All the big things primary schools in Wales are getting right

Primary schools in Wales have been handed a good report from the man in charge of holding them to account. The chief inspector of schools said most primary pupils were doing well as he listed what schools were doing right and what needed improving.

“Most pupils, including those with ALN and those from low-income backgrounds, make good progress with the development of their skills and knowledge during their time in primary school,” Owen Evans, head of Estyn said. Most primaries have also made “strong progress” implementing Wales’ new curriculum.

In his interim annual report, head of Estyn, Owen Evans, looks at three areas; teaching and learning, wellbeing, care , support and guidance and leading and improving. The list suggests what is working well and what needs to improve. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.

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Quality of teaching can be “too inconsistent” but only in a minority of primaries and, overall, primaries are “working to develop effective teaching”, the report adds. Pupils’ oracy and reading skills “continue to develop well in most primary schools”.

Primaries are also said to be working well to reduce the impact of poverty and disadvantage on pupils’ attendance, engagement, and wellbeing. A majority of schools have improved pupil attendance, which remains an issue right across Wales since the pandemic.

But it isn’t all good news. Of the 259 primary schools Estyn inspected in the 2023-24 academic year 83 (32%) received a recommendation related to providing or improving opportunities for pupils to develop or apply their skills, particularly numeracy, writing, reading or digital skills.

A further 47 (18.2%) were given a recommendation to ensure that teaching sufficiently challenges all pupils, and 48 (18.6%) were given a recommendation related to providing appropriate feedback.

Nine (3.5%) primary schools received a recommendation about addressing health and safety issues identified during inspection, and seven were given a recommendation to address safeguarding concerns. And 26 (10%) primary schools were given a recommendation about improving attendance, of which 10 had an outcome of either Estyn review, significant improvement or special measures from their inspection.

Launching the interim annual report, with a fuller document due in January, Mr Evans said: “As we complete our second month inspecting under our new arrangements, it’s important that we reflect on the education and training landscape as a whole and highlight the areas presenting challenges and opportunities for providers across Wales.

“My early insights report brings together the valuable information we have gathered from inspecting more than 400 education and training providers over the past 12 months.” He said his full report being published in the new year would offer further details about inspection findings. There will also be more information on teaching and the curriculum, recruitment and retention and anti-racism in schools.

This is what the chief inspector said about primaries in Wales:

Teaching and learning - what’s going well:

• A majority of schools have made strong progress with their implementation of Curriculum for Wales. Generally, these schools plan a broad range of engaging learning experiences, making good use of their local area and community.
• Most pupils, including those with ALN and those from low-income backgrounds, make good progress with the development of their skills and knowledge during their time in primary school.
• Pupils’ oracy and reading skills continue to develop well in most schools. A few schools have developed exceptional provision for developing pupils’ language and communication skills from a young age.
• In many schools, teachers evaluate purposefully how well teaching and learning experiences support pupil progress. In these schools, they use verbal feedback effectively to help pupils make progress during lessons.

And what needs to improve:

• In a minority of schools, the quality of teaching is too inconsistent. Teachers do not plan effectively and do not provide purposeful feedback to pupils to ensure they make the progress they should.
• A minority of schools provide suitable opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy, numeracy and digital skills independently in meaningful contexts. Too often schools have not developed their understanding of progression well enough and pupils do not apply their skills at a high enough level.
• Schools are beginning to provide a few opportunities for pupils to learn about the unique character of Wales. A few schools reflect the experiences of black and Asian communities within the curriculum effectively, but in general, schools do not consider the diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives found in society sufficiently.
• Overall, pupils’ Welsh oracy skills remain weak in English medium schools.

Wellbeing, care, support and guidance - what's working well:

• Schools have worked effectively to ensure good levels of care, support and guidance to support pupils with their wellbeing.
• Provision for pupil wellbeing, care, support and guidance is consistently strong across schools. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive in most schools and they engage well with their learning.
• In most cases, schools work well to reduce the impact of poverty and disadvantage on pupils’ attendance, engagement, and overall wellbeing.
• A majority of schools have improved pupil attendance figures and have successfully returned or exceeded pre-pandemic rates.
• Schools have adapted creatively and purposefully to the changes of ALN reform providing thoughtful and effective targeted support for pupils with ALN.

What needs to improve:

• Schools do not always develop pupils as effective independent learners. This is often as a result of lessons being too structured. Pupils are often unclear about the purpose of their learning, what they do well and what they need to do to improve.
• Where schools’ attendance falls below the national average there remains a significant gap for those pupils from socio-economically disadvantaged contexts and in a minority of schools attendance is still below pre-pandemic figures.
• A majority of schools are offering limited and often narrow experiences for pupils to develop an understanding and appreciation of the history and diversity of their communities, Wales, and the wider world.

Leading and improving - what's working well:

• Leaders have demonstrated flexibility in their approach to school improvement to take good account of national priorities.
• In many cases leaders have a clear vision for their schools. In these schools, staff are highly responsive to their pupils and families’ needs and function as an integral part of the community.
• Leaders make effective links between professional learning and improving the quality of teaching. They carefully plan staff development aligned to school improvement priorities.
• Many schools work successfully with other schools to share good practice and develop and enhance their work linked to national priorities.
• Many schools work closely with a range of organisations to remove barriers to wellbeing and learning for pupils with ALN, and those from low-income households.

What needs to improve:

• In a minority of schools, self-evaluation and improvement processes do not focus clearly enough on pupil outcomes and do not identify key areas for improvement in teaching and learning.
• Although in many schools governors often play an active role in the life of the school, there is still an over-reliance by governors on information from school leaders. In a few cases governors are not well-informed enough to identify and measure their school’s improvement priorities. They do not always consider the impact of grant funding on pupils’ outcomes.

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