School Chooser

Ysgol Llanhari

All-through · ages 3-19Council647 pupilsSixth formRhondda, Cynon, TaffRhondda Cynon Taf
School Chooser Score · secondary phase
84
Above
similar schools
Likely range 78 to 91, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 76% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Best nine GCSE grades score394Wales 366
Attendance95.8%Wales 89.6%
Pupils from low-income families6%Wales 20%
Pupils with additional learning needs5%Wales 11%
Pupils on roll647
NeighbourhoodAmong the wealthiest areasWelsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025

Ysgol Llanhari is a council school in Rhondda, Cynon, Taff for pupils aged 3 to 19. It has 647 pupils. We give it 84 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 76% of the 50 schools most like it. Teaching is mainly in Welsh.

Llanhari, Pontyclun, Rhondda, Cynon, Taff, CF72 9XE01443 237824All 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.

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 score394
Wales 366
Official name: Capped 9 points score (interim)
English or Welsh score45.6
Wales 39.9
Official name: Literacy points score
Maths score38.7
Wales 36.9
Official name: Numeracy points score
Science score39.8
Wales 37.0
Official name: Science points score
Trend
Best nine GCSE grades score
2023 to 2025
2023: 38838820232024: 38538520242025: 3943942025
Since 2023: +5Steady overall
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023Rhondda Cynon TafWales
Best nine GCSE grades scoreCapped 9 points score (interim)394385388381366
English or Welsh scoreLiteracy points score45.643.344.439.539.9
Maths scoreNumeracy points score38.740.941.036.736.9
Science scoreScience points score39.842.742.336.537.0
Welsh Baccalaureate scoreSkills Challenge Certificate points score43.137.536.126.431.6
Best nine GCSE score: low-income pupilsCapped 9, eligible for free school meals391292349308

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
391.2393.6
Gap 2.4England 57.9
Literacy pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils
43.645.6
Gap 2.0
Numeracy pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils
34.038.7
Gap 4.7
Science pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils
40.039.8
Gap 0.2
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.

Teaching is mainly in Welsh.

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 roll647
Pupils from low-income families6%Three-year average; Wales 20%
Pupils getting extra support5%Additional learning needs; Wales 11%
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils2%
LanguageWelsh mediumWelsh medium school / provision (including transitional)
NeighbourhoodAmong the wealthiest areasIf Wales's neighbourhoods were split into ten groups from poorest to wealthiest, this one is in group 9 (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025)
How the mix of pupils has changed
Year202520242023202220212020
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals6.2%6.6%7.2%7.1%6.5%6.0%
Pupils getting extra supportAdditional learning needs (ALN)5.2%5.2%5.2%35.0%20.2%
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupilsBAME pupils2.4%2.4%1.9%2.4%2.2%2.0%

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.8% 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.

Attendance95.8%
Wales 89.6%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Trend
Attendance
2019 to 2025
2019: 96.2%96.2%20192023: 94.8%94.8%20232024: 94.4%94.4%20242025: 95.8%95.8%2025
Since 2019: -0.4%Steady overall

Staff and budget

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

Budget per pupil£5,9972025/26, Wales £5,956
Trend
Budget per pupil (£)
2020 to 2026
2020: 4,6914,69120202021: 4,7974,79720212022: 4,9064,90620222023: 5,2065,20620232024: 5,6515,65120242025: 5,7805,78020252026: 5,9975,9972026
Since 2020: +1,306Steady overall

The budget is the money the council gave the school to spend per pupil in 2025/26, £41 more 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 m8612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate39 per 1,000 people58% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop80 mYsgol Llanharry, 2 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
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Llanhari Primary SchoolCouncil180 m154Estyn, no gradeCompare
Llansannor C.I.W. Primary SchoolChurch in Wales960 m228Estyn, no gradeCompare
Dolau PrimaryCouncil1.7 miles510Estyn, no gradeCompare
Llanharan Primary SchoolCouncil2.1 miles145Estyn, no gradeCompare
Pontyclun Primary SchoolCouncil2.1 miles395Estyn, no gradeCompare
Brynnau Primary SchoolCouncil2.2 miles247Estyn, no gradeCompare
Y Pant Comprehensive SchoolCouncil2.7 miles1,461Estyn, no grade94Compare
Llangan C.P. SchoolCouncil2.7 miles123Estyn, no gradeCompare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ysgol Llanhari 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.

Beats76%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 84 is 15 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 11 · middle 69 · highest 100100

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 Llanhari, 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.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Archbishop McGrath Catholic High SchoolRoman Catholic5.2 miles825Estyn, no grade96Compare
The Bishop Of Llandaff C.I.W. High SchoolChurch in Wales9.0 miles1,263Estyn, no grade100Compare
Corpus Christi Catholic High SchoolRoman Catholic12.0 miles1,132Estyn, no grade95Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 84 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 84% of secondary schools in Wales. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 78 to 91. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years40%above
+0.30
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 129 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils25%in line
-0.04
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 129 pupils
Attendance and behaviour20%well above
+0.42
2024/25; 647 pupils
Direction of travel over five years15%in line
-0.01
results and attendance rising year on year

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 Llanhari a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Ysgol Llanhari scores 84 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 76% of the 50 schools most like it in Wales. The score could fairly be anywhere from 78 to 91, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

How many pupils does Ysgol Llanhari have?

647 pupils aged 3 to 19.

Does Ysgol Llanhari have a sixth form?

Yes.

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

Contact and details

Address
Llanhari, Pontyclun, Rhondda, Cynon, Taff, CF72 9XE
Telephone
01443 237824
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
All-through school, ages 3-19, with sixth form
Religious character
None
Local authority
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Ward
Llanharry
Constituency
Pontypridd
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
401816 · School number 6745500 · UKPRN 10008871
Language
Welsh medium school / provision (including transitional)

Recent changes

  • PhaseCode changed from “AllThrough” to “Other”
  • TypeCode changed from “Community school” to “Welsh establishment”
  • Pupil numbers changed from “647” to “–”
  • Free school meals % changed from “6.2” to “–”
  • ReligiousCharacter changed from “None” to “–”

Where these figures come from