Ysgol Penmachno, Conwy

Ysgol Penmachno is a Welsh-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 33 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

Year groups range from 1 pupils (Year 3) to 7 (Year 2).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £8,898 per pupil, against £5,598 in 2021-22. It carried forward £12k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

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

"Ysgol Penmachno is a familial, inclusive and caring learning community where all pupils are nurtured and encouraged to ‘Grow and learn together’. Their behaviour is good and they show respect towards each other and towards staff and visitors. The school places a high priority on developing positive relationships between pupils, staff, parents and the wider community. Teachers provide a range of stimulating and engaging experiences for pupils which support them in d eveloping their literacy, numeracy, and digital skills appropriately by the end of their time in the school. In general, teachers’ feedback to pupils is not effective enough in supporting them to know what to do to improve their work and how. Every pupil is a valuable member of various councils, and their voice and work have a positive effect on the life of the school."

"The ‘Llun Lles’ (‘Well-being Monday’) and ‘Gwener Gwych’ (‘Fab Friday’) sessions provide valuable opportunities for pupils to undertake activities that promote diligent cooperation, for example in reinforcing a good range of skills in the outside learning areas. In addition, pupils are encouraged to develop resilience and take care of their emotional well-being. As a result, pupils are happy and proud that they belong to the school. The curriculum offers a good range of interesting experiences that reflect the school’s local context and are very successful in promoting pupils’ awareness of their locality and the history and traditions of Wales. This is a strong feature of the school’s provision. They encourage pupils to celebrate their Welshness through a range of memorable activities and visits which are very effective in cultivating their knowledge and understanding of their local area and their pride in it."

"Overall, a minority of pupils do not speak Welsh spontaneously with each other consistently enough as they learn and play. The headteacher provides the school with clear and supportive strategic leadership. Governors support the school with enthusiasm and pride, and skilful use is made of their expertise to support the school’s work. As a result, governors have a sound understanding of the school’s main strengths and areas for improvement."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Ensure that teachers’ feedback helps pupils to know what to do to improve their work and how; (2) Support pupils to speak Welsh consistently in the classroom and around the school A report on Ysgol Penmachno.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ysgol Penmachno are Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan (3.1 miles), Ysgol Capel Garmon (3.3 miles), Ysgol Dolwyddelan (3.6 miles) and Ysgol Betws-y-Coed (3.7 miles).

The nearest railway station is Pont-y-Pant Rail Station, about 3 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ysgol Penmachno (opposite), 50 metres away.