Oaklands Primary School, Aberdare

Oaklands 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 203 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

28% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 7% have additional learning needs (20% in 2020/21); and 6% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 17 pupils (Year 4) to 30 (Year 2).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £5,316 per pupil, against £4,239 in 2021-22. It carried forward £5k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its June 2025 inspection summarises Oaklands Primary School like this:

"Oaklands Primary is a happy and inclusive school where many pupils enjoy learning and make good progress from their individual starting points. Staff create a caring and respectful environment where pupils feel safe and valued. As a result, most pupils behave well and engage positively in lessons. Leaders and staff know their pupils and community well. They work together to provide nurturing support and build strong relationships with pupils and their families. The Learning Specialist Class (LSC) is fully integrated into school life, helping pupils and staff in this setting to feel included."

"These pupils make strong progress across all areas of learning. The school has developed a purposeful curriculum. Where teaching is strongest, lessons are well planned, ambitious and engaging, and teachers use questioning and feedback effectively. In these lessons, pupils are confident, motivated and eager to improve. In a few lessons, teaching is less effective and there is variability in the delivery of the school’s curriculum. Pupils develop their oracy, reading and writing skills well, and most make good progress."

"They build sound mathematical understanding and in a majority of lessons where appropriate, there are suitable opportunities for pupils to apply their numeracy and digital skills across the curriculum. Governors are active in school life and support and challenge leaders appropriately. Leaders, including governors, generally monitor many pupils’ progress effectively, although they do not focus well enough on the impact of grant funding on the progress of pupils eligible for free school meals. While leaders have focused appropriately on improving pupils’ attendance, too many pupils, particularly those eligible for free school meals, do not attend school regularly enough."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Develop teachers’ understanding of the school’s curriculum and approaches to teaching to reduce the variability in the quality of teaching and learning; (2) Continue to focus sharply on the needs of those pupils eligible for free school meals including improving their attendance.

The nearest other state primary schools to Oaklands Primary School are Capcoch Primary School (0.6 miles), Cwmbach C.I.W. Primary School (0.6 miles), Blaengwawr Primary School (0.7 miles) and Cwmbach Community Primary (0.9 miles).

The nearest railway station is Cwmbach Rail Station, about 850 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Clarence Terrace (after), 50 metres away.