Estyn inspectors rated these Gwent schools as 'excellent'

School inspections have been paused since 2020, because of the widespread disruption the coronavirus pandemic has caused for teachers and pupils.

In some cases, this has meant up to eight years have passed since inspectors last visited schools - and in that time, pupils and staff will have moved on.

The most recent method of grading schools looks at five different areas of inspection: standards; wellbeing and attitudes to learning; teaching and learning experiences; care, support and guidance; and leadership and management.

According to Wales' inspection service, Estyn, these are the secondary schools in the region which can be considered "excellent" in one or more area.

In Newport, Bassaleg School secured the top grade for its care, support and guidance when inspectors last visited in 2019.

Bassaleg School. Picture: Google

The Estyn team praised the school's "focus on mental wellbeing" and the way it "encourages pupils’ active involvement in all aspects of school life and the wider community".

There were also "clear and supportive mechanisms to reward and improve pupils’ behaviour".

Independent institution Monmouth School for Boys recorded a clean sweep of "excellent" ratings when Estyn last visited in 2014. The inspectors praised the "extremely high" standard of pupils' performance, and said the "consistently high quality of teaching is an exceptional feature" of the school, which currently costs £10,400 a term for boarding students in secondary education.

Monmouth School for Girls. Picture: Google

Likewise, Monmouth School for Girls received only "excellent" grades when inspectors visited the following year. They noted the "exceptionally competent" students and the school's "outstanding" exam results, as well as the "high quality and extensive range" of extra-curricular activities offered.

Another independent, Rougemont School, gained the top grades in four of the inspection areas during an Estyn visit in 2016. There, the team praised the "articulate and confident" pupils, the "exemplary" behaviour around the £4,800-a-term school, and its "reflective and forward-looking" leadership.

Inspectors graded St Joseph's RC High as "excellent" for its care, support and guidance when they visited the Newport school in 2018. They said the school "supports vulnerable pupils particularly well" and "there are robust systems for dealing effectively with the very few instances of bullying or harassment".

"Pupils have extensive, worthwhile opportunities to take on leadership roles and make decisions about the life of the school," the Estyn team said.

St Joseph's RC High School. Picture: Google#

Pupil wellbeing was judged as "excellent" at Tredegar Comprehensive School when Estyn visited Blaenau Gwent in 2016. Inspectors noted the "exemplary" behaviour of students and their "highly positive attitudes towards learning".

The school also received the top grade for its learning environment and partnership working - two categories that existed in a previous format of Estyn reports.

Welsh-medium secondary school Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, in Caerphilly county borough, was rated "excellent" for its learning experiences in 2016. The inspectors were impressed with the school's "especially good choice of extra-curricular activities for pupils" and its "especially strong" provision for the Welsh language.

Like Tredegar Comprehensive, Estyn also rated Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni as excellent in the former inspection areas of learning environment and partnership working.