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Education services in Caerphilly have won the praise of inspectors, who said the department’s staff “put the best interests of children and young people at the heart of the decisions they make”.

Wales’ school inspection agency, Estyn, said the council works well to support headteachers, tackle the impact of poverty on education, and uphold a “strong culture of safeguarding”.

The inspectors also said elected members work positively with officers to “ensure education remains a high priority” for Caerphilly County Borough Council.

Senior councillors and the Welsh education secretary have welcomed the report and praised the education department for their work.

Estyn found the council has a “clear strategy” for school improvement, and is also tackling the low attendance rates recorded after the Covid-19 pandemic.

An early intervention process, called Team Around The School, is “effective” at identifying any problems “when issues arise rather than when they are recognised through inspection”.

When Estyn inspects a school and finds areas which need improvement, schools in Caerphilly “usually make good progress”.

There was also praise for the “expert staff” at the Trinity Fields special school, who provide outreach support to other schools.

That work has “a valuable impact on the quality of additional learning provision across the county”, Estyn said.

At a recent council meeting, Cllr Carol Andrews, the cabinet member for education, said the department had been “tested robustly” by the inspectors.

She called the findings “very positive” and said the report “highlights many strengths” of the education department.

Cllr Teresa Parry, who chairs the council’s education committee, told colleagues she was “absolutely delighted by the report”, while Cllr Sean Morgan – who leads the local authority – added his thanks to the department’s staff for their work.

Given the financial pressures facing the council, he called the report a “silver lining”.

“We should always have our children and our education services at the forefront of our thoughts,” Cllr Morgan said.

The inspector’s findings were also raised in the Senedd, where Islwyn MS Rhianon Passmore said the council’s education service “received a glowing review”.

Lynne Neagle, the Welsh Government’s cabinet secretary for education, agreed the findings were “excellent” and added her thanks to “all the teachers, support staff, headteachers and local authority staff collectively in the local authority for their work”.