Bedwas High School is an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school situated on a single site to the east of Bedwas Village. There are approximately 650 pupils on roll with just under 100 (approximately) in the sixth form. The school was officially opened in May 1962 (although pupils had been attending since the previous September).

The school serves families and communities across the town of Caerphilly and further across the Local Authority including Rudry, Machen, Trethomas, Graig-Y-Rhacca, Llanbradach and Lansbury Park. The Bedwas cluster of primary schools includes Bedwas Juniors, Graig-Y-Rhacca, Tyn-Y-Wern, Ysgol Machen and Plasyfelin. A well-established programme of transition events takes place through each year, ensuring all pupils joining our school do so with every confidence that their needs and aspirations will be met. Each year a significant number of children join us from primary schools outside of our cluster.

The school badge consists of a swan, a river and a birch leaf.  These symbols relate to the history of the area.  The swan and river are a reference to the river Rhymney, which at one time was named the 'Swan River'. The symbol of the birch leaves relates to the Welsh form of Bedwas (Bedw), which translates as "place of the birch trees".

We value staff and their need to:

• Enjoy their work and find it fulfilling.
• Receive innovative, developmental and effective training;
• Be supported, cared for, challenged and valued;
• Feel trusted and empowered to take risks in the classroom;
• Have opportunities to develop and fulfill their potential in leading the school and their own professional development;
• Participate in, contribute to and benefit from partnerships both in and beyond the school.

At the heart of wellbeing at Bedwas High School is Restorative Approaches. This focuses on building, maintaining and repairing relationships. We work restoratively in order to have:

• A more respectful climate
• A shift away from sanction-based responses that aim to ‘manage’ behaviour, towards a more relational approach
• Better relationships amongst children and staff
• People being more honest and willing to accept responsibility
• People feeling more supported when things go wrong
• A calmer, quieter and more productive learning environment

We find that working restoratively relationships are stronger and learning is more effective, resulting in less need to resort to sanctions and punishments.

We are committed to a whole-school restorative approach, as this has been proven to be the most effective method to reducing bullying, exclusions, classroom disruption and truancy.