A Towy Valley comprehensive school has received praise following a recent inspection.

Estyn has recognised the high standards and strong leadership at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in their report which was published last month.

After opening its doors on the new site in Ffairfach in September 2016, Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, which currently has 1,156 pupils on roll with 197 in the sixth form, welcomed a visit from Estyn in February this year.

Inspectors categorised the school’s current performance as good and the school’s prospects for improvement also as good.

Pupils were judged to make good progress from one key stage to another with performance at GCSE better than similar schools. The report also states that pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school is exemplary and pupils felt that the school responds well to rare instances of bullying.

Inspectors noted that in both English and Welsh pupils produce well-structured pieces of extended writing in a variety of contexts and also show confidence in applying their number skills, using mental arithmetic successfully.

Learning experiences were also found to be good with an extensive range of options in key stage four and the sixth form.

The school provides “an extensive range of extra-curricular activities through the medium of Welsh and in bilingual settings" according the report which also mentioned that pupils make “strong progress” in Welsh, English and Mathematics.

Inspectors praised teachers for highly effective teaching, their communication skills and up to date subject knowledge.

Inspectors judged that provision for developing pupils’ health and wellbeing is strong at the school and that “incidences of bullying are dealt with effectively.”

The provision for pupils with additional learning needs is a strength of the school and the school has also been creative in enhancing the curriculum for its more able key stage four pupils.

Strong leadership has ensured high standards of pupil achievement throughout the difficult process of merging two existing schools and moving to a new campus.

Julie Griffiths, head teacher, welcomed the report and is looking forward to addressing the recommendations, plans for which are already taking shape.

The areas of improvement listed in the report include improving attendance, improving boys performance at higher levels and ensuring that views of both parents and pupils are given due consideration as part of the school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning process.