PUPILS at a Gwent primary school are well-behaved, show "high levels of care and consideration for others", and are “eager” learners, according to inspectors.

A team from Estyn visited Cefn Fforest Primary School, in Caerphilly county borough, in October and have just published a report on their findings.

They described a “very welcoming, nurturing and inclusive” school where staff provide a “very caring and supportive learning experience for its pupils”.

Younger children “listen purposefully” and join in classroom activities “with enthusiasm”.

Older pupils at the school, meanwhile, make “valuable contributions” in lessons and “take great pride in their work”.

The Estyn team found nearly all pupils at the school form “strong positive working relationships with members of staff and show mutual respect to each other”.

The inspectors said the vast majority of pupils “are eager to learn and have sound attitudes to the learning process”.

Teachers at Cefn Fforest Primary plan lessons which engage the pupils “very effectively”, and have “high expectations” of learners.

Inspectors praised the school for the “authenticity” of its curriculum, which has an “impressive breadth”.

A particular strength is the focus on outdoor learning, described as “innovative in the way it enables pupils to gain a sense of calm and wellbeing”.

Teaching assistants provide “useful, bespoke support for learners, including those in the special resource classes”.

Estyn said the school environment is “friendly and supportive” and staff “know pupils well and respond sensitively and effectively to their emotional and social needs”.

“The positive relationships between staff and pupils are a strong feature of the school,” the inspectors noted.

There are “valuable opportunities for pupils to express and regulate their emotions consistently”, and the school “works efficiently” to bring in reform for pupils with additional learning needs.

The inspectors said the school’s headteacher “ably assisted by the deputy headteacher, has established a powerful, inclusive vision for the school”.

That vision “drives the positive ethos that extends to all areas of school life”.

Cefn Fforest Primary is a school where “every individual is made to feel important and shown that they belong”, the inspectors said.

The schools leaders have also created “a positive culture where the professional development of all staff takes a high priority”, they added.