A PRIMARY school in Newport has won praise for teaching pupils “important life skills” and for a curriculum which “encourages aspiration”.

Inspectors from Estyn visited Tredegar Park Primary School in October and have just revealed their findings.

They were impressed with the “caring” school which has “support for pupil wellbeing at its heart”.

Staff “work hard” to develop pupils’ key skills, especially for those children who “join the school with skills that are considerably lower than those normally expected for their age”.

During their time at the school, pupils “generally” make “very good overall progress” in their academic development and become “confident young people”.

In the classroom, children “express their feelings and opinions with growing confidence” and most older pupils “continue to develop their confidence and ability as speakers as they move through the school”.

Learners “participate enthusiastically in creative activities” and “demonstrate a strong sense of mutual respect for each other and for adults”.

The behaviour “in all classes is good” and inspectors said this was “a strength of the school”.

There are also “high levels” of pupil engagement, and children at Tredegar Park Primary “value the opportunities they have to take on leadership roles through a wide range of pupil groups”.

Staff at the school “establish positive, nurturing working relationships with pupils”, which prove to be “powerful in supporting pupils’ development and readiness to learn”.

The curriculum “meets the needs and interests of its pupils and the community it serves”, and is “effective in encouraging pupils’ aspirations”.

But inspectors said younger classes had “too much emphasis on highly structured lessons” which “inhibits pupils’ curiosity and their ability to develop independence in learning”.

Estyn praised the school for staff “devotion to the care and support they provide” to children.

The school has “strong “ community links and there are “suitable opportunities to engage in the creative arts” including trips to the theatre and an “innovative” scheme called Y Cartref which focuses on “a valuable range of life skills, such as cooking, cleaning and self-care”.

Leaders at Tredegar Park Primary have a “very clear and ambitious vision for the school”.

The headteacher “provides robust leadership and senior leaders support her well to form a strong team,” the inspectors added.