United Kingdom · Cardiff
The Cathedral School is a co-educational Christian day school in Llandaff for ages 3–18. It offers England-pathway GCSEs, followed by the Welsh AS and A-level structure described in its current handbook.
The Cathedral School sits beside Llandaff Cathedral in western Cardiff. It is an independent, co-educational day school with a Christian ethos and about 800 pupils from Nursery to Year 13.
This is a sensible option for families who want one Cardiff school from age three to A levels. It is not a boarding school, and it does not sponsor Child Student visas.
The school is academically selective from the primary years onward. Admission also depends on whether it can meet a child’s learning, medical and accessibility needs.
The early-years department uses the English Early Years Foundation Stage as a reference. The school says Years 1–2 are broadly aligned with England’s Key Stage 1, although it is not legally bound by that curriculum.
From Years 3–9, the school teaches its own broad curriculum. Pupils then take General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs) in Years 10–11, using England’s qualification pathway.
The 2026–27 Senior handbook makes an important distinction. It says Sixth Form pupils follow Welsh-pathway A levels, advanced subject qualifications normally taken before university. This structure includes AS examinations at the end of Year 12, the first Sixth Form year.
Older school material described England-pathway A levels. The handbook is titled 2026–27, but the relevant page still has a 2025–26 footer. Ask for the current specification and exam board for every proposed subject before comparing courses or making a transfer.
Sixth Form pupils normally begin four A levels. They may drop one after the October half-term. The handbook says pupils need at least one B and two C grades at AS to progress into Year 13 without intervention.
The school-published 2026 results were strong: 78% A*–A at A level and 80% of GCSE grades at 9–6. Results describe that cohort, not an admission guarantee.
Nursery 1 can begin on a child’s third birthday. It offers limited part-time and full-time attendance, with at least five sessions each week.
Children become full time in the September after their third birthday. Nursery 2 is the full-time year before Reception, and Reception begins in the September after age four.
Nursery applicants have an introductory assessment. The school expects children to be toilet trained and asks families to disclose development, medical and learning information before admission.
Nursery pupils are allocated a Reception place, subject to the school’s policies. The school says at least four Reception places are usually available to external applicants.
Years 1–2 applicants complete classroom observation and individual verbal, non-verbal, reading, spelling and mathematics activities. The school also requests a report from the current setting.
Years 3–6 applicants attend a taster day. They complete verbal and non-verbal assessments, plus reading, spelling and mathematics work. The admissions policy expects the reasoning average to reach the national age average.
Year 7 expands from two classes to three. The school currently describes roughly 25–30 external places, although another page gives 26–28.
Applicants take CEM verbal, numerical and non-verbal tests. The admissions policy expects a standardised score of 100. They also complete English comprehension and descriptive writing, attend a group interview, and provide a school report.
Current Year 6 pupils sit the same examination for benchmarking and scholarships. Progression is normally offered after a satisfactory report, but it is not an unconditional transfer.
If the school doubts that its selective Senior section is suitable, it should discuss this with parents by Easter of Year 5. The admissions and learning-support policies use slightly different wording, so confirm the decision process.
Year 8–9 applicants take MIDYIS assessments, while Year 10 applicants take YELLIS tests. These are standardised assessments used to understand pupils’ learning profiles. Year 10 applicants also complete English writing and an interview. Year 11 entry is available only exceptionally.
Priority for oversubscribed Year 7 entry starts with current pupils. External choristers, award holders, staff children, siblings and children from the same family applying together follow before other candidates are ranked.
The school also considers academic ability, conduct, maturity, its capacity to provide support and the current school’s reference. It may ask the previous school to confirm that outstanding fees have been paid.
The current admissions policy separates applicants by qualification pathway:
The live Sixth Form page gives a broader floor of five GCSEs at grade 6 or B. It says grade 7 or A is preferred in intended A-level subjects, but the admissions policy sets firmer thresholds for some courses.
Mathematics and sciences require grade 7 or A in the relevant subject. Applicants taking the two-GCSE Dual Award science course need grades 7–7. Further Mathematics requires grade 8 or A* in Mathematics.
Physics also requires grade 7 or A in Mathematics. Computer Science and Economics require grade 7 or A in Mathematics.
Psychology requires grade 7 or A in Biology, Mathematics, English Language or English Literature. The Extended Project Qualification requires grade 7 or A in English Language or Literature.
There is no separate general Sixth Form entrance examination. The school uses results, a reference and an interview, with separate testing for the academic scholarship.
For September 2027 Year 7 entry, the 2026–27 admissions policy gives Friday 13 November 2026 as the registration deadline. The live calendar’s 13 November 2027 date is an obvious internal conflict.
Other published Year 7 dates are:
The calendar prints the test as 8.30am–11.30pm. Treat the finish as an error and ask the admissions office for the correct time.
For Year 12 entry, the options evening is 15 October 2026. Academic scholarship and bursary applications close on 23 October, and the academic scholarship examination is on 14 November.
Music and sport award applications close at 9am on 18 January 2027. The calendar gives 4 March for results and 19 March for external applicants to accept a Sixth Form place.
Dates for other entry points depend on vacancies and are not published as one 2027 schedule. Registering costs £150 and places a child on the waiting list, but it does not secure admission.
Teaching is in English. The admissions policy says assessors should consider pupils using English as an additional language, but the school publishes no minimum level or defined EAL course.
The current additional learning needs (ALN) policy is unusually clear about the limit of provision. The school supports mild and moderate needs within a mainstream setting.
It does not offer specialist provision for severe learning difficulties or complex developmental or medical needs. It cannot accept a pupil with a local-authority-maintained Individual Development Plan.
