Primary School Good Schools Guide

Head of primary

Since 2017, Sally Walsh BEd NPQH. Helping out with guides, brownies and scouts was the clincher for her career decision – ‘I just love being with younger kids.’ A local lass, she hails from the Vale of Glamorgan and studied for her BEd (primary education) at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Thence to London – ‘If I didn’t leave then, I knew I never would!’ Stayed for 20 years, rising up through the ranks of state primary schools and landing her first headship at Mayespark Primary School. Came home when her children were age 2 and 4 – ‘We were living in East London and I felt like I wouldn’t be able to let them out of the front door until they were 20!’ Had ‘lovely transition back to Wales as a maths consultant for national strategies’ for a couple of years before yearning once again for a school environment, which brought her here as director of infants in 2011.

No bulging ego or grandiose office for this head – ‘She’s just very normal,’ as one parent put it. ‘Fun too, and really mucks in.’ ‘So obviously proud of the school, it’s lovely to see.’ Parents also told us she ‘has a very strong team around her and they are the glue.’ Key achievement to date is raising the profile of infants and linking it with juniors as a single school with a seamless, creative curriculum (some said they’d like to see stronger links between juniors and seniors too - older ones coming in to do reading, mentoring etc). A few parents feel she can ‘sometimes tell you what you want to hear’, but felt ‘it's only because she’s so nice.’ Pupils describe her as ‘friendly’ and ‘smiley’. Lives in Groesfaen, a rural village of the outskirts of Cardiff, with her partner and two children, both at sixth form. Enjoys countryside walking with the dog, water sports, skiing and spending time in west Wales with the family.

Head of the Cathedral School (primary and senior) since 2016, Clare Sherwood MA (history, Cambridge), PGCE (Bristol). Previously deputy head academic at Blundell’s School and she has also been head of history and politics at Wycombe Abbey and history teacher and housemistress at Leighton Park, Reading, as well as a short stint in the state sector at Charters Comprehensive School, Berkshire. Surely one of the sunniest heads we’ve ever met, her cracking laugh setting the tone at this cheerful school. ‘That laugh is iconic!’ declared one pupil we met who, like others, praised her ‘optimism’ and ‘excitability’ – ‘Literally, she’s always smiling.’ Lives in Llandaff with her husband, also a teacher, and her three children. She is an honorary canon and member of the greater chapter at Llandaff Cathedral. Plays netball for the Rhiwbina Retros and sings in the school chamber choir.

Entrance

Mainly at 3+ into nursery (max 40 children) and 4+ into reception (just four children join at this point). After that, you’ll probably only get a place if a child leaves and, as it’s not a transient community (except for the odd medic moving to take a up consultancy post), don’t hold your breath (KS1 and upper KS2 are particularly oversubscribed). Nursery and reception age children spend a morning or full day at school; for entry from year 1, there are one-to-one assessments in maths, literacy, VR and NVR and spending a day in the relevant year group.

Exit

Automatic entry into senior school, with 100 per cent taking up this chance most years. Pupils still sit the year 7 assessments that external applicants take, but only as an additional academic snapshot for the teachers. A transition day helps smooth the path but some parents feel the school could do more to ease the anxiety of parents for what ‘can feel like a big move’.

Our view

Topic-based learning keeps the curriculum lively and relevant, as well as preparing young minds for the even more academic senior school. We saw year 4s learning about flow using iPads, colourful worksheets and an animated video – later that week they were going to visit the local water treatment centre. In other lessons, they were learning about the human side of settling near rivers, and creating flow-themed paintings in art. A glance at the head’s large whiteboard reveals topics in other year groups – tremors, pharaohs, earth matters and fire and ice. Dungeons and dragons is a popular one – an opportunity to weave in all that rich Welsh history, not to mention visits to castles and writing a squire’s handbook. ‘All literacy, science, art and DT encompasses the subject – we want them to feel completely immersed in it,’ the head told us.

Maths and literacy are taught for an hour each per day and, say parents, ‘with real rigour’. School has changed tack here, so while the focus used to be purely on methods, there’s now an added emphasis on ‘Why are we learning this?’ There’s also more problem solving, practical working out and seeing things visually – we saw tinies with counters and puzzles, while older ones were creating some pretty impressive computer graphs. ‘We love science!’ exclaimed our guide as we entered the lab – and no wonder as the lesson on evolution was being taught through the medium of… wait for it… biscuits! The renowned Big Science Assembly gets pupils asking any question they like – most recently, ‘Why are the things flammable or not?’ which led to the teacher setting his hand alight (on purpose and quite safe, we were assured).

Parents talk of ‘balance and breadth’, ‘keeping things relaxed and fun’ but ‘with a clear learning pathway, even from nursery’. ‘Week by week, you see them improve,’ said one. The small size of the school means teachers really get to know the children and the way they learn. Homework builds up from 15 minutes a day to half an hour max. Specialist teaching in music and sport from nursery, drama from year 1, and art, science and DT from year 5. On the languages front (which also has some specialist teaching), Welsh is taught from nursery to the end of year 1, French in year 2, Spanish in year 3, German in year 4, then it’s back to French for the last two years. Class sizes are 23 max, with some setting in maths from year 5.

