Education

Half of secondary schools must do better on teaching – Estyn

Published

10 months ago

March 5, 2025

ESTYN warned teaching must improve in half of secondary schools in Wales, with the inspectorate raising serious concerns about the quality of leadership.

Buffy Williams, who chairs the Senedd education committee, quizzed Estyn chiefs about 52% of secondary schools inspected receiving a recommendation to improve teaching.

Giving evidence on March 5, Estyn’s chief inspector Owen Evans said: “We try to focus on what matters and teaching, as you say, is absolutely at the heart of what we expect to see.

“Yes, it is a concern that so many recommendations are given to schools on what is a fairly basic tenet of what we should be doing.”

Claire Morgan, a strategic director at Estyn, said around 20% of primary schools also received a recommendation on teaching in the last academic year.

She warned of inconsistencies across secondaries, with schools failing to build on pockets of best practice due to weaknesses in self-evaluation.

Joel James said Estyn inspected 31 secondaries in 2023/24, with 10% requiring follow-up inspections, two in special measures and two others needing significant improvement.

The Tory asked: “Is that an anomaly in terms of previous years or … a general reflection?”

Ms Morgan said: “It’s been a very challenging time for secondary schools: they’re still grappling with curriculum reform, additional learning needs reform, qualifications reform.”

Claire Morgan, a strategic director at Estyn

She added: “Across all secondary schools, it’s about 10% of them in the statutory category, so that is really concerning for us.”

Ms Morgan raised issues around attendance, particularly among pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as weaknesses on literacy, numeracy and Welsh-language skills.

She said: “When you put all of these issues together, you can identify some serious concerns about the quality of leadership.”

She warned of a lack of high-quality, subject-specific professional learning for teachers.

“The job is very demanding,” she said. “We are seeing children with increased and complex wellbeing needs and often teachers are dealing with those on a daily basis.”

On Tuesday, trade union NAHT Cymru warned of rising abuse from parents towards school staff, including verbal abuse, threats and even physical violence.

Mr Evans, who was himself expelled from school for pulling a prank on teachers, said Estyn would soon be publishing an in-depth thematic report on behavioural issues.

He told the committee: “Where we see that behaviour is less of a problem it’s where they have quite strong policies that have been developed with pupils and parents.”

Mr Evans, a former senior Welsh Government civil servant responsible for schools, warned of a “plethora of priorities” and called for a tighter focus over the long term.

Labour’s Carolyn Thomas asked about the main challenges in primary schools.

Ms Morgan said the key challenges include pupil progression, self-evaluation, improvement planning, consistency of teaching and Welsh skills in English-medium schools.

Pressed on literacy and numeracy by the Conservatives’ Natasha Asghar, Ms Morgan warned of weaknesses in higher-level reading skills across primary and secondary.

Raising concerns about too much variation and low standards in maths teaching, she said: “The only way we’re going to make progress on numeracy is to get mathematics right.”

The witnesses called for a relentless focus on reading and numeracy, with the chief inspector later warning of a recruitment and retention crisis in schools.

Mr Evans said Estyn aims to embed a supportive ethos, with interim inspections every three years as part of a six-year cycle rather than a “big bang” every eight years as before.

The former S4C boss said: “Last year, we introduced the interim visits, so instead of what was every eight years getting the magic call and the boots of Estyn are in your school – we’re trying to take the sting, we’re trying to take the anxiety out of it.”

Community

Plea to save Tegryn Ysgol Clydau school heard by councillors

Published

16 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PLEA to not “pluck the heart out of a community” by closing a Pembrokeshire village school was heard by councillors just days after a consultation into its future was launched.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a petition opposing the potential closure of Ysgol Clydau, Tegryn, which had generated 648 responses on the council’s own website, meaning it crossed the threshold to be heard at full council.

A council statement accompanying the launch of the consultation said: “At its meeting on May 8, Pembrokeshire County Council considered a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which outlined the findings of a review of education provision in the Preseli area.

“In particular the review considered the extent of surplus school places in the area, set against a significant decline in the pupil population.”

The Ysgol Clydau petition states: “We demand that Pembrokeshire County Council reconsider its decision to close Ysgol Clydau and instead prioritise the needs of our community by keeping the school open. We oppose the closure of Ysgol Clydau and call for full public scrutiny before any decision is made.

“We urge you to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the community, listen to our concerns, and work with us to find alternative solutions that support the needs of our children and families.”

Sarah Farnden

Speaking at the meeting on behalf of the petitioners, Sarah Farnden, in an emotive plea, said the school was “not just a school but a sanctuary, a nurturing environment,” which offered “warmth, belonging and safety”.

“A village without a school becomes a village without families, a village without families becomes a village without a future,” she told members, adding: “Ysgol Clydau is not in debt, it’s not overspent, we’ve done everything asked of us, so why are we being punished?

“There has been a school on this site for 145 years, if you close Ysgol Clydau you are not closing a building you are closing a heritage; we are not here to fight you, we are here to beg you.”

