actions include increasing staffing across Pembrokeshire Learning Centre to strengthen leadership and classroom support, along with urgent planning to resolve site condition issues highlighted by inspectors. Governance arrangements are also being reinforced through the appointment of additional members to the centre’s management committee.

The council said these early steps are intended to ensure pupils are educated in a safe, supportive environment and receive teaching that meets their needs.

Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Guy Woodham, said the authority had acted swiftly following the inspection.

“Our priority is the wellbeing and success of every pupil,” he said. “We have moved quickly to strengthen leadership, improve facilities and enhance governance, and we will continue to work closely with Estyn to raise standards at Pembrokeshire Learning Centre.”

While identifying significant weaknesses, Estyn also highlighted areas of strength within the provision. Inspectors noted that leaders promote a clear vision centred on pupils’ wellbeing, supported by a trauma-informed approach, and that many pupils who attend regularly report feeling safe due to positive relationships with staff.

The inspection also found that the qualifications offer for older pupils has improved since the previous visit, helping learners progress into further education, training or employment.

Pembrokeshire Learning Centre, based in Neyland, plays a key role in supporting some of the county’s most vulnerable learners. The council said parents, carers and the wider community will be kept informed as improvements are implemented.

Further details of the post-inspection action plan are expected to be published in the coming weeks.

What went wrong at Pembrokeshire Learning Centre?

Inspectors have identified serious weaknesses at Pembrokeshire Learning Centre following a critical inspection that resulted in the pupil referral unit being placed in special measures.

The inspection found that leadership oversight across the Centre’s three sites in Neyland, Penally and Pembroke Dock has been inconsistent, limiting leaders’ ability to ensure standards are applied evenly. Senior leaders were largely based at the main site, reducing their visibility and impact at other locations.

While leaders were praised for setting out a clear vision centred on pupils’ wellbeing and trauma-informed practice, inspectors concluded that this vision has not been translated consistently into classroom practice. In many lessons, expectations were found to be too low, with pupils insufficiently challenged and making uneven progress.

Teaching quality was reported to vary widely. Inspectors said only a minority of lessons were well-planned, engaging and effective, while most lacked pace, clarity and appropriate challenge. As a result, too many pupils were not making the progress expected of them over time.

Curriculum planning was also highlighted as a major weakness. The Centre was found to lack overarching schemes of work, meaning teaching is often driven by individual staff rather than a consistent, centre-wide approach. This has led to fragmented provision and unequal learning experiences for pupils.

Attendance remains a significant concern. Inspectors found that attendance levels are too low, with inconsistent monitoring of reduced timetables and Pastoral Support Plans. Fixed-term exclusions were described as unacceptably high and have increased sharply compared with the previous year.

Learning environments were another area of concern. Inspectors said that many areas are not fit for purpose and in some cases do not provide safe learning spaces. At one site, public access to the grounds means pupils have no secure outdoor learning environment.

Safeguarding systems and reporting processes were generally found to be in place, but inspectors raised specific safeguarding and site management concerns during the inspection, which were formally reported to the local authority.

Support for pupils with additional learning needs was described as variable. While Individual Development Plans contain detailed information, inspectors found that these plans are not always delivered effectively in practice, limiting the support some pupils receive.

Despite these shortcomings, inspectors also identified positive aspects of the provision. Many pupils who attend regularly reported feeling safe, supported by strong relationships with staff. The qualifications offer for older pupils has improved, helping many move on to education, training or employment.

However, inspectors concluded that insufficient progress has been made since the previous inspection in 2017, and that urgent and sustained improvement is now required.

As a result, Pembrokeshire Learning Centre will be subject to regular monitoring visits, with inspectors returning to assess whether leadership, teaching standards, attendance and learning environments are improving.

Schools and colleges throughout Wales are gearing up for gold stars thanks to an additional £20 million funding allocation to support essential capital repairs and maintenance.

The funding, which is part of the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, will support large scale maintenance works such as the replacement of roofs, window systems, heating and ventilation systems, and electrical works.

The Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme has already rebuilt or refurbished 20% of the school estate over the last decade, and the funding for capital maintenance during 2025-26 now totals £50 million. 

The Welsh Government’s total 2025-26 investment allocation through the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme is now £391 million – the highest annual investment since commencing in 2014. 

The programme also assists Wales’s climate goals as all maintenance works funded through this allocation must help reduce energy use and carbon emissions. The funding aids improvements such as better insulation, efficient heating and energy-efficient windows creating more sustainable learning environments that are cheaper to run and better for the environment. 

“Maintaining our schools and colleges in good condition is essential for providing the best learning environments for our young people,” commented the cabinet secretary for education, Lynne Neagle.

“Since 2018, we have invested £314 million  in maintenance for schools and colleges across Wales. This additional £20 million will help local authorities and colleges address maintenance needs and demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring our education estate is fit for purpose whilst driving forward targets for a net zero carbon Education Estate in Wales.”

A primary school built in 2016 is facing a full roof replacement after years of leaks and structural deterioration — but Pembrokeshire County Council is refusing to disclose how much the work will cost taxpayers.

A NEWLY built Pembrokeshire school is facing a full roof replacement less than a decade after opening, with Pembrokeshire County Council refusing to disclose how much the work will cost the public.

Tenby Church in Wales VC School, a 3–11 English-medium primary school with an additional Learning Resource Centre provision, was completed in 2016. However, just a few years later, reports of water ingress began to emerge, with the situation worsening to the point where more than 500 temporary supports are now holding up parts of the roof.

The council has confirmed that it holds multiple condition and engineering reports relating to the roof dating back to January 2020, and that the issue has been discussed at Cabinet level on more than one occasion.

However, in a response to a Freedom of Information request, Pembrokeshire County Council has refused to disclose the total estimated cost of repairs, temporary works, or a planned full roof replacement, citing commercial sensitivity.

The council has also declined to release any correspondence between itself, the Welsh Government and the school’s governing body relating to warranties, insurance claims, or liability for the roof defects, again relying on exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Herald received the FOI response on Friday, January 9, 2026. In it, the council confirmed that while reports and assessments exist — and have been presented to Cabinet — key financial and contractual details are being withheld from public view.

The Herald previously reported in November that Cabinet members approved a £75,000 feasibility budget to explore options for tackling the ongoing roof leaks, including the possibility of a complete roof replacement. At that time, councillors were told that repeated water ingress had resulted in a weakening of the structure and components within the roof construction.

As part of urgent health and safety measures, the council installed 510 ‘acro’ props to support vulnerable roof areas and fully closed the Early Years and Playgroup wing. In 2024, the school’s solar photovoltaic array was also removed on engineer advice to reduce loading on the roof.

A Cabinet report stated that the favoured option is the replacement of the entire roof, a course of action that would require a comprehensive decant strategy to relocate pupils while works are carried out.

Presenting the findings of the feasibility study, the Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, telling members that the wellbeing of learners and staff was the council’s priority and that efforts would be made to move forward as quickly as possible.

Despite those assurances, the council has not confirmed whether it expects to recover costs through warranties, insurance, or third-party liability, or whether the financial burden could ultimately fall on the public purse.

In its FOI response, the authority said releasing cost information or correspondence could prejudice commercial interests and negatively affect negotiations with contractors or other third parties. It concluded that there was a greater public interest in withholding the information than in disclosure.

The decision is likely to fuel anger among parents and residents, with many questioning how a school building less than ten years old has deteriorated to the point of requiring hundreds of emergency supports and a potential full roof replacement — and why the true cost of that failure is being kept from public view.

Pembrokeshire County Council has not said when, or if, the total cost of the works will be made public.