View source for Willows High School

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox school
 | name                    = Willows High School
 | native_name             = Ysgol Uwchradd Willows
 | motto                   = Perthyn, Credu, Llwyddo<ref name="Estyn 2006" />
 | motto_translation       = Belong, Believe, Achieve
 | address                 = Willows Avenue
 | region                  = [[Tremorfa]]
 | city                    = [[Cardiff]]
 | postcode                = CF24 2YE
 | country                 = United Kingdom
 | coordinates             = {{coord|51|29|3|N|3|8|13|W}}
 | type                    = [[State School|State]] [[Secondary School|Secondary]]
 | established             = 
 | opened                  = 1967
 | educational_authority   = [[Cardiff Council]]
 | head_teacher            = Chris Norman<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Willows|url=https://www.willowshigh.co.uk/about/|access-date=2020-07-30|date=2020|website=Willows High School|language=en}}</ref>
 | grades                  = 7–11
 | grades_label            = Years
 | enrolment               = 586<ref name="Estyn 2018">{{Cite web|title=A report on Willows High School|url=https://www.estyn.gov.wales/sites/www.estyn.gov.wales/files/documents/Willows%20High%20School.pdf|access-date=2020-07-30|date=April 2018|website=Estyn|language=en}}</ref>
 | houses                  = Harlech (blue), Caernarfon (green), Denbigh (yellow), Raglan (red)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Educating Cardiff - Episode 2 (Documentary) {{!}} Yearbook |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NpNrz46lSg&list=WL&index=7&t=99s|access-date=1 August 2020|date=17 April 2020|website=YouTube|language=en}}</ref>
 | website                 = {{URL|https://www.willowshigh.co.uk/}}
 | language                = [[English language|English]]
}}

{{Coord|51.484|-3.137|display=title|region:GB_scale:5000}}
'''Willows High School''' ({{langx|cy|Ysgol Uwchradd Willows}}) is a [[secondary school]] located in the [[Tremorfa]] area of [[Cardiff, Wales]]. It caters for pupils aged 11 to 16 and is [[English language|English]]-medium. As of September 2015, the headteacher is Chris Norman. He succeeded [[Joy Ballard]], under whom the proportion of pupils attaining five A*-C grades rose from 14% to 50%.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/film-tv/time-educating-cardiff-hits-screens-9880069 | title=By the time Educating Cardiff hits our screens, head teacher Joy Ballard will have left Willows High School | access-date=2015-10-13 | date=2015-08-18 | publisher=Wales Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wightwick|first=Abbie|date=2019-08-22|title=GCSE results 2019: How every school in Cardiff and the Vale did|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/gcse-results-cardiff-vale-glamorgan-16789971|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref> In recent years, Willows has been oversubscribed for pupils.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wightwick|first=Abbie|date=2017-05-24|title=Inner city school's campaign to change its reputation is working|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/inner-city-school-launched-campaign-13080649|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref>

== History ==
The school site is extensive and dates from the late 1960s, and was built on the site of the World War II airfield [[RAF Pengam Moors]]. The school is named after the air balloon pioneer [[Ernest Willows]] who had his airfield on the site.

Many of the buildings have since been modernised.<ref name="Estyn 2006">{{cite web| url=http://www.estyn.gov.uk/inspection_reports/Willows_High_School_2006.pdf| title=Report: Willows High School Inspection: 9 October 2006| date=11 December 2006| publisher=Estyn}}</ref> There are plans to continue this modernisation in the future, including with a [[Private finance initiative|PFI]] agreement as part of plans by [[Cardiff Council]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Seabrook|first=Alex|date=2020-07-13|title=Two Cardiff schools could get new buildings funded by private investors|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/two-high-schools-cardiff-could-18577831|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref> A completely new building is planned,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Discombe|first=Matt|date=2018-08-01|title=Willows High School hopes to move into new building 'within three years'|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/cardiffs-willows-high-school-hopes-14977295|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wightwick|first=Abbie|date=2018-12-18|title=The latest plans to rebuild Cardiff secondary schools|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/latest-plans-rebuild-expand-cardiff-15567523|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref> which could be located in nearby Tremorfa Park.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wightwick|first=Abbie|date=2019-05-17|title=Cardiff park to be built on in plans for new school|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/st-albans-school-cardiff-willows-16291342|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref> The site proposed originally included St. Alban's Primary School, which was slated to close.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Discombe|first=Matt|date=2019-07-29|title=Fear over future of Catholic education in Cardiff if primary school closes|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/fear-beginning-end-catholic-education-16585289|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref> However, in 2019 the closure was successfully petitioned, and stopped in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wightwick|first=Abbie|date=2019-12-27|title=Victory for parents as Catholic primary school is saved from closure|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/victory-parents-catholic-primary-school-17479029|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref>

