A mid-term admission or transfer is where a parent and / or child wished to move from one school to another, outside of the usual admission rounds.
A request to change schools most commonly takes place where the family moves house and it is no longer practical for the child or children to travel to their current school on a daily basis. The house move may be in-county (moving from one Merthyr Tydfil address to another, and one Merthyr Tydfil school to another) or the family might be moving from elsewhere into Merthyr Tydfil.
It is important to consider the following points carefully before making the decision to change your child's school.
- If your child is experiencing difficulties at their current school and you are considering moving them, it is important you contact your child's teacher for a meeting to try to resolve these issues before moving your child which should always be a last resort.
- The attainment of pupils who make in-year moves is markedly lower than their peers, and lower still among pupils who make multiple in-year moves.
- If your child is at a critical stage of their education (in year 10 or 11) it is likely that the school you wish to transfer your child to will not have the same choice of subjects as your child's current school and could be at different stages of teaching the curriculum. If this is the case, any work your child has already done towards their GCSEs may not be able to be used. This could have a seriously damaging effect on your child's exam results.
How to apply for a Mid Term Admission or School Transfer
If you wish for your child to move to another school, you must apply for a ‘mid term admission’. You can do so at any time during the academic year. Applications are to be made via our online application form following the link at the bottom of this page.
Places cannot be reserved in advance. If you are moving house, you can apply in advance of your move but your child must be able to take up the place within 10 days of the offer.
Before applying, view the school catchment areas.
All areas of the application form MUST be completed before the School Admissions Team can start to process it. If the application is incomplete, this will delay the admission process.
Please note that you will be responsible for transporting your child to any school you name as a preference.
If it is the school holidays and you are waiting for the result of an in year application you will need to wait until there is somebody available within the School Admissions Team who will be able to advise you of the outcome.
To transfer schools, please visit our Mid Term Admission or Transfers page and complete our online application form, or contact the Customer Contact Centre on 01685 725000 and ask for the School Admissions Team.
There is no guarantee that a place will be available at your preferred school, and your child should continue to attend their current school until a transfer has been confirmed.
If you believe that your child has significant learning needs, and feel that they may meet the entry criteria for Greenfield Special School, please contact the Customer Contact Centre on 01685 725000, and request to speak with the Additional Learning Needs department for further advice.
Welsh Medium Education
It’s never too late to access Welsh medium education. It is available to all learners in Merthyr Tydfil and can be an option for a mid-term transfer. There is a dedicated teacher for Welsh immersion who visits the home school of the pupil to provide intensive Welsh sessions so that learners can access the curriculum with their peers within a short period of time.
Speaking Welsh at home is not essential – all kinds of families can take advantage of Welsh medium education. Families from all kinds of ethnic and religious backgrounds and families from other parts of Wales, the UK, or the world, can access the immersion provision and provide an opportunity for their child to learn another language and embrace all the benefits of bilingualism.
There is support available for parents and carers such as apps, websites, videos and access to Welsh classes. There are also lots of bilingual events in the local and wider community which provide opportunities to hear and use Welsh in a social context.
After submission of your application, the School Admissions team will seek further information from the current school. The school transfer can take up to 15 school days to be completed, from the date of receipt of the information from the current school.
Paper applications, and further advice, are available either by calling (01685) 725000, or by emailing School.Admissions@merthyr.gov.uk
Welsh Imersion Merthyr
Saint Carlo Acutis 3-16 Catholic School
Saint Carlo Acutis 3-16 Catholic School is a voluntary aided school in Merthyr Tydfil.
Applications for Saint Carlo Acutis 3-16 Catholic School will need to be made to the destination school directly.
Further information:
- School Admission Arrangements for Parents 2025-2026
- School admissions information
- Pre-nursery and nursery school admissions
- Reception primary school admissions
- Secondary school admissions
- Check school catchment areas
- School admission appeals
- List of Schools
- Admissions Forum