St Nicholas C.I.W. Primary, Cardiff

St Nicholas C.I.W. Primary 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 154 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

17% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 7% have additional learning needs (28% in 2020/21); and 15% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 17 pupils (Year 5) to 24 (Year 6).

Estyn's report on its February 2026 inspection summarises St Nicholas C.I.W. Primary like this:

"St Nicholas CiW Primary School is a warm, welcoming and inclusive community where pupils feel safe, valued and respected. Leaders provide strong strategic direction and set a clear vision that promotes high expectations for pupils and staff. The headteacher creates a family ethos that is evident throughout the school. A strength of the school is its rich and engaging curriculum. Pupils benefit from a wide range of meaningful learning experiences that build their knowledge and skills progressively. Staff weave creativity throughout learning and support pupils to think imaginatively and work with increasing independence. Teachers regularly review and refine the curriculum to ensure it meets the needs of all learners."

"Across the school, most pupils develop positive attitudes towards learning and make good progress. They show resilience, choosing challenging tasks and persevering when work becomes difficult. Staff generally provide effective feedback that helps pupils improve, but they do not always provide specific enough feedback to help them to improve their punctuation and grammar. Most pupils develop their Welsh language skills well and older pupils use the language confidently in simple conversations. They also grow as capable mathematicians who apply their skills in real-life contexts. Pupils’ development of their creative and digital skills is strong. The school is successful in promoting an anti-racist culture."

"Staff ensure pupils learn about and celebrate diversity, challenge stereotypes, and develop a strong sense of identity and belonging. Staff know pupils well and provide strong support for those with additional learning needs. Relationships across the school are positive, contributing to pupils’ exemplary behaviour. Overall attendance is good, but too many pupils are persistently absent. Robust procedures for monitoring and evaluation ensure continuous improvement in pupil performance and teaching standards. Governors provide valuable support and challenge. They have a good knowledge of the school's work and contribute well to school life."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Provide effective feedback to ensure that all pupils develop a sound understanding of punctuation and grammar; (2) Reduce persistent absenteeism.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Nicholas C.I.W. Primary are Peterston Super Ely C.I.W. Primary (1.4 miles), St Fagans C.I.W. Primary School (1.9 miles), Gwenfo C.I.W. Primary (2.2 miles) and Pendoylan C.I.W. Primary School (2.4 miles).

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of St Nicholas C.I.W. Primary.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Nicholas (at), 220 metres away.