Cardiff West Community High School

Cardiff West Community High School is a secondary school in Ely, Cardiff, Wales, that teaches through the medium of English.

Cardiff West Community High School
Address
Penally Road

Ely

Cardiff
,
CF5 5XP[1]

Wales
Coordinates51.4752°N 3.2322°W / 51.4752; -3.2322
Information
School typeState Secondary
MottoCreate Your World[1]
Established2017[1]
Educational authorityCardiff Council
Head teacherMartin Hulland[2]
Age11 to 18
Enrolment613[3] (2019)
LanguageEnglish
Feeder schoolsEly Primary, Caerau Primary, Trelai Primary[4]
WebsiteSchool website

Construction
Former Glyn Derw High School (2007)

Cardiff West Community High School was built on the site of Glyn Derw High School.[5][6] Although Glyn Derw had already been closed, a fire started by arson destroyed much of the school, delaying construction.[7] The new build cost £36,000,000,[8][9] and the project was run by Willmott Dixon.[10][11] The final cost was an increase on the original government estimate of £28,000,000,[12] and a construction company estimate of £30,000,000.[11]

It was built to supersede both Glyn Derw and Michaelston Community College by providing new buildings and a higher capacity of up to 1,200 Year 7–11 students, and 320 in the sixth form.[1][13]

The name of the new school was announced in a ceremony at Western Leisure Centre.[14] 60 mosaics were installed in the corridors by local artist Paul Evans,[15] adding to the modern feel of the school building.[16] The new buildings were officially opened by First Minister Mark Drakeford in July 2019.[8]

Facilities

The school has a 3G artificial turf pitch, which is shared with the community.[6]

History

A Roman helmet on the school badge reflects the Roman history of Ely.[17] It is close to Caerau Hillfort, and is also right next to the site of a Roman villa.[18][19]

To help with the transition to a new school, students, particularly in Years 7 and 8, received significant support from other schools and colleges.[20][21][22]

Following an official inspection by Estyn in November 2018, the school was rated adequate and in need of improvement across all areas. This was an improvement over the predecessor schools, which had been rated unsatisfactory in 2016. The school serves socially deprived areas of Cardiff, with over 45% of the 613 pupils eligible for free school meals.[23][3]

Since students moved into the new buildings, academic standards have improved significantly.[3][24]

References
  1. "Cardiff West Community High School". Cardiff West Community High School. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. "Cardiff West Community High School". Cardiff Council. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. "A report on Cardiff West Community High School" (PDF). Estyn. November 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. "Cardiff West Community High School and feeder Primary Schools". The Cardiff Commitment. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. Mosalski, Ruth (22 June 2017). "Take a first look at Cardiff's new secondary school which is set to open later this year". Wales Online. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  6. "New £36m Cardiff school gets go-ahead". BBC News. 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  7. Mansfield, Ruth; Sands, Katie (2016-04-08). "Massive fire which tore through Cardiff school was deliberate". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  8. "Cardiff West Community High School is officially opened". cardiffnewsroom.co.uk. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  9. "Cardiff West Community High School reaches new heights". PR News Link. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  10. "Company Chosen to Build Cardiff West Community High School". Business News Wales. 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  11. "Cardiff West Community High School". Powell Dobson. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  12. "Name is revealed for west Cardiff's new £28m high school". The Cardiffian. 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  13. Mosalski, Ruth (2017-06-22). "Take a look at how Cardiff's new secondary school will look". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  14. Wightwick, Abbie (2016-11-15). "Cardiff's new secondary school has been named". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  15. Evans, Paul (2019-02-21). "The CAER Mosaics at Cardiff West Community High School". CAER Studio. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  16. "Child Safe Crank Operated Blinds for new Cardiff West Community High School". Swanmac Ltd. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  17. "Headteacher unveils Cardiff West Community High School badge". www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  18. Andrew Rennison (2018-03-23). "Roman villas and Iron Age forts: Welcome to Cardiff West". Construction News. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  19. "Science opportunities give young people the chance to explore their heritage following funding success". Cardiff University. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  20. CAVC (5 October 2017). "Cardiff and Vale College helps Cardiff West Community High School pupils realise their ambitions". FE News. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  21. "CWCHS Ambition Project". First Campus. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  22. "Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre". pec.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  23. Wightwick, Abbie (24 January 2019). "The new Cardiff West Community High has been rated adequate and improving by inspectors Estyn". Wales Online. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  24. admin (2019-03-15). "PE Direct are so excited for Cardiff West Community High school". Pe Direct Teaching Agency. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
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