Olchfa School

Olchfa School is a pioneer school and the largest secondary school in Swansea, South Wales, with approximately 1,700 pupils, including 357 in the Sixth Form. Situated in Sketty Park to the west of Sketty, it provides secondary education for GCSE and A-Level qualifications. 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. Academic performance In its most recent Estyn inspection in 2018, Olchfa School received the highest possible judgement, 'Excellent' in all five inspection areas. In the same year, the school reported a GCSE pass rate of 83% (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A*-C), placing it in the top five schools in Wales, and 74th in the UK taking A-levels (A*-B) and GCSE's (A*-C) into account. Facilities The school consists of different sections - the main building, a south block, P.E. department as well as a maths and science block. The school also consists of smaller demountable classrooms throughout the plot that teach a variety of subjects, an on-site swimming pool and numerous Tennis, Rugby, Football, Netball and Cricket pitches. A £1.6m investment is underway for a full-size, all-weather 3G pitch. There is also an on-site specialist facility supporting the needs of hearing impaired pupils.