Hywel Dda Primary School, Ely

Hywel Dda Primary 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 373 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

56% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 12% have additional learning needs (41% in 2020/21); 5% are learning English as an additional language; and 24% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 40 pupils (Year 1) to 57 (Year 5).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £5,559 per pupil, against £3,822 in 2021-22. It ended 2024-25 with a deficit of £28k.

Estyn's report on its February 2024 inspection summarises Hywel Dda Primary School like this:

"Staff at Hywel Dda Primary create a caring and supportive school. School leaders ensure that pupils’ well-being is a priority and, as a result, nearly all pupils thrive. They are enthusiastic and develop positive attitudes to learning. Throughout the school, most pupils behave well in lessons. They consider others’ views and support one another well. Most pupils develop respectful relationships with staff and peers. The school has created a broad and inclusive curriculum, with beneficial opportunities for pupils to immerse themselves in learning experiences that develop their understanding of Wales and our diverse world."

"The strong Welsh ethos enables many pupils to develop as confident and enthusiastic Welsh speakers. Most teachers plan exciting opportunities for pupils to build on their literacy, numeracy and digital skills and nearly all pupils make good progress as they move through the school. A notable strength is the positive reading culture and the progress that pupils make with their reading skills. However, where teachers over- direct learning, especially for older learners, they do not always develop sufficiently as independent, creative thinkers and learners. The strong leadership team, supported by effective governors, address school priorities rigorously. Governors provide valuable support to school leaders to identify strengths and priorities for development accurately. Staff develop a holistic understanding of individual pupils’ needs and support them effectively to reach their potential."

"The school provides an effective range of interventions for pupils with emotional and well-being needs, which has a positive impact on their engagement in lessons. However, the number of fixed-term exclusions remains too high. The school has a sound safeguarding ethos, and all staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities for keeping learners safe. Senior leaders recognise that the high volume of traffic at the start and end of the day poses a risk to the safety of pupils, and they communicate regularly with the local authority about this. The school provides extensive support for families. They use external agencies well to provide valuable information, and to direct parents to family services available in the community. The ‘coffee, cake and cuddles’ morning, provides a good opportunity for parents to engage in their child’s learning journey."

Estyn made 3 recommendations: (1) Continue to work in partnership with the local authority to manage the safe arrival and departure of pupils; (2) Reduce the number of fixed-term exclusions; (3) Develop pupils as independent learners.

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, choir, coding and Lego.

The nearest other state primary schools to Hywel Dda Primary School are Pencaerau Primary school (0.1 miles), St Francis V.A. Primary School (0.4 miles), Windsor Clive Primary School (0.5 miles) and St Fagans C.I.W. Primary School (0.6 miles).

The nearest railway station is Waun-gron Park Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

21 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dusty Forge (before), 110 metres away.