A SCHOOL has bounced back from a devastating fire to create a “warm and nurturing environment” for its pupils, inspectors have said.

Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.

Pupils and staff were successfully evacuated with no injuries, and a ‘school from school’ was set up in Jameston Village Hall, after a brief period of sanctuary at the nearby Buttyland caravan site.

In November, members of Pembrokeshire council’s schools and learning overview and scrutiny committee were told pupils returning to the rebuilt school was “unlikely to be September 2024”, and was “looking more like September 2025”.

Western Telegraph: Manorbier School was severely damaged by a fire.Manorbier School was severely damaged by a fire. (Image: Huw Murphy)

Estyn inspectors visited the school in December, and a report has now been published with their findings.

“The headteacher, staff and governors are committed to placing the school at the heart of the community,” the report said.  

“Following an uncertain period after a fire at the school’s permanent site, they have created a warm and nurturing environment for pupils to continue to learn and grow in a temporary location.

“This ensures that pupils feel safe and secure and enjoy coming to school.”

The report continued: “Most pupils show care and respect for each other and for staff and many engage well in lessons.

“The school is developing a curriculum that reflects the needs of pupils and their community. The focus on well-being supports vulnerable pupils to begin to develop appropriate attitudes to learning and enables all pupils to contribute their ideas about what and how they learn.

“Younger pupils develop their independence well. Older pupils are beginning to think more deeply about their learning, asking, and answering questions and working together to solve problems.

“Pupils develop their reading skills well. They make strong progress in Welsh and develop as confident speakers. This is a significant strength of the school.”

It was noted that the children were “keen to learn” and use both English and Welsh.

The inspectors reported that the school was “beginning to develop opportunities for pupils to reflect on their learning”, but said that older pupils had “limited” opportunities to improve their work following feedback.

Estyn said that the teachers “demonstrate good curriculum knowledge” and that teachers can ensure that learning develops at a good pace so that it engages pupils and supports them to make good progress.

However, the inspectors reported that occasionally teachers' expectations of pupils could be higher and the level of challenge did not match pupils’ individual needs.

“The headteacher and teachers carry out a useful range of self-evaluation and improvement processes,” the report said. “They accurately identify priorities for school improvement, provide high quality professional development for all staff, and monitor progress suitably.”

The school has been set targets of improving pupils’ writing and digital skills, giving pupils more opportunities to improve on their work after receiving feedback, and ensuring that feedback focuses on the difference that teaching and learning experiences makes to pupils’ progress.