Penrhiwceibr Primary, Mountain Ash

Penrhiwceibr Primary 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 116 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

30% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 9% have additional learning needs (25% in 2020/21); and 10% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 9 pupils (Year 2) to 18 (Year 3).

Estyn's report on its March 2024 inspection summarises Penrhiwceibr Primary like this:

"This is a happy, inclusive and welcoming school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and talk with pride about what it has to offer. Its curriculum provides engaging and motivating learning experiences that make learning fun. Pupils are interested in their lessons and most behave well and try their best. Most pupils make good progress during their time at the school. They develop their speaking skills well, often from low starting points. The school’s monthly podcast is a good example of how pupils become confident speakers by the time they reach Year 6."

"Most pupils are confident in their use of digital skills and use these well to showcase their work. They also have a very good understanding of how to keep safe online. Teachers are working towards improving pupils’ mathematical skills, particularly their recall of number facts, but this work is at an early stage and requires improvement. Teachers talk to pupils about how to improve their work at regular intervals and pupils often act on this, but they do not always allow enough time for pupils to correct and improve work or identify precisely enough what pupils need to do to take their work to the next stage. Staff support pupils with additional learning needs (ALN), including those in the observation and assessment class, very well to ensure that they make good progress towards their targets, The headteacher provides strong leadership and communicates his clear vision to all those involved with the school. He ensures that pupils’ well-being is a priority and staff work very well to support him in this. There is very effective teamwork and co- operation at the school."

"Staff are ambitious for the pupils and work hard to remove any barriers to their learning. They provide high levels of care to pupils and meet their emotional needs well. Leaders have developed strong partnerships with parents, and this contributes to the family feel of the school. The school plays an important part in the local community. These links enhance the curriculum for the pupils and help them to develop a pride in where they live and an understanding of its place in Wales. Leaders work effectively with governors to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors have recently improved their role in evaluating the school’s performance and planning for its improvement, but this work is at an early stage of development."

Estyn made 3 recommendations: (1) Improve pupils’ basic skills in mathematics; (2) Ensure that feedback to pupils identifies clear steps for improvement and pupils act on this feedback; (3) Strengthen the role of governors in self-evaluation and improvement planning to ensure that they provide suitable challenge to the school.

The nearest other state primary schools to Penrhiwceibr Primary are Perthcelyn Community Primary School (0.2 miles), Pengeulan Primary School (0.5 miles), Miskin Primary School (0.7 miles) and Our Lady's R.C. Primary School (0.9 miles).

The nearest railway station is Penrhiwceiber Rail Station, about 180 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Surgery (outside), 90 metres away.