STAFF and pupils at a Flintshire primary school have been praised for their "clear Welsh identity" their latest Estyn report.

Inspectors visited Penarlag CP School in Ewloe, with 197 youngsters on roll, in December 2023.

They noted that children "receive a high level of care, support and respect", adding: "Pupils are proud of their school and speak highly of the experiences they have. Across the school, pupils are friendly, welcoming, and behave well.

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"They have good manners, are polite and inquisitive and enjoy learning new things. They develop valuable relationships with their peers and staff, which have a positive impact on their learning and wellbeing."

In the approach to learning attitudes at the school, inspectors said: "As they move through the school, most pupils make strong progress in their learning and do so with confidence and enjoyment. Pupils with additional learning needs benefit from valuable support, and as result they also make good progress by the time they leave the school."

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Praising staff, the report added: "The school's hard-working, dedicated and professional staff team work together passionately to benefit their pupils. Staff across the school pride themselves on developing strong working relationships with pupils. They foster a valuable culture of respect and trust where most pupils feel valued.

"Generally, leaders identify what the school is doing well and what it needs to do to improve. They take suitable steps to make the improvements needed."

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The approach to Welsh language and identity was also highlighted, with inspectors stating: "The school has a clear Welsh identity. Throughout the school, staff model the Welsh language passionately and it has a high profile in many aspects of the school's work.

"The Criw Cymraeg pupil group plays an integral part in the school's Welsh language provision and a good range of other groups enable pupils to positively influence the life of the school."

Headteacher Fion McGill said: " I am absolutely delighted with our Estyn report, which reflects all the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of all our staff, pupils and governors and also the support from our parents."

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Following the inspection, there were two areas of recommendation:

• Strengthen distributed leadership to develop a coherent and progressive approach to curriculum and assessment.

• Ensure that professional learning is strategically planned to meet the needs of the school's immediate improvement priorities.