Estyn orders urgent action plan and regular monitoring at Pembroke secondary

A PEMBROKESHIRE secondary school has been placed into special measures after inspectors identified safeguarding concerns, weak leadership and inconsistent teaching standards.

Inspectors from Estyn, Wales’ education watchdog, concluded that Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School requires the highest level of intervention following an inspection in December 2025.

In its report, Estyn said that while leaders and staff “strive to provide pupils with a caring environment”, serious shortcomings mean too many pupils are not making enough progress and important aspects of the school’s work are not effective.

The watchdog formally stated that “special measures are required in relation to this school”, meaning the school must now produce an action plan and will be monitored by inspectors every four to six months.

Teaching and learning concerns

Inspectors found that progress across the school is inconsistent.

Around half of lessons were judged to support appropriate progress. However, in a similar proportion, weaknesses such as low expectations, poor planning, ineffective questioning and weak behaviour management were said to restrict learning.

Teachers were criticised in some cases for setting undemanding tasks that “keep pupils busy rather than challenging them to learn”, with pupils becoming passive and over-reliant on staff support.

A minority of pupils were also reported to disrupt lessons through defiant behaviour.

The report added that provision to develop literacy, numeracy, digital and Welsh language skills across subjects is underdeveloped, leaving pupils without enough meaningful opportunities to build core skills.

Safeguarding issues identified

Safeguarding was a key concern.

Although leaders were said to promote a culture of care and staff receive regular training, inspectors identified “several aspects of the school’s approach to safeguarding that raised concerns”.

Staff had not been given correct guidance on how to deal with allegations against members of staff, and there was insufficient information on recognising risks linked to radicalisation.

A minority of pupils who responded to surveys said they feel unsafe in school, while some told inspectors they are reluctant to report bullying because they feel it is not always dealt with effectively.

Estyn has made addressing safeguarding issues its first formal recommendation.

Attendance well below average

Attendance has also deteriorated.

The report said overall attendance has declined over the past three years and remains well below both similar schools and pre-pandemic levels.

Persistent absence rates are higher than average, and attendance among pupils eligible for free school meals is significantly worse than national comparisons.

Inspectors also found that attendance coding is sometimes inaccurate, meaning leaders do not always have a clear picture of the true situation.

Leadership and accountability criticised

Leadership and governance were judged to have had “little impact on several important aspects of the school’s work”.

Inspectors said self-evaluation and improvement planning lack rigour, and that leaders do not evaluate teaching precisely enough to drive improvement.

Staff are not held robustly accountable, and middle leaders are not sufficiently challenged or supported.

Governors were described as supportive but not consistently challenging enough on key issues such as teaching quality.

The school is also operating with a large budget deficit and does not yet have an agreed recovery plan.

Local Authority response

Pembrokeshire County Council said in a press release that it is important to note the following strengths of the school:

• Staff work hard to create a caring, supportive atmosphere, and many pupils feel well supported and safe in school.

• The Supported Learning Centre (SLC) provides a valuable range of interventions that successfully support vulnerable pupils’ social and emotional needs.
• Staff in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) build positive relationships and create a safe, supportive environment.
• The PSE curriculum is well‑coordinated and provides helpful guidance on relationships, identity, sexual health, empowerment, safety and respect.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of leadership opportunities, including the school council and whole‑school Senedd.

Inspectors found that around half of pupils do not make sufficient progress, with many experiencing inconsistent or weak teaching, low expectations, and limited opportunities to develop key skills across the curriculum. Shortcomings in self‑evaluation, improvement planning, behaviour management, safeguarding guidance and staff accountability were also highlighted.

The report makes six key recommendations, including addressing safeguarding concerns, strengthening leadership and accountability, improving teaching and attendance, and ensuring pupils have meaningful opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy, digital and Welsh language skills across the curriculum.

Pembrokeshire County Council is working closely with the school to ensure that Estyn’s recommendations are actioned immediately. An accelerated improvement plan will now be put in place, supported by regular monitoring by Estyn every four to six months.

Cllr Guy Woodham Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language, said: “We take Estyn’s findings extremely seriously. The shortcomings identified – particularly in safeguarding, leadership, pupil progress and the consistency of teaching – are not acceptable for any of our learners  and need to be addressed as a matter of urgency by the school and with the support of the Local Authority.

“We are now putting in place a programme of rapid, decisive improvement at Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School. This will include strong, targeted support alongside firm and sustained challenge.

