We identify Wales’ top state schools
TODAY we reveal the highestrated state secondary schools in Wales as we publish our fifth annual Real Schools Guide.
Pontarddulais Comprehensive School in Swansea is the best statefunded school in Wales, according to our comprehensive guide which is included as a 12-page supplement in today’s paper.
It rated five stars out of five on nearly all of the categories we use, including teaching, attainment and finances – giving a total rating of 85 out of 100.
In second place is Corpus Christi Catholic High School in Cardiff, while third place is Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School, also in Cardiff.
Our unique rating system uses 25 different measures, put together from the latest publicly-available data and broken into four categories – attainment, teaching, attendance and finances.
This system aims to move beyond tables that just use exam results and give parents a better idea of which schools will help their child prosper, no matter what their background may be.
The guide factors in other things as well – such as whether all pupils are making progress, what attendance is like, the ratio of teachers to pupils, and whether students go on to further education or jobs.
Pontarddulais Comprehensive, the school that came out on top of all Wales’ 210 state-funded high schools in Wales according to our ratings this year, is an English-medium mixed comprehensive for 11 to 16 year olds.
It was founded in 1982 and was given a double excellent rating by schools watchdog Estyn last year. It was also given a green rating in the Welsh Government’s colour coded schools categorisation tables.
David Ottewell, head of Trinity Mirror’s data unit, said: “The guide has proved enormously popular with parents in the years since it was first launched.
“But we haven’t stood still. Readers can get more information than ever about schools in their region using the online version of the guide.
“It remains a unique and valuable resource, which proves how publicly available data can be harnessed in a way that is of real and enduring value to our audiences.”