Ysgol Llanhari

• Name — Ysgol Llanhari • Motto — Gorau gwaith gwasanaeth ('[Your] best work is to serve') and for 90’s to 00’s Pupils - ‘I’r Gad’ • Established — 1974 • Type — State school • Head Label — Head • Head — Meinir Thomas • Chair Label — Chair • Chair — Ceri Morgan • City — Llanharri (nr Pontyclun) • County — Rhondda Cynon Taf • Country — Wales • Postal Code — CF72 9XE • Local Authority — Rhondda Cynon Taf • Enrolment — 632 (2017) • Gender — Both • Lower Age — 3 • Upper Age — 18 • Houses — 3 • Colours — Green, Red, Yellow • Publication — Llanhari • Website — http: www.llanhari.com/ • Free Label1 — VLE • Free Text1 — edysgu.llanhari.com

Llanhari is one of the Welsh medium secondary schools in the area, having opened in 1974. It followed Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen in leading the way in Welsh medium education in South Wales. In 1974, the school was located in the county of Mid Glamorgan and had a huge catchment area from Tonteg and Cardiff in the east, all the way to Porthcawl and Maesteg in the west. It became popular very quickly and grew in numbers, becoming oversubscribed. Within a few years, it was decided that South Glamorgan pupils would be educated in their own county and in 1978, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf opened in Cardiff. On 6 June 2011, it was publicly announced that from 2012 the school would incorporate a primary unit and become a 3-18 school. On 3 September 2012, the Primary Unit was opened and the school was formally designated a 3-18 school with the new name of Ysgol Llanhari.

Llantrisant, Tonyrefail, Dolau and the primary section of Ysgol Llanhari are the current feeder schools to the secondary department at Llanhari. Before the opening of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd in 2008, the following schools also fed Llanhari with pupils from the county of Bridgend: Ysgol Y Ferch o'r Sger, Ysgol Bro Ogwr, Ysgol Cynwyd Sant and Ysgol Gymraeg Cwm Garw. These pupils are now educated at Llangynwyd, within their own county.

To date, Ysgol Llanhari has been led by six heads. Meinir Thomas was appointed headteacher in September 2022. Until August 2022, Rhian Phillips was the headteacher at the school. She succeeded Meirion Stephens, who was head of Llanhari from January 2008. He was preceded by Anne Morris, who took over in 2003. Prior to this, Peter Griffiths was head from 1989. The original head when the school opened in 1974 was Merfyn Griffiths.

In 2012, 75% of pupils attained grades A*-C in all A-Level subjects sat, and 97% were awarded grades A-E in all subjects. At GCSE, 74.2% of all grades awarded were A*-C and 74.6% of students attained the 5 A*-C benchmark.