Ysgol y Dderwen, Sir Gaerfyrddin

Ysgol y Dderwen 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 358 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 2% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 30 pupils (Year 3) to 57 (Year 4).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £5,219 per pupil, against £3,597 in 2021-22. It carried forward £71k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its June 2026 inspection summarises Ysgol y Dderwen like this:

"The interim headteacher’s robust leadership provides a clear direction for the school, with a purposeful focus on enriching learning experiences and supporting the personal development of each pupil. This vision has been shared successfully with staff, parents and the community, fostering a strong sense of collective purpose. With the support of a dedicated team, leaders have fostered a caring environment that reflects the Welsh nature of the school and contributes to high standards of behaviour and commitment to learning among almost all pupils. Most pupils develop Welsh communication skills effectively and use the language confidently in a range of contexts. As they move through the school, they strengthen their reading and writing skills consistently and express their ideas successfully."

"Most pupils' mathematical and digital skills are sound. They use their numeracy knowledge purposefully in when handling data and solving problems, while their use of technology supports communication and information presentation skills effectively. Almost all pupils demonstrate a good understanding of how to use technology safely and responsibly. Staff deliver a curriculum that offers a rich range of experiences, engages pupils’ interest and supports robust development in their skills across the areas of learning. In the best practice, the activities challenge pupils purposefully to make sound progress and teachers are beginning to use feedback more effectively to support pupils to understand their strengths and the next steps in their learning appropriately."

"However, these most effective practices are not rooted consistently enough across the school. Leaders use effective procedures to evaluate the quality of provision which supports them to identify the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. The investment in purposeful professional learning has strengthened the quality of provision, especially in the early years. Governors know the school well and provide effective support ."

Estyn made 1 recommendation: (1) Ensure that the most effective teaching practices are consistent across the school.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ysgol y Dderwen are Myrddin C.P. School (under 0.1 miles), St Mary's R.C. Primary School (0.4 miles), Model C.I.W. School (0.4 miles) and Richmond Park Primary School (0.5 miles).

The nearest railway station is Carmarthen Rail Station, about 1000 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heol Dysgwylfa, 170 metres away.