Olchfa School () is the largest secondary school in

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, South

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, with approximately 1,900 pupils, including a

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

of over 400 students. Situated in Sketty Park to the west of

Sketty Sketty () is a surburban district and community in Swansea, Wales, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the Swansea city centre on Gower Road. It falls within the Sketty council ward of Swansea. Description The area approximates to the Vivian ...

, it provides secondary education for

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

and

A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

qualifications. In 2024, it was named one of the top 100 state secondary schools in the UK. Olchfa (part of the Sketty Swansea suburb) means 'washing place' in the English language. Around 12% of pupils have a special educational need and 1.7% have a statement of special educational needs. Both of these figures are below the Welsh averages of 21.5% and 2% respectively. Nearly a quarter of pupils come from an ethnic minority background and just over 20% speak English as an additional language. The headteacher is Julian Kennedy, who has been in post since 2023. The

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...

has selected the school as a Pioneer School to participate in the development of its curriculum.

Academic performance

In its most recent

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

inspection in 2018, Olchfa School received the highest possible judgement, 'Excellent' in all five inspection areas. In the same year, the school reported a

pass rate of 85% (based on 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C), placing it among the top five schools in Wales, and top three for the percentage of A*-A grades. It ranked 74th in the UK in 2018, based on combined A-level (A*-B) and GCSE (A*-C) performance. In 2023, 33.7% of A-level results at Olchfa were awarded A*-A grades. The school was named the second-best state secondary in Wales by the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Facilities

The school consists of several sections — the main building, a south block, two purpose-built assembly halls, and a professionally equipped Theatre Hall that also serves as a third assembly venue when required. Additional facilities include a P.E. department with multiple indoor sports halls, a dedicated maths and science block, an on-site swimming pool, and a range of outdoor pitches for Tennis, Rugby, Football, Netball, Basketball and Cricket. A £1.6 million investment is currently underway to develop a full-size, all-weather 3G pitch. There is also an on-site specialist facility supporting the needs of hearing-impaired pupils.

Notable former pupils

Sports * Daniel Alfei, Welsh U21 International and former Swansea City footballer. *

Simon Davey Simon Davey (born 1 October 1970) is a Welsh former professional footballer and football manager. He is now Executive Director of a youth club in America called Southern Soccer Academy. He played for Swansea City, Carlisle United and Preston No ...

, former Swansea City footballer and football manager *

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, Welsh U21 International and Newport County footballer * Mark Harris, Welsh International and Cardiff City footballer *

David Hemp David Lloyd Hemp (born 8 November 1970) is a Bermudian cricket coach and former cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler, who has played domestic cricket for Glamorgan, Free State, and Warwickshire. Hemp has a ...

, Bermudan International Cricketer *

Charles Lowen Charles Timothy Lowen (born 12 September 1992) is an English former first-class cricketer. Lowen was born at Enfield in September 1992. He moved to Wales as a child, where he was educated in Swansea at both Olchfa School and Gower College. F ...

, English International Cricketer * Richie Rees, Rugby Player *

Ellie Simmonds Eleanor May Simmonds (born 11 November 1994) is a British retired Paralympian swimmer who competed in S6 events. She came to national attention when she competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning two gold medals for Great B ...

OBE,

Paralympian The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

Gold Medalist Swimmer * Robert Folland, Football Player Other * Richard Barrett, Composer *

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...

, screenwriter and television producer * Sir Andrew Dilnot, Economist *

Joe Dunthorne Joe Dunthorne (born 14 January 1982) is a Welsh novelist, poet and journalist. He made his name with his novel ''Submarine'' (2008), made into a film in 2010. His second novel, ''Wild Abandon'' (2011), won the RSL Encore Award. A selection of ...

, poet and author"Shooting of movie adaptation surreal experience for writer"
"This is South Wales", 20 November 2009, accessed 24 August 2011. *

Liz Fuller Elizabeth Angela Fuller (born 30 December 1975) is a Welsh actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder known for being Miss Great Britain 1996–1997. Fuller is the former owner of the Miss Great Britain pageant from September 2009 to January ...

, actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder * Stephen Harris, rock musician with stage name "Kid Chaos" *

Georgia Henshaw Georgia Henshaw (born 11 July 1993) is a Welsh actress best known for her roles on British television. Among her leading roles have been those of Rosie, a member of "The Ace Gang" in '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'', and as JJ's love in ...

, Actress *

Nerys Jefford Dame Nerys Angharad Jefford, styled The Honourable Mrs Justice Jefford, DBE (born 25 December 1962) is a High Court Judge of England and Wales. Early life She was born in Swansea, Wales and educated at Olchfa School, and graduated from Lady ...

, High Court judge * Andrew Jones, Film producer *

Heather Nicholson Heather Nicholson is a British animal rights activist.Peachey, Paul (23 August 2014)"Animal rights group ends 15-year campaign against experiments at Huntingdon" ''The Independent''. Nicholson set up Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) to c ...

, animal rights activist List of Headteachers * Curtis Grove; 1969 - tbd * John Booth; tbd- 1993 * Hugh Davies; tbd - Feb 2025 * Julian Kennedy; Feb 2025 - present

References

{{Authority control Secondary schools in Swansea Education in Swansea Sixth form colleges in Wales 1969 establishments in Wales Educational institutions established in 1969