School Information

• to enable each child to develop as a happy, cheerful and well-balanced individual and to enjoy all aspects of school life
• to develop moral and spiritual awareness
• to encourage each child to be cooperative and tolerant, respecting and appreciating the feelings, views and the property of others
• to promote high standards of behaviour
• to develop in children positive attitudes towards work
• to equip each child with the necessary skills of literacy and numeracy
• to develop self-expression and creative abilities
• to develop physical awareness and skills
• to ensure that all children work to their full potential
• to prepare children for life and work in the secondary school and in later adult life

Aspirations for Learners
Our aspirations are that all learners will:

• work happily in a child friendly classroom that nurtures learning
• learn in a holistic manner
• be given opportunities to take part in meaningful learning experiences
• learn from experiences both in and outside of the classroom
• participate in experiences that suit individual needs (academic, emotional, social and cultural)
• develop the skills to learn new things for themselves
• value the contribution from others in the class, school, local, national and global communities
• have their achievements valued and celebrated
• have their achievements assessed in a way that is of value to the child's progress

The School Curriculum
We aim to provide a curriculum which is:

• Coherent - concerned with the education of the whole child
• Broad - to bring pupils into contact with a wide range of learning experiences
• Balanced - so that each learning experience is given appropriate attention in relation to the others and to the curriculum as a whole
• Relevant - to ensure that what is taught is worth learning and is seen by pupils, parents and teachers to meet present and future needs
• Differentiated - to allow for differences in the abilities and aptitudes of children

Estyn Inspection - September 2009
These are some of the comments the inspectors made about us:

• Ysgol Derwen is a good school with many strengths
• There are outstanding features in the way learners' basic and key skills are developed and in the way learning experiences are broadened and enriched by effective partnerships
• The school is well-led and pupils benefit from the staff's dedication and commitment
• Throughout the school, staff and pupils have good working relationships. This creates a positive and encouraging approach to learning
• Pupils' behaviour is outstanding. They make good progress and achieve well
• Good progress has been made since the last inspection