Afon Taf High School is a comprehensive

Comprehensive school

A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...

 high school for pupils aged 11 to 18 (plus students aged 19 to reach their A level Grades), based in the village of Troed-y-rhiw

Troed-y-rhiw

Troed-y-rhiw is a village in the Welsh county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, South Wales.The village is served by Troed-y-rhiw railway station.-Community Archives Wales:...

 in the borough

Borough

A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

 of Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. It serves a large catchment area of surrounding villages in the Merthyr valley, from Abercanaid

Abercanaid

Abercanaid is a small village in the Welsh county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom with a population of about 5,060. It is situated 2.5 miles south of Merthyr town centre and is west of Pentrebach, across the River Taff and north of Troedyrhiw...

 & Pentrebach

Pentrebach

Pentrebach is a village in the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. It lies on the east side of the River Taff opposite Abercanaid, South of Merthyr and North of Troedyrhiw. To the east of the village lies the Mynydd Cilfach-yr-Encil which rises up to 445 m...

 in the north to Bedlinog

Bedlinog

Bedlinog is a small village located in the Taff Bargoed Valley 10 km north of Pontypridd, 10 km west of Caerphilly and 10 km south east of Merthyr Tydfil in south-east Wales...

 in the south.

Origins

The school opened in September 1967. Pupils from Quakers Yard

Quakers Yard

Quakers Yard is a village in the Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, situated where the Taff Bargoed Valley joins the Taff Valley. Quakers Yard is part of the community of Treharris.-History:...

 Grammar School

Grammar school

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

, Troedyrhiw Secondary School

Secondary school

Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 and the Pantglas Senior School in Aberfan

Aberfan

The Aberfan disaster was a catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip that occurred in the Welsh village of Aberfan on Friday 21 October 1966, killing 116 children and 28 adults.-Mining debris:...

 transferred to the school.

Senior staff

The school's first headmaster was David W. Howells, who was previously headmaster at Quakers' Yard Grammar School. One of its longest serving teachers was Howard Davies, who for a time taught maths but eventually finished out his career at the school as a deputy headmaster. The current headmaster is Mr Clifford Smith.

Sixth Form

The school is a strong supporter of the Sixth Form

Sixth form

In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...

. Past years have seen calls to abolish the sixth form in Afon Tâf as well as others in Merthyr Tydfil in order to centre A-Level education in the county borough at a Sixth Form College.

Notable alumni

Steve Speirs

Huw Lewis

Huw Lewis

Huw Lewis AM is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician. Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Lewis has represented the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999.-Early life:...

Lloyd Daniels

External links

• Old Merthyr Tydfil: Afon Taf School - Historical photographs of Afon Taf School.