With fees for some exceeding the UK average salary private schools are out of reach for many in Wales although some do offer bursaries. Parents who can afford it pay for their children to learn in small classes with all the extracurricular activities and opportunities independent schools have to offer.
Price as well as ethos vary at fee-paying schools around Wales. One has a unique rugby history and offers an elite rugby programme for boys and girls. Another says it aims "to be the best academic school in the world".
Most do England’s number-graded GCSEs or a mix of those and Wales’ letter-graded exams. The English curriculum at GCSE means pupils can achieve Grade Nine, which some say is equivalent to an A**. There is no A** grade in Welsh GCSEs. Some also offer the International Baccalaureate in place of A-levels.
As education continues to feel the after the effects of the pandemic and exams still being tweaked to take into account any lost learning, we look at what independent schools in Wales offer and how they compare in price, ethos and results.
Read more: Less emphasis on written exams in plans for Welsh GCSEs being put out to consultation
St Clare's School
Founded in 1938, St Clare’s is situated in 11 acres of coastal grounds in Porthcawl. It has been in the top 5% of high-performing A-level schools in the UK since 2018 for ALPS (A-Level Performance System). The nursery holds the Daynurseries UK Top 20 Nursery (Wales) Award 2022.
Pupil number: 260 (124 boys and 136 girls)
Type: Day
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Ethos/Motto: St Clare’s is a beautiful school both inside and out, it has an old soul but refuses to stand still. Be You Brilliantly.
Fees: From £2,640 a term in reception to £4,613 in Years 12 and 13. Nursery from £43.35 per day
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
The school takes England's number-graded GCSEs
Grade 9: 10.9%
Grade 7+: 37.6%
Grade 4+: 86.1%
A-level
A*: 45%
A*/A: 75%
A*/B: 90%
Head teacher: Helen Hier
Website: www.stclares-school.co.uk
The Cathedral School
Founded in 1880, The Cathedral School is a co-educational day school in Llandaff, Cardiff, for pupils aged three to 18.
Pupil number: 796
Type: Day
Religious affiliation: Church in Wales
Motto/ethos: Achievement, care, opportunity, ambition, and leadership.
Fees: Nursery £2,940; Reception, Years 1 & 2 £3,424; Years 3 & 4 £3,905; Years 5 & 6 £4,399; Years 7 to 11 £4,800 and Years 12 & 13 £4,870 per term
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
The school takes England’s numbered GCSEs.
8-9: 45%
7-9: 67%
A-level:
100% pass rate
A*-A: 75%
A*-B: 93%
Head teacher : Clare Sherwood
Website: www.cathedral-school.co.uk
St Gerard’s School Trust
This small independent day school in Bangor, for children aged four to 18, was founded more than a century ago.
Pupil number: 140
Type: Day
Religious affiliation: None
School’s motto/ ethos: Ethos: Creating a caring community that celebrates success. Promoting the development of creative, co-operative and independent learners. Encouraging active participation in learning. Increasing confidence through participation in both academic and extra-curricular activities for all pupils. Listening and being considerate to others. Demonstrating commitment and responsibility towards the community, our society, and the environment. Understanding and respecting diversity. Developing well-balanced and healthy individuals
Exam results 2022
A-level:
There were no A-level candidates for summer 2022 but there will be for 2023.
GCSE:
A*-A (9/7): 60%
A*-C (9/4): 99%
Fees:
Reception to Year 2: £2,750 per term or £687.50 per month (0%APR)
Year 3 – Year 6: £3,250 per term or £812.50 per month (0%APR)
Year 7 – Year 9: £3,980 per term or £995.00 per month (0%APR)
Year 10 – Year 13: £4, 160 per term or £1040.00 per month (0% APR)
Head teacher: Campbell Harrison
Website: www.st-gerards.org
Castle School, Pembrokeshire
This school for boys and girls aged two to 18 in Haverfordwest originally opened in different premises in 2009. Post-16 provision is four minutes' walk from the main school.
Type: Day
Pupil number: 171
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Motto/ethos: Nurturing resilient, ambitious, and enterprising young people.
Fees: From £1,650 a term for day reception pupils to £3,500 a term for seniors.
Castle School Nursery accepts children from two years and is open for 51 weeks a year from 8am until 5.30pm. Full day sessions: £45 Government funding available for the nursery.
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
A*-C: 97%
A-level:
The first cohort of sixth form complete their A-levels in summer 2023.
Head teacher: Michael Hughes
www.castleschoolpembrokeshire.co.uk
Westbourne School
This small co-educational school in Penarth consistently tops league tables for sixth form results. It has been ranked first in the UK in smaller school league tables over five years, was named IB School of the Year 2019, and was described as “one of the most consistently high-achieving independent schools in Britain” in the Sunday Times School Guide 2021. Westbourne’s Penarth headquarters is the hub of an international network of academically elite schools which has grown over the past year, including Westbourne College Sydney, and with a Singapore site launching imminently.
