Caerleon Comprehensive School () is an 11–18 mixed,

English-medium An English-medium education system is one that uses English as the primary medium of instruction—particularly where English is not the mother tongue of the students. Initially this is associated with the expansion of English from its homeland i ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

Secondary School and

Sixth Form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

, Newport, Wales. The school was ranked 6th in the WalesOnline ''Best Secondary Schools in Wales 2018'' awards, and was given the title of best school in the area.

Identity

All pupils are required to wear a uniform, including grey trousers or a knee-length skirt, a navy blue jumper, a navy blue blazer, a sky blue shirt and a maroon tie for boys or a pin badge girls. Sixth formers are distinguished through white shirts and full, maroon ties. The school crest comprises a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

eagle above the emblem of a fortress (in reference to the town's ''

Isca Augusta Isca, variously specified as Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum, was the site of a Roman legionary fortress and settlement or ''vicus'', the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day suburban village of Caerleon in the north of the city of ...

'' Roman fortress). This is underscored by the school's motto, 'Maximising Potential'.

Location

The school's catchment area covers primary schools in Caerleon and

Ponthir Ponthir ( cy, Pont-hir) is a village and community at the south-west of the county borough of Torfaen on the boundary of the counties of Monmouthshire and Newport. It is approximately six miles from Newport city centre and 3½ miles from Cwmbran ...

, along with Langstone Primary School,

Usk Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...

Junior School and some students from central Newport schools. The catchment boundaries extend to Caerleon, Ponthir, Llanfrechfa, Llantrisant, Penhow, and Llanmartin. Parental concerns in Monmouthshire were raised in 2019 as Monmouthshire County Council brought new boundaries into effect, meaning Usk Primary School students are to move to Monmouth Comprehensive School from September 2020, having historically attended Caerleon since 1996.

Academic performance

There are 1,484 pupils on roll, of which 350 are A-Level students studying at the

. The school was ranked by

WalesOnline Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd. History The ''Western Mail'' was fo ...

as 6th in Wales and 1st in the nearby area. According to a 2016

Estyn Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb ''estyn'' meaning "to reach (out), stretch or extend". Its function is to provide an independent inspection and advice service on quality ...

inspection, all students leaving at

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

left with a recognized qualification. In 2019 two individuals were celebrated for achievements at the school. ICT teacher Phil Meredith was highlighted at the Professional Teaching Awards Cymru, and the school has seen wide success in STEM education, with a young student in 2019 winning an award at the GlaxoSmithKline ''Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair'' in Birmingham.

Modern Foreign Languages

Caerleon has in recent years been covered by local media as it is now the only Newport state school offering German as a subject choice to students, amid cuts elsewhere to language education among UK schools. Its language teachers founded the South Wales-wide teachers network for language education in the region. The school also offers Welsh and French to Advanced Level study.

Sports

The school has traditionally produced a number of sporting names across a range of disciplines. The school has multiple rugby union, football, and netball sides, as well as offering tennis courts and basketball facilities for physical education lessons. The school is also near to the

Celtic Manor Celtic Manor Resort is a golf, spa and leisure hotel and resort in the city of Newport, South East Wales. Owned by Sir Terry Matthews, the resort is located on the south-facing side of Christchurch Hill in eastern Newport, near Junction 24 ...

operated Caerleon Golf Course and the full size cricket, football, and rugby facilities on the neighbouring Caerleon Pavilion. Names linked to Caerleon who have been successful in sporting endeavours include

Dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

player and Ireland Under-20 Grand Slam winner James McCarthy, Dragons and Wales international Tyler Morgan, and Wales Wales U20 capped

Ashton Hewitt Ashton Hewitt (born 20 November 1994) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Dragons regional team, having previously played for Cross Keys RFC and Newport RFC. He is a Wales under-20 international. Hewitt made his Dragons deb ...

. Historic sportspeople who have attended the school include Wales,

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football ...

and Swansea City goalkeeper Roger Freestone,

Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

and Wales midfielder

Nigel Vaughan Nigel Mark Vaughan (born 20 May 1959 in Caerleon) is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. He gained ten international caps during his football career. Club career Newport County Vaughan started his playing career at ...

, Wales rugby winger

Nick Walne Nicholas John Walne (born 18 September 1975)
Scrum.com is a former

Lyndon Mustoe. Others include Gary Hocking, a Grand Prix racing champion, as well as footballer and cricketer Len Hill.

Finances

In June 2019, local press reported that issues had arisen at the school, with a £500,000 loan from Newport City Council due to be paid, and debts totalling £1.6m forecast for the next 18 months. Appointed auditors stated that financial practices at the school were "not well controlled" requiring urgent changes. However school reserves in 2016/17 were reported to finally be positive, having been in negative balance from 2012–2014. The school is set to receive investment from the £70m

Welsh Government , image = , caption = , date_established = , country = Wales , address = , leader_title = First Minister () , appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...

21st Century School programme. Further investment in the school is also forecast upon the redevelopment of the former

University of Wales, Newport The University of Wales, Newport ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd), was a university based in Newport, South Wales, before the merger that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university had two campuses in Newport, Caerle ...

campus which awaits planning permission.

Notable former pupils

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

international

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

Nick Walne Nicholas John Walne (born 18 September 1975)
Scrum.com is a former

international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player * Ashley Smith, Rhys Jenkins, Tyler Morgan and

rugby union players * Greg Pritchard, countertenor and contestant and semi-finalist in the 2009 series of

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

.South Wales Argus Article, May 2009.
/ref> * Steve Lowndes,

international

, former teacher *

Rachel Rice Rachel Rice (born 7 March 1984) is a Welsh television personality, model, actress and teacher. She is known for winning the ninth series of the Channel 4 reality series '' Big Brother''. She has a degree in English and Drama, and is now a teac ...

, 2008 Big Brother winner. She also undertook teacher-training at the school, during the spring of 2008, prior to her appearance *

Darragh Mortell Darragh Mortell (born 23 June 1989) is a Welsh actor, writer, and director of television, radio and film. He began his career as a child actor starring in television shows such as ''Dani's House'', ''Diddy TV'' and most notably, ''The Story of ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

* Tyler Morgan,

international

player *

Caroline Sheen Caroline Sheen is a Welsh actress who has played leading roles on stage in the West End alongside TV and film appearances. She won a Helen Hayes award for playing the role of Mary Poppins on the National Tour of America. Background Born and ...

References

External links

*
Real Schools Guide 2018 - Caerleon Comprehensive SchoolEstyn - Caerleon Comprehensive School
{{authority control Secondary schools in Newport, Wales Caerleon