An IDP is the Welsh statutory plan for additional learning provision. If a pupil later needs a local-authority-maintained IDP, the policy says the family must find another placement.
The school also lacks access to local-authority specialist ALN teams, except for Nursery pupils. Families should disclose all relevant reports and history before assessment.
School screening does not provide a diagnosis. Assessments by the Learning Support Co-ordinator are included, while external clinical or educational-psychology assessments are paid by parents.
Primary pupils may receive paid specialist tutoring or individual adult support. The current fee is £32.10 including VAT for each chargeable 30-minute learning-support session.
Exam access arrangements must follow the school’s evidence and the Joint Council for Qualifications process. A privately commissioned report obtained without prior school consultation cannot establish arrangements by itself.
The school may end a placement if it cannot meet a need or required medication safely. It may also act if families withhold information or decline an assessment or support that the school considers necessary.
The campus includes listed buildings and has limited physical facilities. The current mobility document says a lift or other major adaptation may be impractical.
That one-page policy covers temporary use of crutches or wheelchairs. It provides for a risk assessment and personal emergency evacuation plan, but it was due for review in November 2025.
Before applying, visit with the child and test every route they would use. Ask for a written plan covering arrival, classrooms, toilets, dining, sport, emergency evacuation and any timetable changes.
The school publishes fees by term. VAT is included from Reception onward. The Nursery figure is £3,589 both before and after VAT in the published table.
| Year group | Per term, including VAT | Three-term calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery | £3,589 | £10,767 |
| Reception–Year 2 | £5,017 | £15,051 |
| Years 3–4 | £5,721 | £17,163 |
| Years 5–6 | £6,447 | £19,341 |
| Years 7–8 | £7,033 | £21,099 |
| Years 9–11 | £7,102 | £21,306 |
| Years 12–13 | £7,307 | £21,921 |
The annual figures are our multiplication of three published termly fees. They exclude extras and assume the fee does not change during the year.
The fee includes books, lunch, routine educational trips and pupil personal-accident insurance. The current sheet does not price part-time Nursery, buses, uniform, residential trips or external examinations.
Registration costs £150 and is non-refundable. The £500 acceptance deposit is credited after the final term, less any balance owed; it is not deducted from ordinary fees while the child attends.
The fee sheet lists these current extras:
| Service | Published charge |
|---|---|
| Before-school supervision | £1.91 |
| Nursery–Year 2 activity | £8.11 |
| Nursery–Year 2 collected care to 4.30pm | £7.61 |
| Nursery–Year 2 collected care to 5.30pm | £15.23 |
| Nursery–Year 2 collected care to 5.50pm | £18.34 |
| Years 3–6 collected care to 4.45pm | £6.56 |
| Years 3–6 collected care to 5.45pm | £13.13 |
| Collection after 6pm | £27.50 per 15 minutes |
| Individual music lesson | £25.55 per 30 minutes |
| Instrument hire | £60.06 per term |
| Chargeable learning support | £32.10 including VAT per 30 minutes |
The PDF does not label the charging unit for the first seven lines. Confirm whether each amount is per session, day or booking before calculating care costs.
Ordinary Years 3–6 activities and care for Year 7 onward are free. Activities led by a specialist or outside provider may cost extra, but no prices are published.
Childcare vouchers can be used for Nursery and eligible extras, not Reception tuition. Families using a monthly school-fee credit provider enter a separate regulated agreement and need approval.
Academic, music and sport scholarships are available for Year 7 and Year 12 entry. Academic consideration is automatic from the Year 7 test, while Year 12 applicants must apply.
Scholarships normally reduce fees by 5–10%. The total scholarship reduction is usually capped at 10%, although the school may make an award honorary.
Means-tested bursaries range from 5% to 100%. Awards above 90% are described as Foundation Places, and three Year 7 Foundation Bursaries may cover up to 100% of fees.
Bursaries are reviewed annually against family finances, effort, conduct and contribution. Year 7 music applicants should be around Grade 4–5; Sixth Form music applicants should be around Grade 7–8.
A scholarship can be combined with a bursary. A Year 7 sport award is reassessed before Sixth Form, and families must reapply for bursary support after Year 11.
Ordinary withdrawal requires a full term’s written notice before that term begins, expiring at its end. Otherwise, the next term’s full fees are payable instead.
Withdrawal after Year 11 requires notice by 31 January of that school year. The ordinary notice rule also applies if a pupil will not return after Year 12.
These liability clauses come from Terms and Conditions dated September 2020, which the school still links. Read the contract supplied with the offer because a newer signed version would govern.
The school is day only. Its transport page lists routes from Brocastle, Caerphilly, Castleton, Miskin and Penarth for pupils in Year 3 onward.
The current Senior handbook refers to six routes, and no 2026–27 fare table is public. Bus places use StudentSafe, and the handbook asks for one term’s notice to cancel a booking.
The school is absent from the UK register of licensed Student and Child Student sponsors dated 4 September 2026. Its terms also say it does not hold a student-sponsor licence.
An international child therefore needs another valid basis to live and study in the UK. The school may terminate immediately if the pupil lacks the required immigration permission.
Because there is no boarding, the family must also arrange a suitable home and day-to-day adult care in Cardiff. Ask the school and an authorised immigration adviser about the child’s exact status.
Llandaff is strongest for a family settled in Cardiff that wants a through-school, English-medium education with a Christian ethos. The GCSE-to-Welsh-AS structure can also suit pupils comfortable with external examinations in both Sixth Form years.
Do not treat Nursery admission as proof that every later transition will be automatic. Selectivity increases, and current Year 6 pupils still sit the Year 7 assessment.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
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The Cathedral School in Llandaff and St John’s College in Old St Mellons are co-educational day schools for ages 3–18, with different locations and cathedral traditions.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.