Abertillery Learning Community has made improvements in leadership; standards and financial management, Estyn have confirmed following a recent core inspection.
The outcome of the recent monitoring visit concluded that:
“Abertillery Learning Community is judged to have made sufficient progress in relation to the recommendations following the most recent core inspection. As a result, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales is removing the school from the list of schools requiring significant improvement.”
The inspection report, published today, noted:
• The school has developed and implemented successful strategies in order to raise pupil standards;
• Behaviour of pupils has considerably improved, especially at the Secondary Campus. Pupils and respectful and there are strong processes in place to approach and manage challenging behaviour;
• Overall teaching has improved which has had a positive impact on pupil progress, behaviour and attitudes to learning;
• There is good stable leadership which serves the Learning Community well;
• There is a strengthened use of pupil voice which has helped to support the improvements and gives pupils a sense of ownership; and
• Careful budget management has improved the financial position of the Learning Community
Meryl Echeverry, Head-teacher at the Learning Community, says:
“Abertillery Learning Community has worked tirelessly over the last few years to develop a clear understanding of the needs of learners, providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to support and challenge them, whilst implementing a curriculum that further supports their educational journey.
“With the support of the Governing Body and Local Authority, together with the dedication and professionalism of our staff, the Learning Community has gained positive recognition from Estyn and will continue to move forward providing the very best education for all learners. We are very proud of our school community.”
Councillor Joanne Collins, the Council’s Executive Member for Education, welcomed the news and thanked everyone involved for their hard work and commitment. She said:
“Providing the very best educational standards and opportunities for children and young people should be at the very heart of any education authority, and it has certainly been one of our top priorities over the past few years.
“This is such welcome news for Abertillery Learning Community and for the Council. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved with this improvement journey and for working together to bring about real change including the Learning Community’s leadership and all staff; the Governing Body; the Council’s Education teams and the South East Wales Education Achievement Service. Most importantly, I’d like to say thank you to our wonderful pupils for working so hard and to parents and carers for your continued support.
“There is more work to be done but the Learning Community is in an excellent position to go from strength to strength.”
Chair of Governors, Suzanne Williams said:
“The Governing Body has been working closely with staff, pupils, parents and stakeholders to ensure the Learning Community has fully met the recommendations made by Estyn, whilst working under extreme pressure due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
"The Governing Body is extremely proud of the hard work of all concerned, placing Abertillery Learning Community in a very strong position to continue to build on their achievements. The community has a school of which they can be very proud and I would like to thank all staff, pupils and governors for delivering such high standards at the same time as supporting everyone’s wellbeing.”