Cantonian High School is an English-medium 11-18 community school maintained by Cardiff local authority. It is located in Fairwater and serves the surrounding area in the west of Cardiff. There are currently 580 pupils on roll. This is an increase from the time of the last inspection but the number in the sixth form has declined from 128 to 57 pupils. Nearly 38% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well above the national average of 16.4%. Around 53% of pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales. Only a very few pupils are fluent in Welsh and speak Welsh at home while close to 13% speak English as an additional language. Around 37% of pupils have additional learning needs, which is higher than the national average of 22.9%. The 7.5% of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs is well above the national average of 2.2%. The school incudes three units supporting pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, those with general learning difficulties and those at risk of permanent exclusion. The current headteacher was appointed in October 2015. The senior leadership team consists of the headteacher, a deputy headteacher, two assistant headteachers, an associate assistant headteacher and a business manager. Further information is available from the Welsh Government My Local School website at the link below. http://mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk/Schools/SchoolSearch?lang=en 1 A report on Cantonian High School March 2019 Summary Cantonian High School has an inclusive and supportive ethos based on ‘The best for each, success for all’ that promotes effectively the wellbeing of pupils. Nearly all pupils are developing successfully as ethical and informed citizens, and show strong levels of respect for the beliefs of others. Many pupils make good progress during their time at the school. In lessons, most make suitable progress and recall prior learning well. A few pupils make very strong progress in their lessons and produce work of a high standard. In most cases, teachers and teaching assistants develop productive working relationships with pupils. They have high expectations of behaviour and use praise well to motivate pupils to make good progress in their learning and achieve their best. The school’s curriculum provides a wide range of learning experiences that meet suitably the needs of all pupils. In addition, the school provides valuable opportunities for pupils to engage in activities that enrich their learning. The headteacher provides determined leadership and has a clear vision of high expectations for all. Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the school and governors provide useful challenge and support. Inspection area Judgement Standards Good Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Good Leadership and management Good 2 A report on Cantonian High School March 2019 Recommendations R1 Improve pupils’ literacy skills, in particular the general standard of pupils’ spelling and grammar R2 Improve opportunities for pupils to influence the life and work of the school R3 Ensure self-evaluation processes focus on the progress that pupils make and the standards they achieve R4 Provide robust financial management What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.