Highlight of the Week

'Excellent' in all five inspection areas, Estyn 2018

Following the School’s inspection in September 2018 by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, Estyn, the inspectors gave the school the highest possible rating in all of the five inspection areas as follows:

The report begins as follows:

“The standards achieved by pupils at The Cathedral School are extremely high.  Over time, the high quality of teaching and the engaging curriculum build systematically and extremely effectively on pupils’ knowledge and skills.  Together, these enable nearly all pupils to become confident, ambitious, aspirational and well-informed learners.  There is an extensive and particularly well-supported programme of co-curricular activities and trips that extends and enhances pupils’ learning and contributes particularly successfully to their personal and social development.

"The school provides high-quality care, support and guidance for its pupils.  Throughout the school, most pupils have extremely positive attitudes to their learning, develop mature social and life skills and make outstanding progress as a result.  The head, senior leaders and the governing body have ensured strong and sustained progress across many aspects of school life over the last few years.  This includes the establishment and rapid expansion of a highly-successful sixth form.  These developments have contributed to the outstanding standards that pupils achieve and their extremely high levels of wellbeing.”

Other highlights include reference to our GCSE and A Level results. At GCSE, inspectors described performance as “exceptional” and at A Level, “outstanding”. The report describes pupils as enthusiastic, polite and courteous, having an “understanding of their role as global citizens” and demonstrating “curiosity in their learning and tenacity in overcoming challenges”.

The report further states that “teachers have outstanding subject knowledge and convey their passion and enthusiasm, which in turn, inspires their pupils”. It highlights teachers’ committed contribution to “exceptional levels of support within and beyond the classroom to help pupils to develop self-confidence”. Inspectors referred to the pupils’ “strong spiritual awareness from the school’s Christian ethos” and saw that “values such as respect, kindness, tolerance and compassion permeate across the whole school community”. They described leaders’ “clear strategic vision” and governors’ “extensive set of skills” which ensure that an “ethos of improvement permeates the school”.

In particular, the excellent care, support and guidance which we give our pupils to underpin both their academic progress and their personal well-being has been identified as sector-leading practice. The school has been asked to write a brief report on this, which will be shared with the education sector in Wales.

We found the inspection team to be highly professional, properly focussed upon evidence gathering. They were keen to test the views expressed by the school, and by pupils and parents too, against that evidence. They gained a very comprehensive understanding of the school during their time with us.

We are thrilled that Estyn has recognised once again that the Cathedral School, Llandaff is truly a wonderful school. The full report can be found in the downloads below or on the Estyn website https://www.estyn.gov.wales/provider/6816012