About Cardinal Newman Catholic School

Cardinal Newman Catholic School was established in the late 1960s. The main buildings date from that period with some additions in the 1970s and 1980s. The school has a ‘new’ science block that was built in the last twenty years. Whilst we do not have the most modern of buildings the people who make up our school ensure that as a learning community we are second to none.

We are currently oversubscribed. We believe that people want to come to Cardinal Newman because of our strong Christian ethos and reputation for academic excellence.

Standards in Cardinal Newman are consistently well above expectations. We outperform modelled expectations at each key stage. The performance of different groups of learners is strong. FSM performance at L2+ is well above local, national and family averages. Our more able and talented pupils are well cared for with specialised provision and extension opportunities.

We are a Catholic school. This does not mean we are a school just for Catholics. It means we are a school where Catholic gospel values are lived in all that we do. We are an inclusive school where everyone who understands this is welcome regardless of background. Not all of our staff are Catholic. However, we will only appoint staff who understand the uniqueness of a Catholic School and support the whole core values.

Thank you for your interest in our school. I am keen that you know as much as possible about us before you decide to apply. It is essential that you understand our Gospel Values and share our desire for ‘excellence in all aspects of the curriculum’.

I have been Headteacher of Cardinal Newman for fifteen years. I have always been impressed by the staff and pupils of the school. I have continued to be impressed. The staff are dedicated, professional and passionate about learning. The pupils are caring, considerate and hard working. The school community is very friendly and you will feel the Christian ethos of the school as soon as you arrive. Our parents and governors are committed to ensuring that our school goes from strength to strength.

Cardinal Newman Catholic School is an 11-16 school based in Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd. We serve a catchment area that covers RCT and Caerphilly. In 2024 our GCSE results were: 77% achieving A*-C (including maths and English), 98% achieving A*-G and our average ‘Interim Capped 9’points score was 394. We are currently one of the top performing schools in the two local authorities that we serve.

At Cardinal Newman we pride ourselves on being a teaching and learning school. We have an open door policy towards teaching and Learning. This applies from NQTs to the Headteacher. All of the SLT teach and there is a standing open invitation to all staff to observe.

At Cardinal Newman we believe that ‘people make the place’. We take great care to recruit the right people, but we also take great care in developing people once they are with us. We place a strong emphasis on CPD and training. We believe in developing everyone to be leaders of learning. We have a strong track record in producing high quality middle and senior leaders. We value our support staff and support them in their career aspirations.

If you share our aspirations and values I would strongly urge you to apply.

Best wishes

Justin O'Sullivan

Headteacher