St Cadoc's Primary School, Cardiff

St Cadoc's Primary 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 332 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

38% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 7% have additional learning needs (21% in 2020/21); 21% are learning English as an additional language; and 48% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 36 pupils (Year 2) to 45 (Year 5).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £4,752 per pupil, against £3,763 in 2021-22. It carried forward £50k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its October 2024 inspection summarises St Cadoc's Primary School like this:

"St Cadoc’s Primary School is a welcoming, happy school where leaders and staff develop positive relationships with pupils and foster a strong sense of community. This ensures that most pupils feel safe, enjoy their learning and behave exceptionally well. The headteacher provides strong and assured leadership. She has developed a clear vision for the school based on a firm moral purpose and positive values. Leaders focus well on developing effective teaching and have high expectations of pupils. As a result, teaching is effective across the school. In most lessons, teachers share learning intentions well and provide clear instructions for pupils. Most teachers use questioning techniques successfully to evaluate pupils’ understanding or move learning forward."

"They are encouraging to pupils and support them to become thoughtful, reflective learners. As a result, most pupils, including those eligible for free school meals, those from low income households and those with additional learning needs (ALN), make good progress in developing their knowledge and skills. Relationships between pupils are a particular strength of the school. Staff value the importance of this and provide regular opportunities for older pupils to work with pupils lower down the school. For example, they help them with reading and drawing skills or encourage them to play games in the playground. The school focuses well on the development of pupils’ literacy skills and overall pupils make effective progress in reading and writing. They make particularly good progress in developing their oracy skills. Leaders have identified a need to improve the rate of progress younger pupils make in literacy."

"In response, they have adapted approaches to teaching and purchased new resources. Overall, the curriculum is broad and balanced and enables most pupils to make strong progress in most areas. For example, they develop their numeracy, Welsh language and digital skills well. However, opportunities for pupils to develop their creative thinking both within the expressive arts and other areas of the curriculum are underdeveloped. A newly refurbished outdoor play area supports the physical development of the youngest pupils successfully. However, from Nursery to Year 2, areas of continuous provision to support child-initiated learning, both indoors and out, are at an early stage of development."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Ensure that the curriculum supports the effective development of pupils’ creativity, including opportunities to be innovative, develop their own ideas and express themselves through the arts; (2) Further improve provision for foundation learning, including the teaching of early literacy skills, to ensure that pupils make effective progress.

In its own words: "The purposes of the curriculum in Wales should be that children and young people develop as: enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society."

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is a privilege to serve as the headteacher of this happy and successful school. St Cadoc’s is a very special place and I am blessed to be able to call this school my home. St Cadoc’s is a thriving Catholic Primary school nestled in the heart of Llanrumney."

The school runs a breakfast club.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Cadoc's Primary School are Glan-Yr-Afon Primary (0.1 miles), Pen-Y-Bryn Primary School (0.4 miles), St Mellons C.I.W. Primary School (0.6 miles) and Bryn Celyn Primary School (0.6 miles).

The nearest railway station is Llanishen Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Siloam Baptist (opposite), 100 metres away.