St John the Baptist School, Aberdare

St John Baptist Church in Wales High School
Ysgol

Type	Secondary School Voluntary Aided School
Religion	Church in Wales
Headteacher	Dr Susan Mitchell BA (Hons),M.Ed.,Phd., N.P.Q.H.
Deputy Headteacher	Mr Alun Lewis
Location	Glan Road Aberdare Rhondda Cynon Taf CF44 8BW Wales
Students	960+
Gender	Mixed
Ages	11–56
Houses	Slytherin, ravenclaw,Hufflepuff,Gryffindor
Colours	Maroon red and navy blue
Head of Sixth Form	Mrs Sarah Rees
GCSE Results	80% (5 A*-C grades, 2011)
Website	stjohnbaptist.co.uk

St. John Baptist Church in Wales High School, in Welsh Ysgol Uwchradd Yr Eglwys Yng Nghymru Ioan Feddydiwr, is a church secondary school located in Aberdare, Wales. The school serves children from all over Rhondda Cynon Taf and surrounding counties (such as Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly). There is a strong focus on the Christian ethos in which the school proudly sets itself apart from other high schools.

Students from St John's have received offers from leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.

In the summer of 2013, the school was announced as the best school in Rhondda Cynon Taf for 5 A*-C grades at GCSE. The school prides itself on discipline and hard work and pupils were congratulated in local newspaper, The Aberdare Leader.

Building and Grounds

The school consists of several buildings in which departments are placed with adjacent classrooms. Within the school, the building is commonly referred to as having two parts, upper school and lower school. This has no relation to the lower, middle and upper year groups. The upper school is the western side of the building consisting of several Science labs, the History department, Modern Foreign Languages and mathematics. The lower school, the eastern side of the building, contains all sporting facilities, Religious Studies classrooms, the English department and IT facilities. The reception and offices are also located in the lower school. The building has expanded several times in recent years with the addition of new sporting facilities and new classrooms with elevators to cater for wheelchair users. The school consists of:

• 6 Science labs
• 1 library for all pupils
• 4 IT rooms (including one Design and Technology IT suite)
• Home Economics and Textiles rooms
• 3 Design and Technology rooms
• 2 Art rooms and one darkroom
• 2 Music rooms
• 6 Modern Foreign Languages rooms (including German, French and Welsh classrooms)
• 5 English rooms
• 3 Religious Studies rooms
• A sports hall with gym equipment and one gymnasium
• A hall and canteen
• A Sixth Form canteen/snack kiosk
• A Sixth Form study area (including an IT suite and library)
• Facilities for disabled pupils

Christianity and Worship

The school prides itself as a Christian school and worship is a large part of the school life. Every year group attends a Eucharist service at least once per term. These services take place in the school hall, hosted by visiting priests from the diocese of Llandaff and surrounding dioceses, as well as in St Elvan's, a large church situated in Aberdare's town centre. St Elvan's is usually the host for whole-school services and major school events, such as the annual Prize Giving ceremony.

Notably, the school has welcomed iconic members of the Anglican Church through its doors. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, visited the school during 2012 after announcing that he intended to stand down as Archbishop that year. Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales, also visited with Rowan Williams.

Notable Alumni

• Rhys Shellard - Welsh Rugby Union player.
• Owen Williams - Welsh [U20] Rugby Union player.
• Rhys Jones (athlete) - Team GB Paralympic Athlete - T37 100m and 200m sprint [London 2012 Summer Olympics].

External links

• St John Baptist High School School Website

Main News can be found on http://www.stjohnbaptist.co.uk/moodle/