“Our commitment is clear: we will work relentlessly with the school’s leadership, governors and wider staff to ensure that learners receive the high‑quality education, care and aspiration they deserve.”

The Council said that it will deploy enhanced school improvement support and leadership capacity. 

Working alongside the governors, and the leadership of the school, safeguarding procedures and staff guidance are being strengthened as a matter of urgency.

The implementation of robust monitoring, accountability and performance systems through our multi-agency improvement board is important whilst ensuring professional learning is sharply aligned to identified weaknesses.

Recommendations and next steps

Estyn has issued six recommendations, including:

• Address safeguarding issues
• Improve teaching quality
• Strengthen leadership and accountability
• Raise attendance
• Improve curriculum provision for key skills

Under special measures, the school must now produce a formal action plan showing how it will address these failings.

Estyn will revisit regularly to assess progress.

Special measures are the most serious category an inspection can apply and are only used when inspectors believe a school cannot improve quickly enough without external support and close monitoring.

Despite the concerns, inspectors did highlight some positives, including caring staff relationships, useful support for vulnerable pupils, a broad range of vocational courses, and worthwhile extra-curricular opportunities.

However, the overall judgement makes clear that significant improvement is needed.

Youth-led ‘Think Outside the Block’ toolkit rolled out to secondary schools across Pembrokeshire

A wNEW mental health and wellbeing resource designed by young people for young people has been launched in Pembrokeshire to mark Children’s Mental Health Week.

The county’s Children and Young People’s Rights Office (CYPRO) has unveiled Think Outside the Block – an interactive booklet and game aimed at helping pupils better understand emotional health and feel more confident talking about it.

The resource, launched this week (Feb 9–15), encourages open discussion, challenges common misconceptions and builds awareness around issues including anxiety, self-esteem, neurodiversity and general wellbeing.

Importantly, the project has been created by members of the Pembrokeshire Youth Assembly, working alongside CYPRO and the Primary Mental Health and School In-Reach teams.

The idea grew out of the county-wide “What Matters to You?” consultation, where young people identified mental health and emotional wellbeing as one of their top concerns. Participants said terms linked to mental health and neurodiversity are often used without clear understanding, which can create confusion and stigma.

Think Outside the Block aims to tackle that by using accessible language and interactive activities to help children explore key topics and develop the vocabulary they need to speak openly about how they feel.

Over the coming days, CYPRO will distribute the resource to secondary schools across the county. Staff will be able to use it in classrooms, youth settings and dedicated wellbeing sessions.

A spokesperson for CYPRO said: “This project has been led by young people, for young people. Their voices and experiences have shaped every part of this resource.

“We are delighted to share it with schools across the county and support meaningful conversations about mental health, emotional health and wellbeing.”

The Youth Assembly continues to play a central role in representing the views of young people locally, with this latest initiative described as a strong example of co-production in action..

Picture: Members of the Youth Assembly launch the Think Outside the Block resource (Pic: Supplied).

Headteacher absent as council confirms support plan and oversight visits

CONCERNS have been raised about leadership and staffing at Milford Haven Comprehensive School following last week’s alleged stabbing of a teacher on site.

The Herald has been contacted by a member of teaching staff who described the school as “rudderless” in the days after the incident and questioned whether enough senior management support was in place.

The teacher, who asked not to be named, said staff morale had been affected and claimed there had been little direct communication from the headteacher, who has been absent due to injury.

They said: “We teachers are all saying the same thing. The school feels rudderless. This is a time when a leader needs to step up and let us know they’re still in charge and concerned.”

Concerns were also raised about administrative capacity, with the business manager role reportedly unfilled.

A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council confirmed the current arrangements.

The council said headteacher Ms C. A. Morris remains in post but is currently absent, with deputy headteacher Mr Daryl John deputising.

It added that the business manager position is a matter for the school.

Additional support has been put in place for staff and pupils, including the Education Psychology team on site, access to counselling services and an increased presence from the School Police Liaison Officer throughout the week.

The authority also said the Director of Education is in daily contact with the deputy head.

In terms of oversight, the council confirmed Steven Richards-Downes, Director of Education, has visited the school 35 times and met staff on two occasions. Cllr Guy Woodham, Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, has made eight visits since taking up the role in May 2019.

Last week’s incident saw a 15-year-old male charged grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a bladed article.

At an initial hearing it was explained that the teacher, who was named as Vicky Williams, has since been discharged from hospital.

The prosecution explained to the court that the boy attacked Williams with a kitchen knife.

The case has been sent to Swansea Crown Court.