‘Tîm Heolddu’: Creating a cohesive and effective school
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Information about the school
Ysgol Gyfun Heolddu Comprehensive School is an 11-18 secondary school in Caerphilly County Borough. The school has a pupil population of approximately 740, with 33% pupils eligible for free school meals. The school has experienced a period of significant growth in pupil numbers over the past 5 years, resulting in an increase in staff numbers. The senior leadership team comprises the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and three Assistant Headteachers.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
The school has prioritised high quality teaching and learning, strengthening relationships and building a cohesive whole-school ‘TîmHeolddu’ culture to support both pupils and staff. In order to achieve these aims, leaders identified the need to develop a shared understanding of values, improve transition or ‘on-boarding’ processes for new staff and pupils, and devised an innovative whole-school coaching model for professional learning and collaboration. The school also recognised the importance of addressing the impact of poverty and strengthening links with families and the wider community.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
The school implemented a multi-faceted, values-driven approach centred on building a strong, cohesive team and improving relationships across the school community.
Core to the school’s work is the development of a clearly articulated set of shared ‘TîmHeolddu’ values, co-constructed with staff, pupils, and stakeholders. These values underpin all aspects of school life, including behaviour expectations, teaching approaches, and leadership decisions. All members of the leadership team undertake professional learning to develop an awareness of their own personal values and how these impact their approach and work. Understanding the collective values across the team enables effective and open communication, leading to coherence and a dynamic approach to decision making and school improvement.
To support consistency and belonging, the school redesigned its onboarding processes for both staff and pupils. New staff benefit from a structured induction programme prior to starting employment, that includes the ‘TîmHeolddu’ charter and expectations for all systems along with a visit to the local catchment area. Similarly, pupils experience a carefully planned on-boarding process that emphasises relationship-building, well-being, and clarity of expectations, with all Year 6 pupils moving to Heolddu at the end of the summer term. New staff also join ‘TîmHeolddu’ for this transition period and all pupils follow their timetable for the coming academic year. This reduces worry over the summer holiday period, allowing for a prompt and smooth start each September.
To tackle the impact of poverty, the school has implemented targeted support strategies, such as access to uniform and IT devices, breakfast club, and family engagement initiatives. These are complemented by efforts to build a strong sense of community, involving partnerships with local organisations and charities who attend parents’ evenings and other engagement events. Pupils, and their families, are well understood by staff, and support is swiftly and systematically provided for families requiring additional support. The school uses a range of factors to identify vulnerability and monitors the progress, attendance and well-being of a wide range of groups of pupils, including, for example, those who are young carers and mid-year admissions to Heolddu. All vulnerable groups are represented proportionally across pupil voice groups, including the school senedd , and have equitable access to wider school and extra-curricular experiences.
An instructional coaching model underpins professional development across the school. Leaders and staff engage in regular, planned coaching conversations focused on reflection, collaboration, and continuous improvement. School-based coaches work collaboratively on pedagogy and skills coaching, providing evidence-based, practical step-by-step actions for teachers to rehearse with their classes. This helps to develop leadership capacity at all levels and fosters a culture of greater trust and openness.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The school’s focus on values, relationships, and coaching has led to greater consistency in practice across departments. Staff report increased clarity, confidence, and alignment in their work, contributing to a more cohesive and effective team. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning has improved and strengthened.
Improved onboarding processes have supported smoother transitions for both staff and pupils. New staff integrate more quickly and feel better supported, while pupils demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and engagement from the outset.
The emphasis on shared values and relational practice has led to notable improvements in behaviour, attendance, and pupil well-being. Relationships between staff and pupils are a particular strength, contributing to a positive learning environment where pupils feel respected and supported.
Strategies to mitigate the impact of poverty have improved equity of access to learning and enrichment opportunities. Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are better supported to engage fully in school life, and the school has strengthened its role as a hub within the community. Outcomes and attendance of pupils eligible for free school meals are a strong feature. Between 2022-2023 and 2024-2025, attendance rates of the school improved well, including those of pupils eligible for free school meals, being above the national average and above that of similar schools. Persistent absence is notably lower than in similar schools, particularly for the last two years.
How have you shared your good practice?
The school has taken a proactive approach to sharing its ‘TîmHeolddu’ practice both within and beyond its own setting. Internally, leaders have ensured that all staff engage with the school’s values, coaching model, and relational approaches through regular professional learning sessions, collaborative planning time, and coaching conversations. This has supported consistency and helped embed the practice across all areas of the school.
The school has also worked closely with partner primary schools to support transition and share effective onboarding strategies for pupils. This has included joint events, shared resources, and opportunities for staff to collaborate on approaches to well-being and relationship-building.
At a wider level, the school has contributed to local and regional networks by sharing its work through cluster meetings, professional partnerships, and school-to-school support. Senior and middle leaders have delivered presentations and hosted visits for colleagues from other schools to observe practice in action, particularly in relation to coaching, values-driven leadership, and strategies to address the impact of poverty.
The school has also engaged with consortia and local authority-led programmes and contributed case studies and resources to support wider system improvement. Through these activities, the school has supported other practitioners to adapt and implement similar approaches in their own contexts.