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Olchfa School
Address
Gower Road Swansea , City and County of Swansea , SA2 7AB Wales
Information
Type	Secondary School
Motto	Dysg, Dawn, Daioni (Learning, Talent, Goodness)
Opened	3 September 1969
Local authority	Swansea
Headmaster	Julian Kennedy (2023-Present)
Age	11 to 19
Enrolment	1,700 - February 2018
Colour(s)	Blue and red
Website	https://www.olchfa.org.uk

Olchfa School ( Welsh: Ysgol Gyfun yr Olchfa) is a pioneer school ^[1] and the largest secondary school in Swansea, South Wales, with approximately 1,700 pupils, including 357 in the Sixth Form. ^[2] 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. ^[2]

Academic performance

In its most recent Estyn inspection in 2018, Olchfa School received the highest possible judgement, 'Excellent' in all five inspection areas. ^[2] In the same year, the school reported a GCSE pass rate of 85% (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A*-C), placing it in the top five schools in Wales, top three in Wales for the percentage of A*-A grades ^[3] and 74th in the UK taking A-levels (A*-B) and GCSE's (A*-C) into account. ^[4] In 2023, Olchfa School was accoladed as the second-best secondary school in Wales by the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, and in 2024. ^{[5] [6]}

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. ^[7] 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, former Swansea City footballer and football manager
• Aaron Lewis, Welsh U21 International and Newport County footballer
• Mark Harris, Welsh International and Cardiff City footballer
• David Hemp, Bermudan International Cricketer
• Charles Lowen, English International Cricketer
• Richie Rees, Rugby Player
• Ellie Simmonds OBE, Paralympian Gold Medalist Swimmer

Other

• Richard Barrett, Composer
• Russell T Davies, Television Writer
• Sir Andrew Dilnot, Economist
• Joe Dunthorne, poet and author ^[8]
• Liz Fuller, Presenter, Actress and Model
• Stephen Harris, rock musician with stage name "Kid Chaos"
• Georgia Henshaw, Actress
• Nerys Jefford, High Court judge^{[ citation needed]}
• Andrew Jones, Film producer
• Heather Nicholson, animal rights activist

References