School - AdmissionsThe entry of children into school’s is controlled and administered by ‘An
Admissions Authority’. In the case of community schools, the ‘Admissions Authority is Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. In the case of Church
Voluntary aided schools, the Admissions Authority is the governing body of the individual school.
Within Merthyr Tydfil each school has an area that it traditionally serves. Most parents/carers send their child to the ‘local’ school, but some parents exercise their right to state a preference for a different school.
There are two main categories of school admissions, the annual admission round and mid term admissions.
Annual Admission Round
The annual admission round covers all pupils who are due to change schools in September of each year. This includes:
- admission to nursery class/school
- admission to the reception class of a school
- admission to the infant school or the infant department of a primary school
- transfer from infant to junior school
- transfer from junior or primary school to secondary school
In all cases parents/carers of pupils who are due to change schools during the annual admission round will need to indicate, in writing, their preferred school. Pupils who live in the catchment area of a school no longer have an automatic right to attend that school unless a written application is made.
Parents/carers may further express their right of preference for a Welsh medium school or a church voluntary aided school.
For entry into local authority maintained schools for September 2009, the following key dates should be noted:
- Applications for admissions submitted to Pupil Services by 27th February 2009
- Parents and carers informed of decision by 6th April 2009
- Appeals against any rejected applications to be made by 17th April 2009
- Appeals to be determined no later than 15th May 2009
Further information, including details of admissions procedures into church voluntary aided schools, can be found in the School admissions booklet:
A guide to policy and admission arrangements 2009/2010 (pdf)
Mid Term Admissions
This applies to any requests made by parents to transfer their child from one school to another outside the annual admission round. If you would like to transfer schools please contact the Admissions Officer on 01685 724620 to discuss your options and the process you will need to follow.
Our School Inspection Reports
Schools across Wales are subject to inspection by Estyn. Estyn is the office of Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales. You may find this information useful when deciding on a school for your child, and can download a copy of many of our primary and secondary school inspection reports from the Estyn Website links below.
• Estyn Inspection reports for Merthyr Tydfil Primary Schools
• Estyn Inspection reports for Merthyr Tydfil Secondary Schools.
School Admissions Appeals
Every school in Merthyr Tydfil has an admission number which is set by reference to the school’s capacity to accommodate pupils. The following information relates to admission arrangements for community schools, admission arrangements for voluntary aided church schools can be found in the schools admission booklet or directly from the schools themselves.
A guide to policy and admission arrangements 2009/2010 (pdf)
A child will normally be offered admission to a community school of the parent/carer’s preference unless the admission number has been reached. Where applications exceed places the local authority will admit children in the following order of priority:
- Children resident in the designated catchment area of the school
- Children recommended for placement for medical, psychological or special educational reasons (these must be confirmed by the local authority’s professional advisers) and Looked after Children (children under local authority care).
- Children with siblings (brothers and sisters) living in the same household who will still be attending the school in the proposed year of entry.
- Where places remain after all children in the above categories have been allocated a place, or where there is a need to differentiate between children in these categories, places will be allocated on the basis of distance between home and school (measured by the shortest available walking route) children living closest being given the highest priority.
In the vast majority of cases children are offered places at their parents/carers first choice of school. However, if a child is unable to gain admission to a preferred school, parents/carers may appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel. This panel will judge whether the school is full and, if that is the case, whether the parent/carers plea is so strong that the child should still be offered a place.
For further advice on admission appeals please contact Pupil Services on 01685 724620.
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