Founded in 1860 as a school for girls, the school was built by the Drapers’ Company from the endowment left in 1537 by Thomas Howell, son of a Welshman, merchant of London, Bristol and Seville and a Draper.

Howell’s School Llandaff is part of the Girls’ Day School Trust GDST, the leading network of independent girls’ schools in the UK. As a charity that owns and runs 23 schools and two academies, it reinvests all its income in its schools.

The school’s strong Leadership Team, talented and dedicated teaching and support staff, wonderful young people and committed and interested parents are what make Howell’s unique. 

This is a landmark school year for Howell’s School, Llandaff GDST: it is 160 years since the school opened its doors and began teaching Cardiff’s daughters to learn without limits.

Visionary Principal Sally Davis presides over excellent academic results, and in August 2020 results at Howell’s were excellent. At GCSE, 60% of all grades were at A* or level 9-8, and 82% were at A*-A or level 9-7. In the Co-Ed College, over 30% of students achieved an impressive A* at A-level, with 55% of grades at A*-A. Students took up places at leading universities across the UK, including Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Durham, Edinburgh and Central Saint Martins.

All National Curriculum subjects including Welsh are taught at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. In Year 7, French, Spanish and Welsh are on offer. Latin is introduced in Year 8. First language Welsh is taught on demand. There is a broad range of subjects available in the College. Examinations in a number of AS subjects are taken at the end of Year 12. Active learning styles are an essential part of the classroom experience, and the curriculum is made more diverse with:

• Educational visits, locally and abroad
• Visiting authors, poets, musicians, artists and lecturers
• Special activity weeks focusing on particular areas of the curriculum