CHEPSTOW School has become the first school in Wales to be awarded a national accolade for quality for its work in improving the well-being, resilience and self-esteem of its pupils who might under-achieve.

The quality mark award recognises the impressive work being done by the school to improve progress in reading, writing and maths for all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities.

The award has been developed by leading education charity Achievement for All (AfA), which offers support programmes to schools and settings to help them improve outcomes in the lowest achieving 20 per cent. 

Chepstow School has been working in partnership with Achievement for All since 2012 and has exceeded annual targets each year for GCSE results and is closing the gap every year.

Chepstow School head Claire Price said: “We are delighted to be the first school in Wales to achieve the Achievement for All quality mark.

“AfA has been the single most important driver for school improvement for us. Working with our coach, Cath Beeks, has enabled us to maintain our relentless focus on highly personalised learning. This is the key to every student succeeding.”

The award was presented to the school at a special event on Monday (December 7) at the Pierhead in Cardiff.

Jane Woodley, of Achievement for All, said: “We are thrilled to present Chepstow School with this much deserved award, which is the first quality mark we have issued in Wales.

“The school has made every effort to develop the use of data analysis and teaching and learning across the school leading to great improvements in progress for all children and as a result of this the school is closing the gap every year.

“Structured conversations have also enabled the school to build far more effective relationships with many parents and the school has many examples of how they engage with parents in a variety of ways and how in some cases families receive extensive support from the school, not just the child attending.

“Our programmes are designed to be a whole school improvement tool and Chepstow School has shown a continued commitment and success in improving outcomes for their children.

“Achievement for All believes that every child can progress, regardless of background, challenge, or need.

“A huge congratulation to teachers, parents, carers and children at Chepstow for all their hard work.”