Type: Boarding and day
Pupil number: 380
Religious denomination: None
Motto/ethos: Whole school motto: Gesta non Verba - Actions not Words. Senior school and sixth form motto: Big Ideas, Infinite Possibilities. Prep school motto: Be Curious.
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
A*-A/9-7: 71%
A*-C/9-4 in all core subjects: 100%
Sixth form
Pupils at Westbourne take the International Baccalaureate Diploma in place of A-levels.
IB Diploma results
93% A*-B
Fees
- Little Westbourne nursery: £63 per day/£38 half-day session
- Day pupil fees: Prep school £3,064 - £4,607 termly
- Senior school and sixth form £4,953 - £5,384 termly
- Boarding with accommodation in the school boarding house - from £12,983 termly
Principal: Dr Gerard Griffiths
Website: www.westbourneschool.com
Haberdashers' Monmouth Schools
The school in Monmouth in the Wye Valley was originally established by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in 1892. Currently there is a prep school for boys and girls aged three to 11 and single-sex senior schools for ages 11-16 and a co-educational sixth form.
From September 2024 the schools will be moving to co-education for pupils in years seven to 11. The merger of the two senior schools will create a co-educational setting throughout but in the same historic setting in the town.
From September 2024 all pupils in Years Seven to 11 will be taught on the site that is currently home to Monmouth School for Boys. The west of the Hereford Road, currently home to Monmouth School for Girls, will be the new sixth form centre for students in years 12 and 13. The transition will see the prep school sited in the main building currently occupied by Monmouth School for Girls and also at Inglefield House, the former home of Monmouth School Girls’ Prep, which is based to the rear of the current girls’ school.
Pupil number: 1,161 – prep school (221); senior boys (508); senior girls (432)
Type: Day and boarding (total boarders: 252)
Religious affiliation: Christian Foundation
Motto/ethos: Serve and Obey
Fees:
- Day fees: £2,820 a term or £8,460 annually to £5,893 a term or £17,679 annually
- Boarding fees: £7,454 a term to £22,362 annually to £11,171 a term or £33,513 annually
- Sixth form external entrants boarding: £12,129 a term or £36,387 annually
Exam results 2022
A-level:
A* to A: 56.6%%
A* to C: 91.7%
GCSE
Pupils take a mixture of England’s letter- and Wales’ number-graded GCSE examinations.
Monmouth School for Boys:
- A*-A: 54.3%
- A*-C or 9-4: 98.9%
- A*-A or 9-7: 64.3%
- A*-C or 9-4: 80.3%
Monmouth School for Girls:
- A*-A: 54.3%
- A*-C or 9-4: 98.9%
Headmasters: Simon Dorman (currently headmaster at Monmouth School for Boys and will be headmaster at the new co-educational senior school in September 2024); Neil Shaw, head teacher at Monmouth Prep School
Website: www.habsmonmouth.org
Howell’s School, Llandaff
This school in Llandaff takes girls only aged three to 16 and girls and boys in its sixth form.
Pupil number: 685
Type: Day
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Motto/ethos: Where girls learn without limits
Fees for 2023-24:
- Reception to year two: £11,645.45 annually including lunch
- Years three to six: £11,864.45 annually including lunch
- Senior school: £15,377.45 annually including lunch
- Sixth form college: £15,525 annually
Exam results 2022
The school runs both the Welsh letter-graded and the English number-graded GCSEs.
GCSE:
A*/9-8: 59%
A*-A/9/7: 73%
A-level:
A: 33%
A*-A: 59%
Principal: Sally Davis
Website: www.howells-cardiff.gdst.net
St Michael’s School
St Michael’s was founded in Llanelli by the Rees brothers (BP Rees and WE Rees) in 1923 and moved to Bryn, where it is still located today, in 1928. Named Sunday Times Independent Secondary School of the decade St Michael’s was 11th in the co-educational independent school in the UK category in the 2023 Parent Power supplement. The school takes children aged three to 18.
Pupil number: 414
Type: Day and boarders. Boarders from year seven
Religious affiliation: Non denominational
Motto/ethos: Disce ut vivas (learn to live)
Fees: From £1,849 to £4,606 per term
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
A*-A: 87.7%
A*-B: 97%
A*-C: 99.6%
100% of pupils gained five or more A*-C grades.
A-level:
A*-A: 80.2%
A*-B: 95.9%
A*-C: 96.5%
Head teacher: Benson Ferrari
Website: www.stmikes.co.uk
Llandovery College
This co-educational day and boarding school in Carmarthenshire was founded in 1848. The college has an exceptional rugby history, offering an elite rugby programme for boys and girls, and works closely with the Welsh Rugby Union and the four regions. The college has produced many world class players including British and Irish Lions player George North and the world’s most-capped player, Alun Wyn Jones. Fifty former students have gained more than 550 international caps – a record that eclipses any other school in Wales.
