Caldicot Comprehensive School, Caldicot

Caldicot Comprehensive School is an English-medium school in Wales. Welsh schools are inspected by Estyn rather than Ofsted, and its latest report is published on Estyn's website.

It had 1210 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

13% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 10% have additional learning needs (22% in 2020/21); 1% are learning English as an additional language; and 8% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 95 pupils (Year 13) to 216 (Year 11).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £6,757 per pupil, against £5,329 in 2021-22. It ended 2024-25 with a deficit of £267k.

Estyn's report on its October 2024 inspection summarises Caldicot Comprehensive School like this:

"Leaders at Caldicot school have recently secured improvements in a few important areas of the school’s work. Most notably, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning have improved considerably. In addition, there has been an increased focus on supporting staff well-being, resulting in better staff morale and teamwork. Over time, however, leaders’ work has not had enough impact on improving important aspects including attendance, the provision for skills and the additional learning needs (ALN) provision. In particular, they have not been strategic enough and they do not always evaluate the impact of their work sufficiently robustly. Most pupils behave well and many engage purposefully in their learning. A majority of teachers plan useful activities and provide an appropriate level of challenge in lessons. In these cases, pupils make at least adequate progress in their learning."

"However, a minority of pupils do not make enough progress. This is usually because of shortcomings in teaching, particularly around supporting pupils with weaker skills in lessons. There is a wide range of subject options at Key stages 4 and the sixth form and leaders are developing their approach to Curriculum for Wales for younger pupils sensibly. The extra-curricular provision is extensive and popular with pupils. Overall, the provision to support the progressive development of pupils’ skills is at an early stage of development and there is insufficient support for pupils with weaker literacy and numeracy skills. The pastoral team work collaboratively to support pupils’ well-being, providing beneficial support. Although leaders have strengthened their processes to improve attendance, they do not evaluate the impact of their work well enough, and attendance remains a cause for concern. Even though safeguarding processes are appropriate overall, the inspection team has drawn the school’s attention to a few safeguarding matters."

"The school provides suitable general support for pupils with ALN through, for example, the support hubs and ALN transition programme for Year 6 pupils. However, leaders do not ensure that the school is meeting all its statutory obligations in this area and improvement planning for ALN provision is not sufficiently effective. The school has a Specialist Resource Base (SRB) for pupils with complex needs. The SRB provides valuable support for the development of these pupils’ social and emotional skills. They also benefit from experiences such as working in a local café. However, the curriculum in the SRB is not planned or implemented in a sufficiently strategic way. As a result, all pupils in the SRB are not making the progress of which they are capable."

Estyn made 5 recommendations: (1) Address the safeguarding issues raised during the inspection; (2) Strengthen strategic leadership, particularly the impact of evaluation and improvement processes; (3) Improve the strategic leadership of the provision for pupils with additional learning needs; (4) Improve attendance; (5) Improve the provision for the progressive development of pupils’ skills and address the shortcomings identified in teaching, particularly with regard to supporting pupils with weaker skills.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Caldicot Comprehensive School are Chepstow School (4.8 miles); and Wyedean School and Sixth Form Centre (5.3 miles, Attainment 8 41.9).

The nearest railway station is Caldicot Rail Station, about 790 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Asda (behind), 70 metres away.