Ysgol y Waun, Chirk

Ysgol y Waun 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 313 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

21% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 5% have additional learning needs (27% in 2020/21); 2% are learning English as an additional language; and 8% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 30 pupils (Year 5) to 48 (Year 4).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £4,927 per pupil, against £3,928 in 2021-22. It ended 2024-25 with a deficit of £262k.

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

"Ysgol Y Waun is a caring and inclusive school at the heart of its community. Despite being across two separate sites, the school provides a collective family feel where all pupils and families are made to feel welcome. Nearly all pupils settle quickly to school life and make rapid progress in all areas of learning. Progress in literacy skills, particularly the development of writing skills, is very successful with most pupils writing exceptionally well by the time they leave the school. This is due to the high- quality teaching and support pupils receive from all staff across the school. Most pupils make good progress in their maths skills, but they have limited opportunity to apply these skills in real-life situations."

"The headteacher, all leaders and staff have developed a positive culture of teamwork. They ensure that pupils are well-cared for and that all pupils have their needs met appropriately. For example, the nurture class on The Lloyd’s Lane site provides beneficial support to those pupils who need it. Across the school pupils develop positive working relationships with adults and they trust them to act in their best interests at all times. Most pupils further develop their sense of safety and well- being through regular activities in the school’s forest area. As a result, nearly all pupils show respect and behave well across the school."

"Leaders and staff work collaboratively to ensure that provision across both school sites is well-led and managed. They undertake a range of suitable activities to identify school strengths and areas for improvement. However, their evaluations of learning do not always identify clearly enough the areas that the school needs to focus on. Governors and leaders monitor pupil attendance carefully and staff work closely with families providing additional support and advice when needed. Overall, the school has a generally suitable approach to health and safety and safeguarding its pupils."

Estyn made 3 recommendations: (1) Address the health and safety concerns identified during the week of inspection; (2) Refine self-evaluation processes to ensure that school development planning and grant planning targets are well focused; (3) Improve provision to support pupils’ application of their numeracy skills across the curriculum and in real-life situations.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ysgol y Waun are Pentre Church in Wales Controlled Primary School (1.4 miles); Weston Rhyn Primary School (1.5 miles, 59% reading, 47% maths); Ysgol Min-Y-Ddol (2.3 miles); and Froncysyllte C.P. School (2.4 miles).

The nearest railway station is Chirk Rail Station, about 1070 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Princess Avenue (after), 180 metres away.