Summary
Estyn is the regulatory body that inspects levels of standards, provision and leadership within the school setting. Chepstow School was inspected in September 2017, which reflected the position of the school previous to this date in the 2016/17 academic year and the three years prior to this. The school is very different since the writing of this report.
School inspections were suspended throughout 2020 because of the pandemic, however, we at Chepstow continued our engagement with Estyn inspectors developing blended learning and looking at our approach throughout the pandemic. We also believe that the school has made significant improvements since the 2017 report.
We are delighted to share with you the letter below where we welcomed Estyn to work with the local authority and ourselves and were subsequently removed from review. The school welcomes a new inspection to supersede the outdated 2017 report. However, we know that inspections will remain suspended until at least 2022.
Letter from Estyn, January 2021
Thursday, 14 January 2021
Dear Parent/Carer,
We are delighted to announce that, following a progress review by Estyn in December 2020, Chepstow School was recognised as having made significant improvement and was judged to have made sufficient progress in addressing the recommendations from the 2017 inspection. As a result, the school was removed from a list of schools requiring review.
The review findings cite that leadership has been strengthened through new appointments to the Leadership Team and Governing Body; found success in fostering positive relationships and developing a sense of common purpose; have made valuable changes to provision; developed a wide range of beneficial partnerships and strengthened its provision for the development of pupils’ skills and the effectiveness of teaching to ensure every child receives Inspiring Learning.
We would like to thank our staff and governors for their tireless efforts to drive this significant improvement and for the support we receive from parents. We welcome a reinspection from Estyn in due course as we are confident that the important progress will continue and will be reflected by the publication of a new report.
With best wishes
Matthew Sims Judith Langdon
Headteacher Chair of Governors
Positive Feedback following this news
It’s a positive team effort which makes a difference. Well done everybody. https://t.co/lug2MSK06N
— Matt Sims (@ChepstowHead) January 6, 2021
VERY good news - the product of a huge amount of work for which I cannot thank Chepstow School staff enough.
— Jude Langdon (@judith_angharad) January 6, 2021
And we're not stopping here! This improvement path continues, giving every young person in our community the strong foundations and world of opportunities they deserve. https://t.co/tWDz6NgXz3
This is brilliant news for a school on the up. Well done to Chepstow School’s staff and governors and to their SLT for their strong and effective leadership. Reassuring in these challenging times https://t.co/Iwx0OmA8Gi
— Richard John (@RichardJohnRJ) January 6, 2021
Well done @ChepstowHead @judith_angharad and the whole team of dedicated professionals that you are leading. An important milestone on the journey to excellence I know you are mapping out for the school and it’s learners 👏👏 https://t.co/tVT9oSGVgX
— Paul Matthews (@PaulMatthews67) January 6, 2021
Link to Estyn Website
Chepstow School | Estyn (gov.wales)