Cantonian High School
How Cardiff's most improved school turned things around in four years
Head teacher Diane Gill has introduced shorter lesson and a 'faster pace' of teaching
Abbie WightwickEducation Editor
Updated 14:58, 2 JUN 2019
Cantonian High pupils with head teacher Diane Gill
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It's only two years since Cantonian High came out of monitoring, and four since inspectors said it needed 'significant improvement'.
But now, head teacher Diane Gill can boast that the school where she started as a newly qualified woodwork teacher is ranked good in all areas.
After a major push to improve teaching and aspirations the 580-pupil school has now been ranked good across all areas, the second best possible Estyn rating and a vast improvement on its previous verdict that the school's performance was "adequate" and prospects for improvement "unsatisfactory".
"I always believed the community deserved a high performing school," says Diane, who came to the school in her first job as a teacher on a two year contract in 2001.
Cantonian High pupils
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Cantonian, which is in the heart of Fairwater, serves a varied population with pockets of deprivation and she wanted her pupils to compete with those at neighbouring, high performing schools like Plasmawr and Bishop of Llandaff.
Nearly 38% of Cantonian's pupils are eligible for free school meals , which is well above the national average of 16.4% and more than half live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales.
Diane does not believe that should stop them and has gone out to parents to say so. Recently she took a group to visit Oxford University to "see life beyond Fairwater".
She says her career has been driven by wanting more for her pupils right from the start teaching in the design and technology department.
Quickly rising to become department head, assistant, deputy and acting head, Diane was made head teacher after the school's poor inspection in 2015. The governors gave her a stark remit to deliver "rapid improvement".
Diane, whose son went to the school for sixth form, got to work straight away cutting lesson times from 60 to 50 minutes and introducing a "house style" of faster pace teaching. She went into feeder primaries and out to talk to parents about her vision to raise standards, she's also worked with her staff and since 2015 around 60% of the staff are new.
"We'd always been known as a really caring, inclusive school but in doing that our expectations of pupils were just not high enough," Diane admits.
Teachers were given training and the "house style" of faster, shorter lessons was put into action.
"There is a high level of pace as soon as children come to class there is a do now activity. There's no fuss and children settle in quickly.
"Teachers constantly check learning. They don't stand at the front, they walk around the class live marking and checking and identifying children who are struggling or excelling.
"Teaching is tailored to the children rather than "this is the lesson regardless of whether no one is understanding" There are also targeted interventions for additional help in English and maths."
A class at Cantonian High
Cantonian High pupils asked for a new, smarter, uniform.
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Diane wanted pupils to feel they had a stake in their school and the changes so she asked them to help choose the new uniform which was introduced in 2017.
"We wanted a re-brand so the community knew we were a different school.
"The uniform was part of the pupils taking ownership of the change of culture, We consulted and they were very clear they wanted blazers.
"That's very much part of where they wanted to be. Our children want to compete with our other local schools, Radyr, Bishop of Llandaff and Plasmawr.
"I spent a lot of time going in to the community working with parents, and that's something on-going so that our parents know we have high expectations and aspirations and want them to work with us."
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Cantonian's changing fortunes
February 2015 - The school's performance ranked adequate and prospects for improvement unsatisfactory, under old Estyn outcomes and the school put under monitoring by the inspectorate.
October 2015 - Diane Gill becomes acting head after long serving, former head Lois Spargo retires.
October 2016 - Diane Gill becomes head.
June 2017 - The school is taken out of Estyn monitoring after improvements.
May 2019 - The school is ranked good across all five areas inspected, the second best possible outcome.
What Estyn said about the school:
Estyn comment 2015: "In about half of lessons pupils do not make enough progress. This is most commonly because learning activities are not planned well enough. A few pupils are either too passive or too boisterous, or they cause low level disruption, which interrupts their own and others' learning."
Estyn comment 2019: "Many pupils make good progress during their time at the school. In lessons, most make suitable progress and recall prior learning well. A few pupils make very strong progress in their lessons and produce work of a high standard."
The method seems to have worked. After visiting in March inspectors have now reported "many pupils make good progress during their time at the school".
They say Cantonian has an "inclusive and supportive ethos that supports all pupils, including vulnerable pupils, well, using a range of initiatives"
Teachers and teaching assistants "develop productive working relationships with pupils, have high expectations of behaviour and use praise well to motivate pupils to make good progress in their learning and to achieve their best."
These comments are in stark contrast to Estyn's findings in 2015 and as a result of changes GCSE results have improved and now compare favourably with other, similar schools.
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While Cantonian had higher than average fixed term exclusions in 2015 most pupils now behave well in lessons and around the school, and are respectful to their teachers and peers, inspectors found.
Their report recognises the headteacher provides "determined leadership and has a clear vision of high expectation for all".
Estyn's plans for Welsh schools:
Diane says she is delighted with the latest inspection, but not complacent and the challenge is now to push the rating up to excellent.
"The progress the school has made since its previous inspection in February 2015, where it was placed in the Estyn category of 'in need to significant improvement', is truly remarkable and Cantonian High School is now considered to be the most improved school in Cardiff," she said.
"However, school improvement does not happen in isolation; it happens through working in partnership towards a shared goal and our parents and carers have been instrumental in this journey. As ever, I am not complacent; the determination and ambition continues.
"I want every child who joins Cantonian High School to achieve their best. Staff in the school are committed to ensuring that every child has the highest quality teaching and learning experience that prepares them well for life beyond school."
Diane Gill, head teacher of Cantonian High, talks to a pupil.
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The governors can see the task they set four years ago has been delivered by staff. Chair of governors, Alvyn Morgan, said: "The governors are proud of the progress that has been achieved and thank the staff for a superb effort sustained over a challenging period for the school."
The school is also about to embark on the next stage of development with a major building project planned.
Cardiff Council is proposing to build a new Cantonian High School, a new Woodlands Special School and a new Riverbank Special School, on a single campus on Cantonian's 11-hectare Doyle Avenue site as part of a £67.3m project.
If agreed Cantonian will expand from the current six form entry to eight form entry in new facilities able to accommodate up to 1,200 students aged between 11 and 16, plus a sixth form.
The expansion would also provide 30 places, in purpose-built accommodation, for a special base for students with an autism spectrum disorder.
Riverbank Special School would also relocate from the site adjacent to Trelai Park, and the new build would allow it to grow from 70 to 140 places.
The plans are subject to planning agreement.
Cardiff Council
Wales schools