Pupil number: 265
Type: Day and boarding
Religious affiliation: Church in Wales
Motto: Gwell Dysg Na Golud (Our Education is Our Wealth_
Fees: Day fees from £7,500 a year rising to £19,725 for sixth form. Boarding fees from £21,105 per year rising to £29,775 for sixth form.
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
A*-A: 34%
A*-C: 83%
A-level:
A*: 13%
A*-A: 40%
A*-B: 62%
A*-C: 86%
Overall pass rate: 100%
Head teacher: Dominic Findlay
Website: www.llandoverycollege.com
Christ College, Brecon
Founded in 1541, Christ College Brecon caters for girls and boys aged four to 18.
Pupil number: 396
Type: Day and boarding
Religious affiliation: Anglican Church in Wales
Motto/ethos: They achieve because they believe they can
Fees: Day fees from £3,087 to £6,855 per term. Boarding from £5,806 to £12,277 per term.
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
Pupils take Wales' letter-graded and England's number-graded GCSEs.
A*(9/8): 42%,
A+(7+): 62%
A*-C(4+): 98%
A-level:
A*: 23%
A*-A: 45%
A*-B: 74.4%
A*-C: 88.4%
A*-E: 99.4%
BTEC
100% distinction or higher
Head: Gareth Pearson
Ruthin School
Founded in 1284 Ruthin is one of the oldest schools in the UK. It now takes boys and girls from 11 and up and moved to its present site in the early 1890s.
Pupil number: 248
Type: Day and boarding
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Motto/ethos: Die Gratia Sum Quod Sum (By the Grace of God, I am what I am)
Fees for 2023-24: Full boarding £42,700 annually. Weekly boarding fees (four nights Monday to Thursday) £25,650 annually. Weekly Boarding fees (five nights Sunday to Thursday) £28,950 annually. Day fees range from £13,650 to £16,540 a year.
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
The school takes England’s numbered GCSEs only.
Level 8/9: 58%
Level 7/8/9: 78%
Pass rate: 100%
A-level:
A*-A: 68%
A*-B: 85%
Pass rate: 100%
Headteacher: Victoria Gamble
Website: www.ruthinschool.co.uk
Rydal Penhros School
This Methodist co-educational independent day school for children aged two to 18 is situated in premises on the north Wales coastline at Colwyn Bay.
Pupil number: 350 (180 boys, 170 girls)
Type: Day
School motto: Veritas Scientia Fides (Truth, Knowledge, Faith)
Religious denomination: Christian Foundation in the Methodist tradition. The school is an associated member of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust.
Fees: Pre-school: £8,400 a year. Reception, Year One, and Year Two: £9,600 a year. Years Three, Four, Five, and Six: £10,200 a year. Years Seven, Eight, and Nine: £14,400 a year. Years 10, 11, 12 and 13: £16,200 a year.
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
A*: 36.6%
A* to A: 56.6%
A* to B: 80.4%
A* to C: 96.6%
Pass Rate: 100%
A-level:
A*: 37.8%
A* to A: 64.2%
A* to B: 80.6%
A* to C: 92.9%
Pass Rate: 100%
Executive principal: John Waszek. In the summer of 2023 Mr Waszek will retire and hand over to Tom Hutchinson, principal of St Edwards Church of England Academy, Leek.
Website: www.rydalpenrhos.com
Cardiff Sixth Form College
This college in the centre of Cardiff was founded in 2004 as a small private tutorial college and, in 2009, accepted its first international students. The college has pupils from across the globe, selects pupils on academic ability, and awards bursaries. It has been named top school in the UK for results for the past 12 years.
Pupil number: 403
Type: Day and boarding
Motto/Ethos: Our vision is to be the best academic school in the world
Religious denomination: Non-denominational
Fees: From £53,600 a year for A-level boarders to £20,600 a year for A-level day pupils. From £48,800 a year for GCSE boarding fees to £23,700 a year for GCSE day pupils.
Exam results 2022
GCSE:
A*: 78.9%
A*-A: 88.8%
A*-B: 95.5%
A-level:
A*: 75.3%
A*-A: 94.7%
A*-B: 99.2%
Head teacher: Gareth Collier
Website: www.ccoex.com
Rougemont School
This school on the outskirts of Newport was recently ranked top five in the country by the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2023 and the best-value prep school in Wales by the Telegraph 2020. The school is located in 55 acres of grounds at Llantarnam Hall.
Pupil number: 720
Type: Co-educational day school
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Motto/ethos: A School For Life
Fees: Termly nursery to sixth form from between £2,782 to £4,950 per term
Exam results 2022:
GCSE
- A*: 39%
- A*-A: 62%
- A*-B: 84%
- A*- C: 98%
A-level
- A*: 38%
- A*-A: 75%
- A*-B: 91%
Head teacher: Lisa Pritchard who is the first female head in the school's 100-year history
Website: www.rougemontschool.co.uk
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