Blaenau Ffestiniog’s secondary school has been asked by inspectors to share its work with other schools in Wales following a glowing inspection report.

Estyn inspectors visited Ysgol y Moelwyn in April, and in a report released in July praised the school as a “warm, caring and inclusive community where secure relationships between staff and pupils are at the heart of its success.”

The report on the 355 pupil school found that a “strong ethos of promoting responsibility, respect and co-operation permeates all aspects of school life.”

“One of the school’s notable strengths is the quality of relationships and the culture of respect and co-operation within lessons,” the inspection report found.

“Most teachers know their pupils well and provide them with effective support and guidance.

“The culture of respect and effective co-operation between teachers and pupils at Ysgol y Moelwyn is a notable strength that enriches teaching and learning experiences.

“Most teachers know their pupils well and their care for them is evident.”

“This enables many pupils, including those with additional learning needs (ALN), to make sound progress.”

Inspectors found that the school “places a clear emphasis on pupils’ well-being.”

“There are robust pastoral systems, effective support and comprehensive provision for pupils, which ensure that they receive the appropriate support to make progress and develop as confident individuals.

“The school uses effective strategies to support and monitor the attendance of specific groups.

“As a result, pupils’ attendance has improved over time and compares favourably with that of similar schools.”

Inspectors also found that the “curriculum at Ysgol y Moelwyn incorporates and celebrates the context, culture and heritage of the local area extremely successfully.”

“Ysgol y Moelwyn is a warm and caring community where pupils and staff work together effectively,” Estyn inspectors found.

“Staff know the pupils and their families exceptionally well.

“It is a close, supportive and inclusive community with a familial atmosphere and a strong sense of belonging to one school.”

Headteacher Eleri Moss was praised by Estyn in the report as a “passionate and ambitious leader who places pupils’ well-being and progress at the heart of the school’s work.”

“A strong culture of listening to the voice of pupils, staff and parents leads to meaningful improvements and this is a particular strength,” the report added.

“The various pupil forums influence key aspects of school life effectively and enable pupils to develop as confident and dedicated citizens.”

Inspectors made three recommendations to help the school continue to improve: Strengthen self-evaluation processes, particularly the use of data, to ensure that improvement priorities are incisive enough; ensure co-ordinated provision to develop numeracy in relevant subjects; and disseminate the strong teaching practices seen in the best lessons to ensure consistency in the quality of teaching across the school.

The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.

Estyn said it will invite the school to prepare a case study on its work in relation to providing for the whole pupil, to be disseminated on Estyn’s website.