TEACHING at Monkton’s school has been hailed as an example of best practice in the recent Estyn Annual Report of education provision across Wales.

Monkton Priory Community School was lauded in the report for “creating an engaging learning environment”.

A summary of a case study on the school said: “A majority of pupils at Monkton Priory Community Primary have limited experiences of places beyond their community.

“The school aims to provide a ‘window on the world’ that enriches pupils’ learning experiences by providing real-life experiences for topics that pupils have studied in the classroom.

“As a result, pupils’ behaviour, attendance and performances have improved.”

The case study believes the teaching at the school, which provides a range of educational courses for adults as well as children “encourages everyone to be part of the learning community” and attributes this to the improvement in behaviour, adding that no exclusions have taken place at the school over the last six years.

Monkton Priory Community Primary School, which has 221 pupils, serves the Monkton area and consists of a very large local authority council estate, a permanent Gypsy Traveller site and a small number of private houses.

Around 30 per cent of pupils are from a Gypsy Roma background.

The school also has two units for pupils with severe and complex learning needs.

The school has identified about 38 per cent of pupils as having additional learning needs.

“We’re very proud of what we do here at Monkton Priory,” said Head Teacher Shelley Morris.

“To have our school highlighted in a case study in the latest annual Estyn report is an honour and is a tribute to the staff, governors, pupils and parents associated with us.

“Our motto is ‘Learning Together’ and this is something we all abide by to create such a great learning environment.”