A local primary school is celebrating after receiving a glowing report from Estyn and being invited to share best practice in developing bilingualism.

The report on Holy Name School, Fishguard, highlights the quality of education offered at the school and recognises the pride that pupils and parents take in being part of the school community.

The report states that: "Holy Name Primary School is a caring, nurturing organisation that places a high priority on the well-being of its pupils and staff.

"Pupils enjoy learning and talk with pride about their school. Staff promote respect for others, and they consistently model positive, calm and friendly approaches. These values are echoed well by the pupils.”

It goes on to say that the pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are a strength of the school.

The report states that children listen carefully to instructions and apply themselves well to their learning.

It notes that teachers offer a wide range of interesting, authentic learning experiences, which help to make learning fun.

“The supportive and warm atmosphere helps nearly all pupils to settle easily to school life,” reads the report.

“It contributes significantly to their happiness in school and overall well-being. This matches the school’s vision extremely well.

"These diligent and thoughtful practices encourage pupils to develop resilient attitudes to their learning and this ensures that pupils feel secure and ready to learn.”

The report recognised that the school has created a bespoke curriculum incorporating its local surroundings, values and beliefs with a high emphasis on information and communication technology (ICT) skills, and bilingualism.

“Staff use Welsh throughout their teaching time, conversing in both languages with ease,” said the report.

“Pupils respond appropriately, showing good understanding of both languages. This is a notable feature of the school.”

The school has now been invited by Estyn to prepare a case study on its work in relation to the creating a whole school approach to developing bilingualism. This will then be shared as good practice on Estyn’s website.

Holy Name has been encouraged to continue to develop independent learning, provide opportunities for pupils to develop writing at length and provide opportunities to apply numeracy skills to problem-solving activities in real-life contexts.

“We are delighted with the way the report reflects the wonderful work carried out by pupils, staff and governors and recognises the importance we place on establishing strong relationships with the community and families,” said a school spokesperson.

The school is holding an Open Evening on Wednesday May 10, between 5pm and 6.30pm.

Everyone is welcome to come and meet the staff and find out more about the opportunities and experiences available to all pupils.