Support for wellbeing during transition from primary to secondary

Information about the school

Ysgol Dyffryn Aman is a bilingual school that is maintained by Carmarthenshire local authority. There are 1,436 pupils on roll, 267 of whom are in the sixth form.

The school is situated in Ammanford at the foot of the Black Mountain. Around half of pupils come from the town itself, and the other half from the surrounding rural area and nearby villages. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is 18.9%, which is slightly higher than the average across Wales of 16.4%.

Almost a third of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes. Around 47% of pupils speak Welsh fluently and a little over half study Welsh as their first language.

Nearly 6% of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, compared with 2.2% across Wales. Nearly 30% of pupils have special educational needs. This figure is higher than the national average of 22.9%. The school has a specialist teaching facility for 29 pupils with profound and complex learning needs.

The headteacher and one deputy headteacher were appointed in September 2017. The senior leadership team includes the headteacher, two deputy headteachers, three assistant headteachers, two senior teachers and the special educational needs co-ordinator.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The school’s main objective is to support pupils’ wellbeing and progress by responding to all individuals’ needs.  Because of the context, size and nature of the school, not all pupils need the same provision and support.  Therefore, a broad academic curriculum has to be prepared, which is tailored to the individual in order to ensure engagement and success.  Alongside this, purposeful support is provided to promote the pupil’s happiness and wellbeing, and develop the individual’s resilience when facing everyday challenges.  The school believes that if the pupil is happy and healthy, this will lead to positive attitudes to learning, and sound progress will be made.

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity

Transition Scheme

The school has fostered strong relationships with its partner primary schools.  The basis of this system is ensuring that the school has a clear focus in terms of promoting the wellbeing of new pupils.  An individual profile is produced for every pupil, in order to provide appropriate support and intervention as they begin their educational journey at Dyffryn Aman.  During Years 5 and 6, a programme of visits, workshops and taster sessions is held.  The secondary school’s current pupils are used as ambassadors at the primary schools to share their experiences with prospective pupils.

Two open evenings are organised at the beginning of Year 6, which provide an opportunity for parents and pupils to see the school at work.  As around 250 pupils transfer to the school each year, in addition to the fact that it is a bilingual school, two open evenings are held, which include presentations and a tour of the school.  This process provides a more personal experience for parents and pupils in a homely and familial atmosphere.  Additional workshops are organised for the parents of prospective pupils, in which they can ask questions and learn more about the provision and linguistic support that are available.

Broad and rich curriculum

One of the school’s strengths is the broad curriculum that is provided.  In key stage 3, leaders work together effectively and are willing to trial and evaluate new curricular arrangements.  The school is experimenting with new teaching methods in Year 7 through a project-learning scheme.  Although in its early stages, pupils have benefitted from valuable experiences, such as a visit to an old people’s home to research the differences between the generations.  A course on personal development and employability skills was recently added to provision in key stage 3 and 4.  The programme was planned carefully to respond to the needs of specific pupils and encourage them to engage positively with the curriculum.  As a result, the school’s provision ensures engagement and builds the resilience of vulnerable pupils.  Through a flexible methodology in terms of the method for delivering the programme, and a wealth of resources to support the content of the curriculum, the programme meets pupils’ needs and interests successfully.  Young people’s confidence and self-worth are developed by giving them specific responsibilities, and their views are listened to regularly.  Progress is ensured in their core skills in order to prepare them for life beynod school.

Purposeful support

The school is a familial and caring community that provides valuable support and guidance to pupils and parents.  The extremely close and supportive working relationship promotes a supportive environment and nurtures pupils’ very positive attitudes towards their work.  Differences between pupils from different backgrounds and of different abilities are respected, for example provision is made for pupils who do not speak English or Welsh on entry to the school.  This is done by providing intensive linguistic support in a small group under the guidance of a specialist teacher.  As part of this provision, an individual timetable is planned to develop linguistic skills that will enable pupils, in time, to gain full access to the curriculum and the main stream.  A caring environment is ensured in order to support them to settle successfully and develop to become well-informed and principled citizens.

An inclusive society

The school has a clear vision in terms of ensuring equal opportunities and stimulating experiences for all pupils in the catchment area.  A wide range of extra-curricular activities also enriches pupils’ learning experiences effectively.  Parental input is an important element of inclusivity.  A series of workshops is organised for parents, which provides a forum for them to share ideas and improve their understanding of the school’s priorities and processes.  Many pupils, including those with additional needs, are given valuable opportunities to develop their leadership skills.  The ‘Enfys’ nurture group supports pupils with additional learning needs and emotional needs by providing a timetable that is tailored specifically for them.  This provision has proved to be successful in terms of building pupils’ resilience and improving their engagement and attitudes to learning.  Other groups of pupils, such as looked after children, receive support from a specific co-ordinator, who tracks pupils’ progress and wellbeing at an individual level.  The co-ordinator works closely with external agencies to ensure easy access for pupils and their families to other relevant services.  Support builds resilience by developing the sense of belonging to a community, which helps them to cope with life’s challenges.

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

There is a strong ethos of belonging and inclusivity at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.  Pupils are supported effectively, and high expectations are set so that all individuals are ready to face challenges on a daily basis.  The objective is to nurture independent, confident and happy pupils.  This ethos has permeated all parts of the school’s provision.  During the school’s most recent inspection in November 2019, it was judged that ‘pupils’ wellbeing and attitudes to learning are an extremely strong feature of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman’.  In particular, it was identified that pupils’ ‘willingness to persevere when facing challenges’ is an excellent feature of pupils’ positive attitudes towards their work.  It was also judged that ‘pupils with profound educational needs develop excellent life skills within Canolfan Amanwy’ and it was identified that ‘many pupils develop their personal and social skills exceptionally by shouldering different responsibilities within the school community’.  Therefore, ‘during their time at the school, many pupils make quick progress in their subject knowledge and skills.’

How have you shared your good practice?

In order to contribute to a self-supporting system, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman has shared good practice by holding training events at the school or visiting other schools.  There have been beneficial opportunities to share and evaluate practice and strategies that build pupils’ resilience successfully.