The girls' curriculum included only reading, writing, arithmetic and sewing, but the boys instead studied the sciences, Latin and ancient Greek.

The situation only changed in 1968 when Radyr's own secondary school was built and the direct rail link was removed by the Beeching Axe.

There was also a barrage balloon unit posted on the playing field, and pupils were allocated local houses to run to in the event of an air raid.

[citation needed] Penarth's town rugby pitch had been dug up and used for growing vegetables by local residents during First World War food shortages, so between 1919 and 1924 the traditional annual Good Friday rugby matches between Penarth RFC and the Barbarians[3] were staged instead on the grammar school's playing field, when most of the town's population turned up to watch and cheer.

In the autumn of 1924 the new Athletic Ground on Lavernock Road, a gift to the town by the Earl of Plymouth, was opened and the Good Friday matches were moved to their new home the following year.

These temporary buildings included a gymnasium (1955), chemistry and biology(1952) laboratories, domestic science (now food technology) kitchen, woodwork and metalwork shops, several ranges of classrooms and a toilet block.

Between 1990 and 1998 Stanwell was a grant maintained school[5] operating under direct government funding and effecting its own student selection process, outside the normal procedures of the local education authority.

In recent years the school has hosted several dramatic and musical presentations including Jesus Christ Superstar, Alice in Wonderland and Cabaret.

[2] At sixteen years of age, most pupils choose to remain at the school to continue with their studies in the sixth form.