School Chooser

Pontygwaith Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11Council155 pupilsNurseryFerndaleRhondda Cynon Taf
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWales doesn't publish results for primary schools, so there is nothing to score. Attendance, pupils, staffing and budget are below.
Attendance90.8%Wales 92.8%
Pupils from low-income families36%
Pupils with additional learning needs4%
Pupils on roll155
NeighbourhoodAmong the poorest areasWelsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025
Pupils per teacher25.8

Pontygwaith Primary School is a council school in Ferndale for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 155 pupils. Teaching is in English.

Graig Street, Pontygwaith, Ferndale, CF43 3LY01443 730471All details

Inspection

Schools in Wales are inspected by Estyn, not Ofsted. Since September 2022 Estyn's reports describe what a school does well and what it needs to work on, without giving a grade.

Estyn's latest report, and any follow-up visits, are on Estyn's website. The only schools given a formal label are those in special measures or needing significant improvement.

Find this school's Estyn reportsMy Local School (Welsh Government)

Results

Wales stopped publishing results for individual primary schools in 2019, so there are none to show. Attendance, pupil numbers and staffing below come from the Welsh Government's My Local School.

Getting a place

There is no entrance test. The council hands out the places. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups go first; after that, the closer you live, the better your chances.

Teaching is in English.

You apply through Rhondda Cynon Taf council, not the school.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll155
Pupils from low-income families36%Three-year average; Wales –
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English or Welsh
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils9%
LanguageEnglish mediumEnglish medium school / provision
NeighbourhoodAmong the poorest areasIf Wales's neighbourhoods were split into ten groups from poorest to wealthiest, this one is in group 2 (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025)
How the mix of pupils has changed
Year202520242023202220212020
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals35.6%35.7%39.0%39.2%37.7%33.9%
Pupils getting extra supportAdditional learning needs (ALN)–4.1%7.9%4.5%12.2%13.0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4.0%5.8%5.1%4.5%––
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupilsBAME pupils8.7%9.1%6.5%5.8%––

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.8% of the time. Across primary schools in Wales it was 92.8%. Wales doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on exclusions, for individual schools.

Attendance90.8%
Wales 92.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Trend
Attendance
2019 to 2025
2019: 91.7%91.7%20192023: 87.1%87.1%20232024: 91.1%91.1%20242025: 90.8%90.8%2025
Since 2019: -0.9%

Staff and budget

From the Welsh Government's My Local School, 2025/26.

Budget per pupil£4,7482025/26, Wales £5,678
Trend
Budget per pupil (£)
2020 to 2026
2020: 3,3883,38820202021: 3,6163,61620212022: 3,5333,53320222023: 3,7453,74520232024: 4,3914,39120242025: 4,6014,60120252026: 4,7484,7482026
Since 2020: +1,360

The budget is the money the council gave the school to spend per pupil in 2025/26, £930 less than the Welsh average for primary schools. Small and rural schools tend to get more per pupil.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m14312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate96 per 1,000 people5% higher than the England average
Nearest bus stop90 mSchool Street, 10 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Penrhys Primary SchoolCouncil860 m86Estyn, no grade–Compare
Tylorstown Primary SchoolCouncil990 m115Estyn, no grade–Compare
Pontrhondda Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles124Estyn, no grade–Compare
Alaw Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles157Estyn, no grade–Compare
Llwynypia Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles185Estyn, no grade–Compare
Trealaw Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles119Estyn, no grade–Compare
Ynyshir Primary SchoolCouncil1.5 miles228Estyn, no grade–Compare
Ysgol G.G. BodringalltCouncil1.5 miles141Estyn, no grade–Compare
Primary schools in Rhondda Cynon TafPrimary schools in FerndaleBest primary schools in Wales

Questions parents ask

Is Pontygwaith Primary School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Pontygwaith Primary School yet.

How many pupils does Pontygwaith Primary School have?

155 pupils aged 3 to 11.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Graig Street, Pontygwaith, Ferndale, CF43 3LY
Telephone
01443 730471
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Religious character
None
Local authority
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Ward
Tylorstown and Ynyshir
Constituency
Rhondda and Ogmore
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
401209 · School number 6742200
Language
English medium school / provision
Official recordMy Local SchoolDownload this school's data (CSV)

Recent changes

  • PhaseCode changed from “Primary” to “Other”
  • TypeCode changed from “Community school” to “Welsh establishment”
  • Pupil numbers changed from “155” to “–”
  • Free school meals % changed from “35.6” to “–”
  • ReligiousCharacter changed from “None” to “–”

Where these figures come from