Forden C.I.W. School, Powys

Forden C.I.W. School is an English-medium school in Wales. Welsh schools are inspected by Estyn rather than Ofsted, and its latest report is published on Estyn's website.

It had 42 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

Year groups range from 4 pupils (Year 4) to 9 (Year 5).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £6,309 per pupil, against £4,678 in 2021-22. It carried forward £80k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its September 2022 inspection summarises Forden C.I.W. School like this:

"Forden Church in Wales Primary School is a nurturing place for pupils and staff alike. There is an overall feeling of inclusivity and a strong sense of belonging in the school. The headteacher, teachers and support staff take very good care of the pupils and want them to thrive in learning and in life. Well-being is placed at the heart of the school’s ethos. All pupils and their families receive a genuine welcome and pupils enjoy coming to school and being part of such a reassuring learning environment. Teachers and support staff are there to help when needed."

"They offer pupils a range of learning opportunities, all of which help to keep pupils interested in their learning. However, these do not consistently provide sufficient challenge to pupils to ensure their progress and the development of their skills as independent learners. Pupils are proud of Forden School and exhibit very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils know that staff expect them to respect everyone in the school community and to behave well. The engagement of pupils in their learning is a notable strength of the school. The school grounds offer a stimulating environment to extend pupils’ learning."

"However, the school does not always make best use of this learning opportunity. The headteacher provides considerate leadership and generally knows the school well. She has correctly identified important areas of the school’s work that she wants to improve. These include pupils’ extended writing and mathematics; nevertheless, evaluation and improvement processes require further honing. The headteacher values the opinions of staff, pupils, parents and governors, and uses these to improve the school. School staff trust each other and work well together to provide good support for each other and pupils."

Estyn made 3 recommendations: (1) Improve the quality of teaching, including formative assessment, to ensure that pupils are challenged consistently; (2) Strengthen self-evaluation and improvement planning processes to accurately identify and bring about necessary development; (3) Utilise the outdoors through the planning of purposeful learning experiences.

The nearest other state primary schools to Forden C.I.W. School are Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery (2.6 miles, 56% reading, 56% maths); Montgomery C.I.W. School (2.7 miles); Berriew C.P. School (2.7 miles); and Leighton C.P. School (3.3 miles).

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Forden C.I.W. School.

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Michael`s Church (outside), 160 metres away.