St Illtyd's Catholic High School is a coeducational secondary school in Rumney, a district in the east side of the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

capital

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. Its catchment area includes the eastern districts of Cardiff and is heavily oversubscribed. The school's namesake is

Illtud Saint Illtud (also spelled Illtyd, Eltut, and, in Latin, Hildutus), also known as Illtud Farchog or Illtud the Knight, is venerated as the abbot teacher of the divinity school, Bangor Illtyd, located in Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) in Gla ...

, a 5th-century Welsh abbot and teacher.

History

St Illtyd's College

St Illtyd's College was founded by the

De La Salle Brothers french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

in 1924 to educate boys from the local Catholic community and most pupils were of

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...

descent. The early years of the school were difficult due to minimal funding. Troubles in the local coal industry and the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

meant that many parents could not afford to pay the bare minimum school fees while wealthier Catholics chose to send their children to

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s. During the era of the

tripartite system The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state-funded secondary education between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland. It was an administrative implementation of the Education Act 1944 and the ...

, the college became a

voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation (charity), foundation or Charitable trust, trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influ ...

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

and maintained that status until the system was abolished. It was the last remaining boys' aided grammar school in Wales. Originally located in

Splott Splott ( cy, Y Sblot) is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, just east of the city centre. It was built up in the late 19th century on the land of two farms of the same name: Upper Splott and Lower Spl ...

, it moved out of its cramped school grounds to a new campus overlooking the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

in the 1960s. The Lasallian heritage is acknowledged by the five-pointed star and the motto "Signum Fidei" (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "Sign of Faith"), the motto of the De La Salle Brothers, featured in the school crest.

Heathfield House School

Founded by the Sisters of Providence of the Institute of Charity (more commonly known as the Rosminian Sisters of Providence) in 1867, Heathfield House School was the oldest Catholic secondary school in Wales. It was called St Joseph's Grammar School at that time and located at David Street, Cardiff. In 1877 it moved to a building called Heathfield House, which subsequently gave the school its name. In 1953 it became a voluntary aided grammar school. It turned comprehensive in 1968 before becoming a

sixth form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate Di ...

nine years later.

Merger

In 1987 St Illtyd's and Heathfield House merged to form the present coeducational school. The sixth form college was abolished as St David's Catholic College was opened instead.

Caer Castell Camp

Caer Castell Camp lies within the grounds of the school. Caer Castell Camp is a motte and ditch

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

and dates back to between 1066 and 1540 AD.

Former pupils

St Illtyd's Catholic High School

* Dan Fish, rugby union player

St Illtyd's Boys' College

Dannie Abse Daniel Abse CBE FRSL (22 September 1923 – 28 September 2014) was a Welsh poet and physician. His poetry won him many awards. As a medic, he worked in a chest clinic for over 30 years. Early years Abse was born in Cardiff, Wales, as the young ...

, poet * Paul Flynn, MP from 1987 to 2019 of Newport West * Peter Gill, playwright * John James, poet *

Walter Marshall, Baron Marshall of Goring Walter Charles Marshall, Baron Marshall of Goring (5 March 1932 in Rumney, Cardiff – 20 February 1996, in London) was a noted theoretical physicist and leader in the UK's energy sector. Early life The son of Frank Marshall and Amy Pearson, ...

, chairman from 1982 to 1989 of the

Central Electricity Generating Board The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s. It was established on 1 Januar ...

(CEGB) *

Anthony Reynolds Anthony Reynolds is a Welsh musician. He has worked as a solo artist, and in collaboration with others in his bands Jack and Jacques. Jack In 1993, Reynolds moved to London where he formed the group Jack, on lead vocals, signing a music publish ...

, musician and writer * John Stewart, diplomat and politician

Heathfield House School

Deirdre Hine Dame Deirdre Joan Hine DBE FFPH FRCP FLSW (née Curran; born 16 September 1937) is a Welsh medical doctor. In 1984 she began her career as a public health physician in Wales. She was chair of the Commission for Health Improvement from 1999 t ...

, physician

References

External links

School Website
*

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 ...

Inspectio
Reports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Illtyd's Catholic High School

Secondary schools in Cardiff Catholic secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Cardiff Educational institutions established in 1924 1924 establishments in Wales