Ysgol Derwenfa, Flintshire

Ysgol Derwenfa 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 85 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

43% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 13% have additional learning needs (28% in 2020/21).

Year groups range from 5 pupils (Year 5) to 18 (Year 3).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £6,447 per pupil, against £5,053 in 2021-22. It ended 2024-25 with a deficit of £25k.

Estyn's report on its December 2022 inspection summarises Ysgol Derwenfa like this:

"Ysgol Derwenfa is a nurturing and hard-working school that places a high priority on the well-being of its staff and pupils. Leaders have created a strong culture of mutual support when working together towards the school’s core values. These values are shared across the school community and encourage respect and kindness between staff and pupils. The quality of teaching is strong across the school and all staff know their pupils well and ensure that they take good account of their individual needs. While many pupils start school with basic skills below those normally expected, during their time in the school they are well supported and make strong progress in most areas of the curriculum."

"Teachers provide useful opportunities for pupils to influence their own learning and classrooms are productive working environments where pupils share an enthusiasm for learning. Staff work well together to create learning experiences that suitably reflect the principles of the curriculum for Wales. They enhance learning with school trips or engaging pupils in the local community, for example when writing articles for the local newsletter or singing in a nearby café. Parents feel well supported by staff, have useful opportunities to understand the progress their children are making and are encouraged to become involved in school life. Senior leaders and governors have created a strong culture of collaboration to support school improvement and approaches to monitoring and evaluation provide a clear direction for the school."

"Governors have a positive impact on self-evaluation and know their school well. They set useful targets for improvement, which often have a positive impact on improving teaching and learning at the school. However, in a very few instances, these do not focus well enough on how well pupils make progress in key areas such as their digital skills, spoken Welsh or their ability to apply their numeracy skills in other areas of the curriculum. There is effective support for pupils with additional learning needs, and the school thinks carefully about how to support pupils’ basic skills in literacy and numeracy as well as addressing their social and emotional needs. As a result, the school is an inclusive environment where staff work hard to ensure pupils make good progress and are becoming ambitious and capable learners."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Improve opportunities for pupils to develop their numeracy and digital skills progressively across the curriculum; (2) Improve pupils’ speaking skills in Welsh.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ysgol Derwenfa are Ysgol Parc Y Llan (1.7 miles), Ysgol Terrig (1.7 miles), Nercwys CIW Voluntary Aided Primary School (2.1 miles) and Ysgol Penyffordd (2.5 miles).

The nearest railway station is Penyffordd Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Post Office (after), 100 metres away.