Cllr Iwan Ward

Local member Cllr Iwan Ward said: “The decision of Pembrokeshire County Council to release this consultation on the closure a few days before Christmas is extremely disappointing, a time of year families should be concentrating on being together, not a time to have to face the threat of losing the heart of our community.”

To applause from the gallery, he added: “It’s not a matter of numbers on a paper, it’s a moral matter; the school is much more than four walls, it’s a safe place for children to grow and a cornerstone of community spirit.

“Closing a school like this rips the heart out of rural life, to threaten a school that isn’t failing is an action I cannot, and am not willing to, take quietly.

“I will stand with the staff, the governors, and the children also.”

Members heard the consultation had been expected to launch back in September but had been delayed due to staffing issues; its 42-day period due to now end in late January.

Members agreed to note the petition ahead of the consultation end, recommendations on the school’s future expected to be decided in March.

The final word went to Sarah Farnden, who said: “We’re not asking for special treatment, we’re asking for fairness and compassion; do not pluck the heart out of the community.”

Education

School leaders deliver Christmas cards to Senedd calling for fair funding

Published

18 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SCHOOL leaders from across Wales are delivering Christmas cards to the Senedd today in a symbolic call for fair funding for schools.

The cards, one for every Senedd member, are being delivered by school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, urging politicians to give children in Wales what it describes as the “best Christmas gift” – a fully and fairly funded education.

NAHT Cymru national secretary Laura Doel and president Kerina Hanson are gathering outside the Senedd at 1:00pm today before handing the cards in at the Senedd reception.

The action follows the union’s warning last week that while £339m came to the Welsh Government as a result of increased education spending in England for the 2026/27 draft budget, only £39m has so far been allocated to core school budgets in Wales.

Earlier this week, an additional £112.8m was allocated to local government following a budget agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, with some of that funding expected to reach schools.

However, NAHT Cymru says the additional money will fall well short of what is needed. The Welsh Local Government Association has predicted a £137m shortfall in school budgets in Wales for the next financial year, while local authorities are also facing a £200m deficit in social care funding.

The union has also raised concerns that the First Minister has declined to explain how the £339m of additional education funding has been allocated, prompting calls for urgent and transparent scrutiny of the budget.

Speaking ahead of the card delivery, Laura Doel said: “Christmas is a time of giving, and we’re urging the Welsh Government to give schools in Wales the funding they rightfully deserve.

“The money that comes to Wales for education should be spent on education, yet we know much of it has never reached schools. We urgently need clarity on where this money has gone and to see greater investment going directly to pupils.

“The system is at breaking point, and without action we are facing an incredibly bleak new year for schools across Wales.

“We’re calling on every member of the Senedd to act this Christmas and give children in Wales the best possible gift – a fully and fairly funded education.”

The Welsh Government says education remains a priority, pointing to additional funding agreed with Plaid Cymru for local government, some of which is expected to support schools.

However, teaching unions and local authorities continue to warn that funding pressures remain severe.

Education

School issues safeguarding alert over children’s use of Roblox

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi warns parents about addictive gameplay, unsafe chat functions and scammers

YSGOL PENRHYN DEWI in St Davids has issued a safeguarding warning to parents after concerns were raised about children’s use of the popular online gaming platform Roblox.

In a letter sent to families today (Dec 15), Assistant Headteacher Louise Gray said the school had been made aware of a series of risks linked to the platform, which is widely used by children aged 8–13 – and in some cases younger.

Roblox allows users to create and play games developed by other players. However, the school says this user-generated model can expose children to inappropriate or harmful content depending on which games they access.

Range of risks highlighted

The letter sets out several specific safeguarding concerns, including:

Inappropriate content in user-created games
Highly addictive gameplay, with daily quests and reward systems designed to increase screen time
Easily changed parental controls, allowing children to adjust settings without verification
Chat features that expose younger players to inappropriate messages
Peer pressure from in-game ‘connections’, with children believing they know other users
Emotional dysregulation linked to heavy use of the platform
Scams, including fake offers of free Robux or cosmetic items

Parents are being urged to closely monitor how their children use the platform, who they interact with, and what content they can access.

Guidance available

The school has directed families to the Welsh Government’s Hwb website for further advice on parental controls and safe use of Roblox.

A Roblox spokesperson said: “Roblox is committed to providing a safe and positive experience for every member of our community, especially children and young people. We use a combination of chat filtering, human and AI-assisted moderation, parental controls and age verification tools to help protect our users from inappropriate content or behaviour.

“Younger players have more restrictive settings by default, and features such as voice chat and unfiltered text chat are limited to age-verified users. We encourage parents and carers to make use of our safety features, review their child’s settings regularly, and talk with them about staying safe online.”

“We continuously update our policies and systems in response to emerging risks, and we work closely with safety experts and regulators to help ensure Roblox remains a secure environment for creativity and play.”