Estyn Success for St. Peter’s RC Primary School

St Peter’s R.C Primary School in Roath has been removed from special measures by Estyn, the Education Inspectorate for Wales.

The decision comes after inspectors found that the school, with support from the local authority and the Central South Consortium, had made sufficient progress towards addressing recommendations, which Estyn made when it placed the school in special measures in December 2018.

After its recent inspection, the school was found to be a safe and welcoming environment and through significant funding from parent groups and the local authority, it has benefitted from building improvements, helping to enhance learning and improve pupil and staff wellbeing.

The report noted that there is a clear vision for teaching and a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration with staff accessing a wide range of professional learning opportunities to develop their understanding of effective teaching. The experience of the school’s head teacher, appointed in April 2020, has promoted effective leadership, confidence and trust amongst staff.

Reflecting on the report, Headteacher, Gareth Rein said: “All at St. Peter’s School are delighted with the outcome of the recent Estyn visit. The report recognises the excellent progress made at the school and this is due to the hard work of everyone in the St. Peter’s community. We aim to develop the whole child in mind, body and spirit and have continued to do this to a high standard over the past year, despite the challenges presented by COVID-19.

“Through our exciting curriculum, we focus on pupils’ well-being and provide engaging learning experiences to develop valuable knowledge and skills. We have high expectations of our children and staff members and are very pleased that this has been recognised in the positive Estyn report.”

Inspectors found that pupils have an increasingly strong voice across the school and talk enthusiastically about their Senedd groups such as the eco group which has helped reduce the school’s use of plastic, and the Cymraeg group which has helped to promote the use of Welsh through the school.

Communication between staff, governors and senior leaders has improved and the establishment of a parent teacher association (PTA) is helping develop relationships
between staff, parents and the community. Parents are now regularly asked for their views on many aspects of school life and the most recent survey showed they were positive about how the school communicated and shared information.

Following the school’s core inspection, the local authority used its powers to appoint
additional governors. Improvements have been made to the structure of the governing body and Governors now have responsibilities which align well with their professional and personal skill sets, supporting the school’s progress towards its inspection recommendations.

Michael Howells, Chair of Governors said: “This is splendid news. The report is a positive testament to the unstinting hard work of the newly appointed head teacher Mr Gareth Rein, and all staff, in successfully improving teaching and learning, assessment and strategic planning.

“The report recognises the effective teamwork between governors, members of the school leadership and staff; improved communication with parents and the increasingly strong voice of the pupils in the life of the school.

“St. Peter’s is well placed to develop its clear vision for teaching and learning and continue to set high expectations for its pupils.”

Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council, and Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry, said: “I am extremely pleased to see that the Estyn inspectors have recognised the significant improvements made at St Peter’s R.C. Primary School.

“The local authority has worked closely with the school to enable the delivery of improved standards. Leadership and governance has been strengthened and we have invested in the school’s learning environments.

“The vison for the school, with support from staff, governors, parents and the wider school community will help to ensure a stable and exciting future for St Peters R.C. Primary School.”