Around 15 per cent have additional learning needs – mainly dyslexia, ADHD and autism – supported by one full-time ALNCo shared across primary and seniors, plus two part-time ALN teachers in the infants and juniors and visiting speech therapists. Any one-to-ones are kept to short, sharp bursts – ‘A daily 10-minute session is often better than an hour’s intensive session,’ reckons head. ‘My daughter is really clear that when thing get too much, she knows who to go to and I feel I can bring anything up with them,’ said a parent. No EHCPs.

Nursery and infants building, the Lodge, is a mix of old (once the boarding house) and new (purpose-built side with its own outside walkway into juniors). There is easy flow between classrooms – and outside too, including forest school where tinies were making mud volcanoes. Memorial hall, a separate building, is used for eating (food is great, agree most), music and assemblies and is shared with the local community. Separate infant and junior libraries – the latter is stunning, with giant books hanging from the ceiling, colourful, comfy seating and seemingly infinite books beautifully displayed. Youngsters use some of the senior facilities, including the large music department where we saw tiny tots from nursery rolling around the floor as part of their Jack and the Beanstalk improvisation – ‘Quick, hide, drums mean the giant is coming!’

Sadly, no dedicated art room, but we saw children printing their designs of Canada geese, and making clay dinosaurs in their classrooms – and they head over to the senior facilities for DT. ‘Art is weaved into everything,’ said a parent, and there are lots of clubs too, eg sketching, cartoon, art and famous artists. School runs popular art exhibitions and takes part in local competitions, as well as projects such as creating daffodils for St David’s Day.

Parents we spoke to seemed vague about drama, saying their children never talked about it – ‘I’m not sure if they do it or not,’ said one, typically. But actually, it is on curriculum from year 1. Productions include Christmas nativity and class assemblies, plus a year 1 summer production. Unusually, no big year 6 production, but the spring concert is optional for years 3-6.

Music is huge, as you’d expect in a cathedral school – includes 12 co-curricular activities per week, from choirs for year 2, 3/4 and 5/6 alongside the flute choir, string ensemble, wind ensemble and percussion ensembles (percussion is a strength of the school). The soloist concerts are fabulous, as are the termly ensemble and choir concerts, featuring around 100 pupils performing in Llandaff Cathedral. Rare is the child that isn’t learning at least one instrument by year 2, and several year 4 children told us they were learning three or four, all to high grades! As the only Anglican choir school in Wales, the school provides choristers to the cathedral – currently seven boys and nine girls from years 3-6 who sing alongside the seniors. We had a taster in the cathedral – superb. ‘You always hear music as you walk into the school – it’s inspiring,’ said a parent.

Very sporty, with children doing some kind of PE and games most days, Good facilities (on site and off site), including the school fields, where years 3 and 4 were thrashing it out in a cricket game against a local school. Super pavilion, and the cathedral makes a stunning backdrop. Other main sports are football, hockey, netball and rugby, and swimming is taught in intensive blocks in years 2-4. Everyone loves the annual cross-country run. And for those that don’t like sports? ‘They make you like it!’ said a pupil.

Wide range of clubs, in all the team sports, plus yoga, mini-dragons, non-contact boxing, skiing, football, balance bikes and multi-sports, among others. These and music clubs tend to run before school and at lunchtimes, with after-school clubs including cheerleading, tap, ballet, Scrabble, gardening, archaeology, art, Lego, fun and games outdoors and cycle-tots, to name a few.

Masses of trips, all linked to the curriculum in one way or another – reception to Noah’s Ark Zoo, year 2 to Chepstow Castle, year 3 to Stonehenge, year 4 to Roman Museum in Caerleon. Residentials from year 4, culminating in the much-anticipated year 6 trip to Normandy. ‘It was so, so fun,’ a year 6 pupil grinned.

Parents feel the academic side of things is a ‘given here – you expect a certain standard and you get it,’ but what many hadn’t expected was such a strong pastoral focus. ‘It’s like having a family – in fact, we don’t have family local to us and they really do fill that gap,’ said one. Kindness is highly valued, and the small size of the school means things get noticed. There’s a wellbeing tracker, similar to academic monitoring, and the chaplain gives emotional literacy lessons. Tonnes of leadership roles – we could barely find a year 6 child without one – and pupils are proud of the anti-discrimination group, DIRECT, which runs through seniors too. Merits, house points, certificates, badges and postcards home feature among awards, with a yellow and red card system – plus the odd ‘Shirt alert!’ reminder – keeping misbehaviour at bay.

An emphasis on Christianity, as you’d expect, including a cathedral service every Friday morning. ‘But it’s not in-your-face religion,’ insisted a parent. Indeed, the school welcomes all faiths and none, and has good ethnic and cultural diversity. Parents describe the school as less polished and more rough-and-tumble than other local independents, but some would like ‘less scattered’ school comms and more of a sense of parent community in juniors – ‘It’s there in infants but by juniors, there are so many clubs that we’re all coming in at different times!’

The last word

A traditional but unstuffy and compassionate school that balances academic rigour with wellbeing. Parents are grateful for the automatic entry to the high-performing senior school, and children love being kept busy with all that’s on offer both in and out of the classroom. As in seniors, sport and music dazzle.