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The Cathedral School Community

At the Cathedral School we celebrate our wider community in all its different shapes and forms. Whether that be supporting young people in the local area in a variety of different ways, raising awareness of need both in the UK and beyond or working with our parent body, we know that we are made richer by those around us.  

At The Cathedral School, we believe that a child’s success in life should not be limited by their background but should be determined by hard work and ability. For some 150 years, we have found the means to provide funding where needed for the most talented children in South Wales to have the opportunity to realise their potential through an outstanding education, irrespective of their financial means.

With the ever-increasing cost of living, we know that for many families, a Cathedral School education is out of reach. This is not how education should be. Our aim is to fund three new pupils each year for the next five years who stand out as being able to gain most from, and contribute most to a Cathedral School education.

We will also aim to make choral training open to many more promising young singers, regardless of whether their parents can afford the fees required for a private school education through our Chorister Bursary Fund.

We are incredibly grateful to the CSL community for supporting the many fundraising activities and charitable events so generously each year.

In 2022/23, more than £14,000 was raised for a variety of charities through initiatives including:

  • Purchasing Red Card badges and wristbands for Show Racism the Red Card
  • Wearing spotty outfits for Children in Need’s Sport the Difference campaign
  • Fundraising for the Disasters Emergency Committee following the humanitarian disaster in Turkey and Syria
  • Undertaking charity walks and enjoying a delicious Big Brekkie for Christian Aid Week
  • Competing in a charity netball match for 2 Wish Upon a Star
  • Year 6’s Leadership Club Quiz Night to fundraise for a defibrillator in Llandaff Cathedral
  • Walking to Castell Coch and back in aid of the Senior House charities, Latch, British Heart Foundation and Teenage Cancer Trust.

We also supported Cardiff Food Back through our Harvest Food Drive, wore odd socks for Anti-Bullying Week, wrote festive messages to those who would be spending the festive period in residential care as part of Age Connects Morgannwg Christmas Card Appeal and supported The Salvation Army Christmas Gift Appeal.

In addition, the Seniors raised awareness of the diverse groups within our school community at an event with pupil-led stands on Hinduism, Romania, Islam, Hungary, LGBT, Christianity, Nigeria, Amnesty International, the USA, China, Christianity and Judaism.

We enjoy being part of a wider community around Llandaff, working together with a number of other local schools. We were the first independent school to be awarded a School of Sanctuary accreditation, which was gained through working with a number of Church in Wales Primary Schools on projects such as Taith Adfent, Prayer Space, Refugee Week and Fill the Skies with Love.

With some of the best results in the country for transfer onto medical and veterinary science university courses, we support local sixth form students with their applications, as well as opening up our Aspire To… career events to students at other local schools.

We also work closely with the Llandaff Society, particularly the 50+ group, collaborating on oral History projects as well as Llandaff’s annual Service of Remembrance. We never forget that we cannot know where we are going unless we understand where we have come from.

The Friends of the Cathedral School is a committee made up of parents and teachers from the School. They are responsible for organising and arranging social and fundraising including organising the Summer and Christmas Fayres, student discos and running bars at school productions.

The Friends have financially contributed towards a number of school initiatives including cricket nets, table tennis tables, playground equipment, Forest School wooden shelter, print of the Big Science Question ten-year anniversary book, gardening equipment, balance bikes for Reception and a sports camera to evaluate technique.

Parent representatives from The Friends regularly receive news from the Pupil Fora to listen to pupil suggestions about activities and receive requests for funding.

The Friends meet two to three times per term to assist with the planning and organising of activities and to consider requests for funding for monies raised.

An Annual General Meeting is held in the Lent term and all parents are invited and most welcome to attend. The committee is established for the forthcoming year and a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer & Secretary are elected at the following meeting. The Friends Committee is always open to the ideas and contributions that parents wish to make.

To contact The Friends, please email friends@cathedral-school.co.uk