Y Cwmpawd Gilfach, Bargoed

Y Cwmpawd Gilfach is a school in Wales. Welsh schools are inspected by Estyn rather than Ofsted, and its latest report is published on Estyn's website.

Estyn's report on its June 2025 inspection summarises Y Cwmpawd Gilfach like this:

"Leaders at Y Cwmpawd Gilfach portfolio Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) are working collaboratively to develop a clear vision, which underpins the work of the PRU. They are beginning to establish a shared vision based on inclusive values to, ‘belong, aspire, achieve’. Leaders are developing a culture of high expectations for all pupils. Leaders have a keen sense of teamwork, and joint working across the provisions is developing well. This contributes well to improved consistency in a few areas, such as behaviour and well-being. Leaders have introduced clearer accountability structures and a beneficial professional learning offer. However, strategic planning and self-evaluation processes are not robust enough to drive improvement. Across the three provisions of Y Cwmpawd Gilfach, staff establish calm, purposeful learning environments, underpinned by respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Most staff manage pupil behaviour well and create inclusive, supportive environments where pupils feel safe and valued. Behaviour is generally settled across the PRU, and staff manage pupils’ social and emotional needs effectively."

"Targeted professional learning and the recent introduction of the 'Ready to Learn' policy promotes a consistent approach to behaviour across the provisions. Partnership working with a beneficial range of key partners is a notable strength. This makes an important contribution to improving the well-being of pupils and supports them successfully to engage in learning. The quality and coherence of the curriculum varies significantly across the provisions. Innovate and The Hive offer effective, well-structured curricula that meet pupils’ individual needs and support positive outcomes. However, the curriculum at Ty Gilfach is underdeveloped, which hinders pupils’ progress. Pupils generally benefit from engaging learning experiences. Most pupils make appropriate progress in oracy and writing and apply their numeracy skills suitably in real life contexts. The development of pupils’ digital and Welsh skills is underdeveloped. Overall, the lack of assessment processes and limited tracking of pupils’ progress hinders staff’s ability to plan learning experiences that develop pupils’ skills progressively."

"Provision for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) is effective at Innovate and The Hive, where support is tailored and tracked well. At Ty Gilfach, however, systems to identify and support ALN are less well developed, and pupils’ needs are not always met. Attendance is a key area for improvement. While attendance is suitable at Innovate and The Hive, it remains too low at Ty Gilfach, where pupils access part-time placements. Processes to monitor and review attendance arrangements are underdeveloped, affecting the equity of the curriculum offer. The management committee offers growing strategic oversight and contributes effectively to areas such as recruitment and safeguarding. They know the PRU well, identifying accurately its strengths and areas for development. However, it has not ensured that leaders have addressed key priorities swiftly enough."

Estyn made 4 recommendations: (1) Strengthen leadership at all levels to improve the rigour and effectiveness of self- evaluation and improvement planning, with a clear focus on improving the outcomes for all pupils; (2) Improve attendance, including access to full-time education for all pupils; (3) Develop strategic leadership of the curriculum to ensure coherent planning, progression and equity of provision, particularly at Ty Gilfach; (4) Establish robust systems for assessment and progression tracking at Ty Gilfach to monitor pupil outcomes and inform planning.

Estyn follow-up status: Significant Improvement.

The nearest railway station is Gilfach Fargoed Rail Station, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gilfach Workingmen's Club (outside), 60 metres away.