The school featured in the 2015 Channel 4 documentary series ''[[Educating Cardiff]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2014-12-09|title=Cardiff school filmed for TV series|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-30400635|access-date=2020-07-30}}</ref> This detailed every aspect of school life, and also highlighted many of the improvements the school has made in recent years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Evans|first=Gareth|date=2015-06-14|title=Hope that Educating Cardiff will change perceptions of Cardiff school|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/we-hope-educating-cardiff-change-9451653|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wightman|first=Catriona|date=2015-08-25|title=Educating Cardiff: Why Willows High is different|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a664860/educating-cardiff-why-willows-high-is-different-from-the-schools-weve-seen-before/|access-date=2020-07-30|website=Digital Spy|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Starting in 2015, Willows participated in the South Wales Challenge (SWC) Initiative, sharing best-practice in education with [[Tonyrefail School]], [[Rhondda Cynon Taf]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Evans|first=Gareth|date=2015-01-19|title=How two South Wales schools are working together to raise standards|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/how-two-south-wales-comprehensive-8476604|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref> This aimed to help the school to improve academic standards further.

==Estyn Inspections==
In 2012, [[Estyn]] rated the school as "unsatisfactory",<ref>{{Cite news|title=That'll teach 'em|language=en-GB|url=https://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/cardiff/index.html|access-date=2020-07-30|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> reporting that it needed "significant improvement". The inspectors reported that, although pupils often had unsatisfactory English grammar and literacy skills, leadership was "adequate" and there were real prospects of improvement.<ref name="Estyn 2012">{{cite web|title=Inspection report: Willows High School 2012 (English only)|url=http://www.estyn.gov.uk/download/publication/270297.3/inspection-report-willows-high-school-2012-english-only/|access-date=2013-09-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/cardiff-secondary-willows-high-school-2495349|title=Cardiff secondary Willows High School needs 'significant improvement'|access-date=2013-08-22|publisher=WalesOnline}}</ref> The school substantially improved after this, and by 2014 no longer requires significant improvement.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 2014|title=Report of visit Level of follow-up: significant improvement Willows High School|url=https://www.estyn.gov.wales/sites/www.estyn.gov.wales/files/documents/Monitoring%20report%20Willows%20High%20School%202014%20%28English%20only%29_0.pdf|access-date=30 July 2020|website=Estyn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Evans|first=Gareth|date=2014-02-04|title=Willows High School in Cardiff is on the mend as results improve|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/city-secondary-school-mend-results-6672344|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref> However, the more recent 2018 has found there are still many aspects of school life that could be improved, particularly in the methods of teaching and leadership.<ref name="Estyn 2018"/> Despite this, the school had improved enough that in 2019 it was removed from monitoring by Estyn.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wightwick|first=Abbie|date=2019-12-11|title=Good news for Cardiff's 'troubled' Willows High as it comes out of monitoring|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/willows-high-estyn-cardiff-school-17396708|access-date=2020-07-30|website=walesonline}}</ref>

There were 586 pupils at the school during the 2018 [[Estyn]] inspection, a significant drop since the 2012 inspection. The proportion of pupils receiving free school meals is 44%, which is much higher than the national average of 17.4%.  Almost two-thirds of the pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales.  Around 8% of pupils have English as an additional language.  Twenty-nine per cent of the pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds.<ref name="Estyn 2012" />

==Former students==
Notable former students include [[Jessica Leigh Jones]].<ref name=jswho>{{Who's Who | author=Anon| title=Jones, Jessica Leigh | id = U292351 | year = 2020 | doi =10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U292351 | edition = online [[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford}} </ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* 2006 Estyn [https://www.estyn.gov.wales/sites/www.estyn.gov.wales/files/documents/Inspection%20Report_Willows%20High%20School_ENG_2006_1.pdf Inspection Report]
* 2012 Estyn [https://www.estyn.gov.wales/sites/www.estyn.gov.wales/files/documents/Inspection%20report%20Willows%20High%20School%202012%20%28English%20only%29_0.pdf Inspection Report]
* 2014 Estyn [https://www.estyn.gov.wales/sites/www.estyn.gov.wales/files/documents/Monitoring%20report%20Willows%20High%20School%202014%20%28English%20only%29_0.pdf Monitoring Report]
* 2018 Estyn [https://www.estyn.gov.wales/sites/www.estyn.gov.wales/files/documents/Willows%20High%20School.pdf Inspection Report]

{{Education in Cardiff}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Secondary schools in Cardiff]]