A “happy and caring” Powys primary School has been praised by Estyn inspectors in a recent report.

Ysgol Rhiw Bechan, in Tregynon, was praised by inspectors for creating “a welcoming learning environment”.

Inspectors praised the leadership of the school and said “The headteacher leads with enthusiasm and compassion and knows the pupils, staff, and families well.

“There is a strong team ethos within the school ensuring that pupils across both language streams have similar learning experiences. Staff, pupils and parents cooperate successfully to create an ethos of one inclusive school.”

However, they did note that “leaders do not distribute all roles and whole school responsibilities robustly enough across the senior leadership team. As a result, not all areas for development are identified or actioned upon effectively enough following monitoring processes.”

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On the whole the report was positive for the school with inspectors praising the behaviour of the children.

They added: “Across the school, pupils have strong working relationships with adults and with each other. This contributes notably to pupils’ confidence and their positive attitude to learning.

“Nearly all pupils are courteous and polite to staff, visitors, and their peers, for example when holding doors open and greet with a smile. They demonstrate good behaviour in class, in the playground and around the school.

“Nearly all feel happy and safe in school and know that adults will listen to any concerns they have, support them, and resolve the situation quickly and fairly. This supports most pupils to have positive relations with staff and demonstrate tolerant attitudes and mutual respect. As a result, most pupils have a strong sense of pride and belonging to the school.”

The praise was extended for it learning outcomes with inspectors finding “teachers provide lessons that motivate and engage pupils’ interest effectively.

“Where teaching is most effective, teachers share lesson aims regularly to ensure that pupils understand the tasks they’re undertaking. They link their activities to previous learning and refer to skills learnt previously effectively. In nearly all classes, teachers use skilful questioning techniques that build effectively on pupils’ knowledge and extend their understanding further.”

Whilst the report was largely positive inspectors have made several recommendations including “sharpening the self-evaluation processes and planning for improvement”, “refining provision to enable pupils to become more independent in their learning” and “improving opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their skills in the outdoor area”.