Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, Cardiff

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is a Welsh-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 1528 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 6% have additional learning needs (18% in 2020/21); and 13% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 159 pupils (Year 13) to 252 (Year 8).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £5,210 per pupil, against £5,073 in 2021-22. It carried forward £573k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its February 2026 inspection summarises Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf like this:

"A notable aspect of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is the ambition, independence and pride in their Welshness demonstrated by most pupils in the school. Most pupils behave well in their lessons and around the site, and treat their peers, staff and visitors with respect. Governors and leaders at all levels know the school well and work together effectively to plan for improvement and address local and national priorities. There is a close link between self-evaluation and improvement planning processes and professional learning at the school and, as a result, this has led to improvements in the quality of teaching and support for pupils’ well-being. The school provide rich learning experiences for pupils both inside and outside lessons. The curriculum builds effectively on pupils’ previous learning and, in most cases, it meets pupils’ aspirations and needs. However, the school’s current Year 9 curriculum limits the breadth of experiences."

"Pupils benefit from a comprehensive range of extra-curricular activities. In many instances, teaching is effective. In these cases, teachers plan carefully to build pupils’ understanding and prepare them to cope well with tasks that challenge them. This contributes well to developing the independence and ambition demonstrated by pupils and enables them to make good progress in their learning. Sixth-form pupils are mature and most work hard in their lessons. They make a strong contribution to school life, for example by supporting younger pupils to develop their skills. There are effective procedures to promote good attendance and behaviour and to support pupils’ well-being."

"Opportunities for pupils to express an opinion and develop their leadership skills are a strength. Pupils with additional learning needs are supported well. In Canolfan Ethni, the local authority’s additional learning needs unit which is part of the school, staff have high expectations of pupils. They track pupils’ progress effectively to ensure that learning experiences are tailored to pupils’ needs. Staff support pupils well and, as a result, most pupils at the centre make sound progress in their learning skills and life skills."

Estyn made 2 recommendations: (1) Ensure that pupils have access to the full range of learning experiences until the end of Year 9, to comply with Welsh Government guidance; (2) Disseminate the excellent teaching practices seen in the best lessons to strengthen the quality of teaching even further.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf are The Bishop Of Llandaff C.I.W. High School (0.4 miles), Cantonian High School (0.7 miles), Whitchurch High School (0.9 miles) and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr (0.9 miles).

The nearest railway station is Danescourt Rail Station, about 530 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ysgol Glantaf (outside), 80 metres away.