Heolddu Comprehensive School, Caerphilly

Heolddu 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 736 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

32% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 6% have additional learning needs (26% in 2020/21); and 3% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 37 pupils (Year 13) to 143 (Year 8).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £6,757 per pupil, against £5,279 in 2021-22. It ended 2024-25 with a deficit of £100k.

Estyn's report on its March 2026 inspection summarises Heolddu Comprehensive School like this:

"Heolddu Comprehensive School is a caring and inclusive community where most pupils feel safe, valued and supported to succeed. Pupils benefit from a strong culture of care that is evident in the positive relationships they develop with staff and with one another. Nearly all pupils show respect towards teachers, visitors and their peers, and most behave well in lessons. Many pupils, including those with additional learning needs, approach their work with diligence, develop independence and make appropriate progress in their learning. Staff at all levels have a secure understanding of pupils’ individual needs and provide effective academic and pastoral support. This is particularly evident in the purposeful work of staff supporting pupils with additional learning needs (ALN), who help many pupils overcome barriers to learning and engage positively with school life. Leaders place a strong emphasis on teaching and learning. This includes strong individual support through coaching and professional discussion."

"As a result, in many lessons, teachers plan tasks which build incrementally, use questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding and adapt the pace to support learning. In a minority of cases, pupils make strong progress. In these instances, teachers inspire strong enthusiasm for subjects and create a culture where pupils are expected to participate fully and complete work to a high standard. While teachers provide suitable opportunities for pupils to apply their skills across the curriculum, they do not always ensure that these skills develop progressively as pupils move through the school. The school promotes pupils’ well-being through a strong safeguarding culture and a well- planned personal and social education programme that helps pupils understand healthy relationships and respect diversity. Staff monitor attendance carefully and work closely with pupils and families to address concerns. As a result, attendance for all groups of pupils is better than that in similar schools. The Learning Pathways Centre provides high-quality support for pupils unable to engage fully in mainstream education."

"Effective care, support and partnership working help pupils improve attendance, build confidence and engage with learning. Its broad and purposeful curriculum enables pupils to make strong progress. Leadership uses resources well to meet pupils’ diverse needs and drive improvement. Strong and purposeful leadership underpins the work of the school. The headteacher provides a clear and ambitious vision for improving pupils’ outcomes through ‘The Heolddu Way’. This vision is shared effectively across the school community, contributing to a cohesive and collaborative approach to evaluation. As a result, staff, governors and partners work together well to strengthen provision and support pupils’ progress. Although the school’s reflective and collaborative evaluation processes help leaders to identify strengths and areas for improvement, improvement planning is not always sufficiently precise."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Refine improvement planning to address the few areas for development identified in this inspection; (2) Continue to refine provision to support the progressive development of pupils’ skills across the curriculum.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Heolddu Comprehensive School are The Lewis School (1.4 miles), Blackwood Comprehensive School (2.1 miles), Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni (2.3 miles) and Islwyn High School (2.8 miles).

The nearest railway station is Bargoed Rail Station, about 1120 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heolddu Leisure Centre (opposite), 90 metres away.