Ysgol Carreg Hir, Neath

Ysgol Carreg Hir 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 375 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

36% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 9% have additional learning needs (17% in 2020/21); 6% are learning English as an additional language; and 22% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 42 pupils (Reception) to 56 (Year 6).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £5,116 per pupil, against £3,538 in 2021-22. It carried forward £321k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its January 2023 inspection summarises Ysgol Carreg Hir like this:

"Ysgol Carreg Hir is a very nurturing place for pupils and staff alike. The headteacher, teachers and support staff take good care of the pupils and want them to succeed in learning and in life. Well-being is placed at the centre of the school’s ethos. There is an overall feeling of community and a strong sense of belonging in the school. It offers bespoke support for all pupils, including those with individual needs. All pupils receive a very warm welcome and enjoy coming to school and being part of such a supportive and inclusive learning environment. Teachers and support staff are there to help when needed."

"They offer pupils a range of learning opportunities, all of which help to keep pupils interested in their learning. However, these do not consistently provide sufficient challenge for pupils to support their progress and development in their skills as independent learners, for example in the standards they achieve in writing and teachers’ use of assessment methods. Pupils are proud of the school and exhibit positive attitudes to learning. They understand that staff expect them to respect everyone in the school community and to behave well. The engagement of pupils in their learning is a notable strength of the school. Staff offer a stimulating environment that extends pupils’ learning outdoors. Leaders plan exceptionally well for this to enhance pupils’ learning and well-being experiences."

"The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior leaders provide strong leadership and, in general, know the school well. The headteacher has correctly identified important areas of the school’s work that need improving, for example pupils’ spoken Welsh skills. This work is having a notable impact on younger pupils’ skills. However, evaluation and improvement processes are not always sharp enough to support progress in all areas of the curriculum. The headteacher values the opinions of staff, pupils, parents and governors, and uses these to improve the school. Staff trust and work well together to provide consistent support for pupils and each other."

Estyn made 3 recommendations: (1) Improve pupil progress in skills, especially in writing, through greater challenge for more able pupils; (2) Ensure that self-evaluation processes are focused to improve aspects of teaching and learning, and that improvement priorities are specific and measurable; (3) Develop effective assessment methods across the school to support pupils to know what and how to make improvements to their work.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ysgol Carreg Hir are YGG Tyle'r Ynn (0.2 miles), Melin Primary (0.6 miles), St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Neath) (1.1 miles) and Gnoll Primary School (1.2 miles).

The nearest railway station is Briton Ferry Rail Station, about 690 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Grandison Hotel (nr former), 110 metres away.