St Illtyd's Catholic High School is a coeducational secondary school in Rumney, a district in the east side of the Welsh capital Cardiff. Its catchment area includes the eastern districts of Cardiff and is heavily oversubscribed. The school's namesake is

Illtud 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 Glamorg ...

, a 5th-century Welsh abbot and teacher.

History

St Illtyd's College

St Illtyd's College was founded by the

De La Salle Brothers The De La Salle Brothers, officially named the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (; ; ) abbreviated FSC, is a Catholic lay religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in France by Jean-Baptiste de La Salle ( ...

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, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...

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 was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

meant that many parents could not afford to pay the bare minimum school fees while wealthier Catholics chose to send their children to public schools. During the era of the

tripartite system The Tripartite System was the selective school system of State school#United Kingdom, state-funded secondary education between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 onwards in Northern Ireland. It was an administrative implementa ...

, 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 or trust (usually a religious organisation) contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

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 Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

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 () 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 Splott Farms. S ...

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

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...

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 languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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 (pre-university college in Malaysia) is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 study typically for advanced post-school level qualifications such as GCE Advanced Level, A Levels, Business and Technology Edu ...

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, visu ...

and dates back to between 1066 and 1540 AD.

Former pupils

St Illtyd's Catholic High School

* Dan Fish (b. 1990) – rugby union player Alfie Simons (massive lad) 2016-2021

St Illtyd's Boys' College

Dannie Abse Daniel Abse Commander of the Order of the British Empire, 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 ...

(1923–2014) – poet * Paul Flynn (1935–2019) – MP from 1987 to 2019 of Newport West * Peter Gill (b. 1939) – playwright * John James (1939–2018) – poet *

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

(1932–1996) – 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, musician and writer * John Stewart (1927–1995) – diplomat and politician

Heathfield House School

* Deirdre Hine (b. 1937) – physician

References

External links

School Website
*

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 ...

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

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

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