Ysgol Bro Tawe, Ystradgynlais

Ysgol Bro Tawe 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 198 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

16% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 9% have additional learning needs (33% in 2020/21); 3% are learning English as an additional language; and 12% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 18 pupils (Reception) to 31 (Year 5).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £5,164 per pupil, against £4,153 in 2021-22. It carried forward £72k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its February 2024 inspection summarises Ysgol Bro Tawe like this:

"Pupils' well-being is at the heart of Ysgol Bro Tawe and staff work hard to make sure the school is a thoughtful and inclusive environment. This togetherness is demonstrated by the positive working relationships between staff and pupils. Teachers generally think carefully about how pupils learn best and use a range of appropriate methods to engage them successfully in their learning. All staff develop their professional skills and knowledge together well, and this enables them to adjust provision to meet the needs of individual pupils. The standard of care, support and guidance provided across the school community is strong and underpins the school’s vision, ’learning to live, living to learn’. Pupils enjoy attending school. They are eager to talk to adults and speak confidently about how proud they are of their school. Pupils feel safe and well cared for, and they trust that adults will always support them through difficult times."

"As they move through the school, most pupils make good or better progress from their individual starting points and use their knowledge and skills effectively in their work across the curriculum. The school genuinely values the pupils’ opinions. They have suitable opportunities to influence the work of the school and are delighted to work alongside school leaders to bring about change. Across the school, pupils develop positive attitudes to reading and writing and enjoy many opportunities to be physically active. They use digital tools well to support their learning and develop their Welsh language skills highly effectively. Teachers engage with their pupils to plan learning experiences that capture their interests, such as staying healthy and in the world of work. Pupils’ number skills develop well across the school. However, opportunities for pupils to learn other aspects of mathematics, such as shape, area and time, in more depth, are less well developed."

"When given the opportunities, pupils are keen to do well and to take on new challenges. However, too often work to extend and challenge pupils during lessons is underdeveloped. The headteacher shows strong, compassionate leadership. Along with the support of school leaders and governors, she has developed an enthusiastic team of professionals, who have a robust understanding of the needs of the pupils and the local community. Partnerships with parents are strong and the school has earned their confidence. These partnerships prove particularly beneficial when leaders and staff are deciding the right approaches to adopt so that their pupils can flourish. Leaders and staff are well on their way to implementing a curriculum that is authentic and reflects the needs of the community. School leaders and governors keep the work of the school under close review and there are good arrangements for monitoring the quality of ongoing school improvements."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Ensure that all pupils are suitably challenged to extend their learning within lessons; (2) Ensure that the mathematics curriculum is broad and balanced.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ysgol Bro Tawe are Ysgol Gymraeg Dyffryn Y Glowyr (0.7 miles), Godre'rgraig Primary School (2.1 miles), Creunant Primary School (2.5 miles) and Blaendulais Primary School (2.5 miles).

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Ysgol Bro Tawe.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Post Office (near), 90 metres away.