Estyn has confirmed education services in Wrexham are no longer a cause for concern.
In its official report, the education inspectorate says Wrexham Council – which supports schools across the county borough – has made sufficient progress since its last major inspection back in 2019.
It details significant improvements in the following areas:
- Improving outcomes for learners – particularly in secondary school.
- Improving attendance and behaviour.
- Strengthening joint working across different teams to support pupil wellbeing.
- Improving evaluation and planning.
Estyn says the local authority will no longer be categorised as ‘causing significant concern.’
Senior leaders at Wrexham Council say the positive report reflects the hard work and commitment of staff across the organisation and in local schools.
Strong position
In 2019, Estyn expressed concern about secondary schools in the county borough, although it recognised strong performance at primary school level.
Since then, the council has been working hard to improve standards and address issues.
Councillor Phil Wynn, Lead Member for Education, said, “We’re fortunate to have an incredible education team here at the council, and their hard work and dedication is reflected in this extremely positive report from Estyn.
“It’s been a long road, but we’ve worked very hard to show that education in Wrexham is in a strong position and that children, young people and adults can get the education they need to help set them on the way to a successful and happy adult life.
“A big thank you to everyone has worked very hard to secure improvement despite the very difficult circumstances created by the pandemic. I would also like to thank head teachers and school staff across the county borough and to GwE the North Wales regional school improvement service who has worked alongside us.”
Estyn has recognised our improvements
Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, added, “When concerns were raised by Estyn in 2019, we were disappointed but we didn’t bury our heads in the sand.
“We made a commitment to tackle this head-on, and put significant extra resources into education which have had a positive impact. We are pleased Estyn has recognised our improvements but we won’t rest on our laurels and we will continue to improve as we go forward.”
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Karen Evans, our chief officer for education. Since Karen joined us in 2020 she’s done an incredible job, and is supported by a fantastic team of very talented and dedicated officers, as well as head teachers and school staff across the county borough.”
You can read the full report on Estyn’s website.
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