13/11/23

Applications for primary school places to start in September 2024 are now open and parents are encouraged to make use of all five preferences to get the best chance of securing a school they want.

Cardiff Council is also appealing to families to apply on time and to remember that a child is not automatically entitled to a reception place at a primary school where they attend the nursery. A new application must be made for a reception class place at primary school.

Every area of Cardiff is served by a Welsh-medium community primary school, an English-medium community primary school, a Church in Wales Primary School and a Catholic Primary School. 

Applications for admission to community schools are made directly to the Council through the online admissions system. The Council also coordinates admissions for 20 of the 23 primary faith schools in Cardiff. For a place at a school that is part of coordinated admissions scheme, you must apply through the Council's online admissions system. You may also need to submit an additional form and/ or further details directly to your preferred school (or schools).

Parents applying for a place at Llandaff City C.W. Primary School, St John Lloyd R.C Primary School or St Patrick's R.C Primary School, should apply directly to the school.

For a list of the 20 faith schools included in the coordinated scheme and for more information about school admissions, please visit:
Primary school admissions (cardiff.gov.uk).

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry said: "We want to make applying for a primary school place as straightforward as possible. By ensuring families understand clearly how the admissions process works and how to apply for a school place correctly, more families are able to secure one of their preferred schools.

"Since the launch of our admissions campaign four years ago, we have seen an incremental rise in parents applying for school places correctly and on time, a positive step towards ensuring that every family in Cardiff has the knowledge, support and understanding so that they are not at a disadvantage when applying for a school place.

"Parents are reminded that they can provide five preferred schools instead. In addition, a total of 20 faith primary schools are part of Cardiff's coordinated admissions process, meaning that those families who wish to apply for both community and faith schools, can do so using the Council's admissions portal."

Each area of the city is served by a Welsh medium community primary school. Welsh-medium education is available to everyone regardless of whether Welsh is spoken at home and Cardiff has primary school immersion unit which provide children with additional language support.

Further information about Welsh-medium education can be found here:
Benefits of Welsh-Medium Education (cardiff.gov.uk)

Cllr Merry added: "Regardless of the language spoken at home, Welsh medium education is available to all families, providing opportunities for children to become fully fluent in both English and Welsh. Cardiff's plans to develop a bilingual Cardiff will promote the Welsh language as a vibrant living language and reflects our ambition that every young person has the opportunity to hear, speak and enjoy Welsh which can increase their experiences, skills and opportunities for the future."

Further guidance related to the admissions application process is available from Cardiff Council's School Admissions team and 7 tips have been identified to assist families by explaining how the admissions process works, the importance of using all preferences available to them and why they should apply on time. To view the 7 tip guidance and the animation please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqFFf-qb0HU

Straightforward advice and guidance can be accessed in 11 different languages in addition to Welsh and English, and parents can also seek help and advice from any of Cardiff's Hwbs and libraries.

Primary school applications close on Monday 8, January 2024.

To apply for a school place please go to:
www.cardiff.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

The 7 tips School Admissions campaign supports Cardiff's commitment to becoming one of the UK's first Unicef Child Friendly Cities, placing the rights and voices of children and young people at the heart of Cardiff's policies, strategies and services.

The information is also available on the webpage in several languages including Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Czech, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Somali and Ukrainian.