Heolgerrig Community School, Merthyr Tydfil

Heolgerrig Community 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 214 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 4% have additional learning needs (29% in 2020/21); 5% are learning English as an additional language; and 5% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 16 pupils (Year 2) to 33 (Year 3).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £5,336 per pupil, against £3,922 in 2021-22. It carried forward £66k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its September 2024 inspection summarises Heolgerrig Community School like this:

"The headteacher is a committed leader who fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment, promoting high expectations for all. The school’s collaborative approach to leadership cultivates strong relationships between staff, pupils, parents, governors, and the wider community, reflected in the behaviour and well-being of pupils throughout the school. The school’s ethos is rooted in mutual respect and partnership, with pupils naturally supporting each other, both in classrooms and shared spaces. These inclusive values are reflected through the school’s pupil leadership groups and playground buddy systems, creating an atmosphere where all pupils feel supported and included. The leadership team’s self-evaluation processes are carried out thoroughly, identifying the school’s strengths and aspects needing development. However, the school’s improvement priorities are often too broad, leading to a lack of clarity for staff and governors."

"This hinders pupils’ progress in a few areas such as Welsh language and numeracy. The school’s curriculum is suitably broad. Teachers plan engaging and meaningful learning experiences. They provide useful feedback that enables most pupils to make progress in many aspects of their learning. However, teachers often over-direct the learning, limiting opportunities for pupils to develop as independent learners and thinkers. Pupils apply their literacy skills appropriately across the curriculum."

"Their numeracy skills are not as well developed, with limited opportunities for pupils to apply these skills in broader contexts. Additionally, while younger pupils make good progress in learning Welsh, older pupils struggle to develop fluency due to inconsistent use of the language across lessons. The school’s governors support leaders effectively to manage the budget and to evaluate the school’s work. For example, they ensure that resources are allocated appropriately to support pupils with additional learning needs (ALN)."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Sharpen the focus of school improvement priorities to ensure that all staff and governors understand their role in bringing about improvement, including ensuring that pupils develop their Welsh and numeracy skills; (2) Enable pupils to develop appropriately as independent learners and provide opportunities for them to influence how they learn.

The nearest other state primary schools to Heolgerrig Community School are Ysgol Gynradd Coed y Dderwen (0.7 miles), Cyfarthfa Park Primary School (1 mile), Caedraw Primary School (1.1 miles) and Ysgol-Y-Graig Primary School (1.3 miles).

The nearest railway station is Merthyr Tydfil Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ynysdawel (near), 150 metres away.