Glowing Estyn report for Maindee Primary School
Posted on Tuesday 24th May 2016
Maindee Primary School in Newport has received an excellent report from Estyn inspectors.
Pupils, teaching and support staff and parents all came in for praise from the Estyn team who visited the school in Rodney Road in March this year.
The school has 494 pupils aged between three and 11 and there are 32 different ethnic groups who speak 26 different languages. Around 85 per cent of pupils receive support in English as an additional language with many entering the school with little or no English.
Head teacher Emma Nolan was praised for her leadership skills and she and her team were congratulated by Cllr Gail Giles, Cabinet Member for Education and Young People, for being rated good for current performance and excellent for prospects and leadership.
Inspectors found there is an extremely inclusive and welcoming environment at the school, which has a very positive effect on pupils’ achievement and wellbeing
The report says most pupils make good progress from their starting-points as they move through the school and achieve good standards of literacy and numeracy and use these skills well in other subjects
The development of pupils’ oracy skills is a particular strength of the school and pupils with additional learning needs, including English as an additional language, make valuable gains against their personal targets.
It is this strength which saw the school graded as excellent for its learning environment and having highly effective practices in the integration of newly arrived pupils with no English into the school.
Pupils were also praised for their excellent behaviour and showing high levels of respect, care and concern for others.
Teachers and teaching assistants are seen to use their knowledge and skills effectively to provide a wide range of stimulating learning experiences that motivate nearly all pupils well, and there are exceptionally high levels of care, support and guidance for pupils and parents earning the school an excellent grade in this category.
The school’s prospects for improvement are excellent because the head teacher’s leadership is highly effective in setting out and promoting a vision for the school. She has put in place a series of pioneering arrangements that are proving successful in meeting the very diverse needs of pupils.
Cllr Giles said she was delighted with the report.
“This is a very good result for Maindee Primary School and everyone involved in the school.
“Headteacher Emma Nolan and her staff, parents and pupils deserve the accolades outlined in the report by the Estyn team who witnessed first-hand how the school copes with such a diverse ethnic community, in particular helping pupils who have little or no English to integrate and feel welcome.
“Inspectors highlighted that improving quality at the school is excellent as a result of the support provided to the head teacher by the staff and the backing of governors and parents alike.”