Standards

School inspection overview

The headteacher and his staff at St. Teilo’s are united in their strong commitment to keeping pupils safe, raising their aspirations and helping them to develop and achieve. The Christian values of the school underpin all its work, helping it to create a caring ethos where pupils feel valued and well supported.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the school responded to the needs of its pupils and local community with flexibility and dedication. As pupils have returned to school, staff have worked hard to protect and enhance pupils’ well-being alongside supporting progress in their learning. In many lessons, teachers’ high expectations and careful planning help pupils to both readjust to normal school life and make sound progress in their knowledge, understanding and skills. In a minority of instances, teachers do not challenge pupils consistently well enough, which reduces the progress that they make.

The school provides an extensive range of effective pastoral support to meet pupils’ needs and ensures that pupils with additional learning needs get the help that they require. There is a strong culture of safeguarding, and staff have a clear understanding of their role in supporting pupils’ safety and well-being through all aspects of their work. However, the school canteen is currently closed, and the school is not providing pupils with hot meals or sufficient access to drinking water.

Leaders have a clear vision for developing a Curriculum for Wales that closely matches its ambition for creating ‘brilliant learners’. The school adapts its curriculum to meet the needs of individual and groups of pupils, although currently it does not meet statutory requirements in a few subject areas.

The headteacher provides strong, thoughtful leadership and his commitment to equity and success for all pupils and the school community is shared by staff and governors.

Post-Inspection Plan

Recommendation 1 was resolved automatically as pandemic restrictions ended.

Recommendation 2 forms the basis of the first priority in the School Improvement Plan. A robust professional learning programme is in place to ensure that every lesson is effective and that children are challenged to achieve as highly as possible at all times.

Recommendation 3 was resolved automatically as pandemic restrictions ended.

Inspection Report

You can find a copy of the latest school inspection report here.

Standards in religion

St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School was last inspected in September 2024 by The National Society (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools).

School inspection overview

Strengths include:

• St Teilo’s is a model for other schools, whether Christian or community in foundation. Its highly inclusive culture means that means there are no ‘Lost Sheep’.
• Leadership inspires adults and pupils with its profound commitment to each person becoming who God intends them to be. Consequently, personal development and academic outcomes are exceptional.
• Staff provide a vibrant, secure environment for learning that allows all pupils, especially those who need additional support, to have a fresh start where needed and hope for the future.
• Partnerships with families and carers are compassionate and respectful. In this way, the school ministers beyond its gates.

Post-Inspection Plan

Areas for development:

• Extend the shared language of spirituality so that adults and young people may more confidently articulate and express their spiritual growth.
• Formalise systems for monitoring and evaluating the impact of the Christian mission so this explicitly informs next steps as a Church in Wales school.
• Explore ways to enhance the experience of religious education for young people in the Sixth Form.