Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain, London Welsh School, London

What it's like to be a pupil at Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain, London Welsh School

This is a small school with caring staff that sits around a Welsh community, outside of Wales. School staff know their pupils incredibly well. Leaders, pupils and parents, are committed to its ethos and the promotion of their Welsh heritage and language. From their first days in the Nursery, children report feeling safe in school and say that is 'because there are so few of us, staff look after us more'. Pupil concerns are identified through the daily welcome song that captures feelings. Despite these strengths, however, the lack of knowledge and oversight of the proprietor body has led to significant breaches in statutory requirements, including those related to safeguarding. These weaknesses are serious enough that they have the potential to put pupils at risk of harm. Despite these significant failings, they do not negatively impact pupils' direct daily experiences. Pupils are welcomed each morning for breakfast club, they attend well and enjoy their learning. In classrooms there is a 'buzz' as pupils talk, in both Welsh and English, about the topics they are taught. A variety of trips, for example, to the science museum, gurdwara, fire station and the local zoo bring their learning to life. Academically, pupils are well prepared for their next steps. When all pupils are settled, behaviour is calm and the atmosphere is focused on learning. Pupils do not report any bullying. However, there are times when this calm, settled environment is not what pupils experience. When this happens, their learning is disrupted. Procedures to manage these disruptions are not always appropriate. This is because staff have not had the necessary training to enable them to make effective decisions in this aspect of their work. This means that support for the wellbeing of all pupils is not always consistently considered or promoted.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• The proprietor must ensure that it takes appropriate action to keep pupils safe, paying due attention to statutory guidance. Safeguarding and behaviour records must be timely, consistently detailed and complete so that chronologies clearly show concerns, actions taken and the impact of interventions.
• The proprietor must ensure that it keeps registers of attendance electronically and analyses the attendance data it collects so that accurate information can be reported to the local authority when required.
• The proprietor must ensure all the independent school standards (ISS) are met securely and consistently, including by providing leaders with the support and training that they need to carry out their roles effectively.
• The proprietor must ensure that the school adheres to all the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage paragraphs 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 2.1 to 2.4, 2.11 to 2.15, 2.17, 2.20, 3.3, 3.5, 3.33 to 3.35, 3.79 and 3.91.
• That proprietor must ensure that it complies with its duty to implement an appropriate accessibility plan, under paragraphs 3(1) to 4(2) of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.
• The proprietor must strengthen its oversight of the school's strengths, weaknesses and the impact of leaders' actions, ensuring that those actions are in the best interests of all pupils in the school.

This caring school does an excellent job teaching pupils to become fluent in both English and Welsh, with strong progress in early reading and maths. The school offers a unique Welsh cultural experience in England, with immersive activities like trips to Wales, Welsh church attendance and celebrations at Westminster. Pupils clearly enjoy school and parents speak positively about the progress and support their children receive.

Safeguarding standards not met - leaders have not created an open and positive culture around safeguarding, statutory training requirements are not being met, and the school has failed to seek external agency support for pupils at risk of harm.

French lessons, cooking club, art club, annual youth festival in Wales, Welsh church attendance, St David's Day celebrations at Parliament, trips, festivals, community events

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