Ysgol Afon Wen

All-through · ages 3-16CouncilNot available1,165 pupilsPontypridd Rhondda Cynon Taf

School Chooser Score · secondary phase

In line with
similar schools

Likely range 45 to 60

Out of 100. Better than 68% of the 50 schools most like it.

Best nine GCSE grades score370Wales 366

Attendance91.0%Wales 89.6%

Pupils from low-income families26%Wales 20%

Pupils with additional learning needs13%Wales 11%

Pupils on roll1,165

NeighbourhoodAbove-average income areaWelsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025

Ysgol Afon Wen is a council school in Pontypridd for pupils aged 3 to 16. It has 1,165 pupils. We give it 53 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it. Teaching is in English.

School Lane, Hawthorn, Pontypridd, CF37 5AL01443 841228All 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 reports My Local School (Welsh Government)

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

Wales scores GCSEs in points rather than counting passes. Here is how the school compares with all secondaries in Wales.

Best nine GCSE grades score370

Wales 366

Official name: Capped 9 points score (interim)

English or Welsh score39.1

Wales 39.9

Official name: Literacy points score

Maths score35.2

Wales 36.9

Official name: Numeracy points score

Science score31.2

Wales 37.0

Official name: Science points score

All GCSE measures, year by year

Measure	2025	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales
Best nine GCSE grades scoreCapped 9 points score (interim)	370	381	366
English or Welsh scoreLiteracy points score	39.1	39.5	39.9
Maths scoreNumeracy points score	35.2	36.7	36.9
Science scoreScience points score	31.2	36.5	37.0
Welsh Baccalaureate scoreSkills Challenge Certificate points score	37.4	26.4	31.6
Best nine GCSE score: low-income pupilsCapped 9, eligible for free school meals	341	349	308

Interim measures published by the Welsh Government; no measures were published for 2020 to 2022.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Best nine GCSE grades scoreLow-income pupils vs all pupils

340.8370.1

Gap 29.3England 57.9

Literacy pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils

34.839.1

Gap 4.3

Numeracy pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils

28.135.2

Gap 7.1

Science pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils

24.131.2

Gap 7.1

First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child gets free school meals. The Welsh figures are averaged over three years, and the grey marks show Wales rather than England.

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. As a Not available school it may put families of that faith first.

Teaching is in English.

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

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll1,165

Pupils from low-income families26%Three-year average; Wales 20%

Pupils getting extra support13%Additional learning needs; Wales 11%

Pupils learning English5%First language is not English or Welsh

Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils15%

LanguageEnglish mediumEnglish medium school / provision

NeighbourhoodAbove-average income areaIf Wales's neighbourhoods were split into ten groups from poorest to wealthiest, this one is in group 7 (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025)

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.0% of the time. Across secondary schools in Wales it was 89.6%. Wales doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on exclusions, for individual schools.

Attendance91.0%

Wales 89.6%

Official name: 100 minus overall absence

Staff and budget

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

Budget per pupil£5,5602025/26, Wales £5,956

The budget is the money the council gave the school to spend per pupil in 2025/26, £396 less than the Welsh average for secondary schools. Small and rural schools tend to get more per pupil.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m8512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences

Local crime rate120 per 1,000 people32% higher than the England average

Nearest bus stop230 mHawthorn Inn, 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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

School	Type	Distance	Pupils	Ofsted	Score
Cardinal Newman R.C. Comprehensive School	Roman Catholic	740 m	980	Estyn, no grade	91	Compare
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Awel Taf	Council	880 m	346	Estyn, no grade	–	Compare
Ysgol Ty Coch	Not Applicable	0.7 miles	241	Estyn, no grade	–	Compare
Gwauncelyn Primary	Council	0.7 miles	372	Estyn, no grade	–	Compare
Llanilltud Faerdref Primary	Council	1.0 miles	182	Estyn, no grade	–	Compare
St Michael's R.C. Primary School	Roman Catholic	1.1 miles	248	Estyn, no grade	–	Compare
Ysgol Garth Olwg	Council	1.1 miles	1,210	Estyn, no grade	78	Compare
Parclewis Primary School	Council	1.6 miles	270	Estyn, no grade	–	Compare

Secondary schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf Secondary schools in Pontypridd Best secondary schools in Wales

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ysgol Afon Wen with the 50 schools in Wales whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats68%of schools with a similar mix of pupils

In the upper half of its group. Its score of 53 is 12 points above the typical school in the group.

0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 41 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Ysgol Afon Wen, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

School	Type	Distance	Pupils	Ofsted	Score
Ysgol Bro Taf	Council	3.3 miles	902	Estyn, no grade	68	Compare
Radyr Comprehensive School	Council	5.4 miles	1,426	Estyn, no grade	92	Compare
Porth Community School	Council	5.5 miles	927	Estyn, no grade	76	Compare
Llanishen High School	Council	6.0 miles	1,715	Estyn, no grade	90	Compare
Corpus Christi Catholic High School	Roman Catholic	7.0 miles	1,132	Estyn, no grade	95	Compare
Risca Community Comprehensive School	Council	10.4 miles	618	Estyn, no grade	61	Compare
Whitmore High School	Council	11.3 miles	1,091	Estyn, no grade	64	Compare
Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg	Council	11.4 miles	1,431	Estyn, no grade	88	Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 53 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 53% of secondary schools in Wales. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 45 to 60. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked at	How much it counts	Against schools like it	Effect on the score	Based on
Results over three years	40%	in line	-0.13	2025 results; 233 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils	25%	in line	+0.05	Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 233 pupils
Attendance and behaviour	20%	above	+0.11	2024/25; 1,165 pupils
Direction of travel over five years	0%	no data	–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Ysgol Afon Wen a good school?

It is about average. Ysgol Afon Wen scores 53 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it in Wales. The score could fairly be anywhere from 45 to 60, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

How many pupils does Ysgol Afon Wen have?

1,165 pupils aged 3 to 16.

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

Contact and details

Address: School Lane, Hawthorn, Pontypridd, CF37 5AL
Telephone: 01443 841228
Type of school: Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase: All-through school, ages 3-16
Religious character: Not available
Local authority: Rhondda Cynon Taf
Ward: Hawthorn and Lower Rhydfelen
Constituency: Pontypridd
Setting: Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened: 1 September 2024
URN: 402475 · School number 6745505
Language: English medium school / provision

Official record My Local School Download this school's data (CSV)

Recent changes

13 September 2026PhaseCode changed from “AllThrough” to “Other”
13 September 2026TypeCode changed from “Community school” to “Welsh establishment”
13 September 2026Pupil numbers changed from “1165” to “–”
13 September 2026Free school meals % changed from “26.3” to “–”
13 September 2026ReligiousCharacter changed from “Not available” to “–”

Where these figures come from

School details: Department for Education Get Information About Schools and the Welsh Government address list of schools (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
Results, attendance, pupils, staff and budget: Welsh Government, My Local School, latest data to 2026.
Neighbourhood deprivation: Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025 postcode lookup.
All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.