Reception School Admissions

 Before you apply:

• Check your School catchment area
• You can apply for up to 3 different schools. You must rank the schools in order of preference. The first school should be the one you would most like your child to go to.
• We advise that you use all 3 preferences and enter your catchment school as one of your preferences.
• If you apply after the closing date you are far less likely to get a place at one of your preferred schools.

Please see the table below for application deadlines.

For those parents awaiting confirmation from our Additional Learning Needs (ALN) team about a possible placement for your child at a specialist provision, such as a Learning Resource Base (LRB) or at Greenfields Special School, we recommend that you make an application for a mainstream school place at your catchment school. This is on the basis that your child is not guaranteed a place at a specialist provision. By making an application to a mainstream school, this will not affect the outcome of a place at a specialist provision. If your child was then to be offered a place at a specialist provision, then you can simply refuse the place at the mainstream school.

If your child is not offered a place at a specialist provision, and you apply for a mainstream place after the deadline, you may not be offered a place at your first preference school.

How to apply for a Reception school place

Applications are made by completing a Reception application form. Our online form can be accessed via the link at the bottom of this page.

Alternatively, paper forms can be requested by phone on 01685 725000.

Paper applications are to be returned to the following address;

School Admissions Officer, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Civic Centre, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 8AN

Please note that any paper applications sent through the post are sent at your own risk, and we recommend that paper applications are sent via recorded delivery.

Information for Parents

Admissions to primary schools will normally be granted provided a schools admission number is not exceeded. Where the number of applications for admission to a school exceeds the number of places available, i.e. where an admission number has been reached, places will be allocated by applying the following oversubscription criteria;

Priority Category 1: ‘Children Looked After’ (children in public care) and previous ‘Children Looked After’.

Priority Category 2: Children whose home is inside the school’s catchment area and have an older sibling attending the school from the same address, at the date of application, who will continue to attend that school in September 2025.

Priority Category 3: Children whose home is inside the school’s catchment area who do not have an older sibling attending the school.

Priority Category 4: Children whose home is outside the school’s catchment area but have an older sibling attending from the same address, at the date of application, who will continue to attend that school in September 2025.

Priority Category 5: Children whose home is outside the school’s catchment area who do not have an older sibling attending the school.

Late Applications

Any applications received after the deadline stated below will be classed as a late application. Although consideration will be given to these applications, priority will be given to those applications received before the deadline. This means that late applications are at a significant risk of not being offered a place at their first preference school.

Any parent who makes a late application should not expect to receive an offer of a school place at the same time as parents that have made an application before the deadline.

Voluntary Aided School

There is 1 voluntary aided 3-16 school in Merthyr Tydfil which is split across 3 primary and 1 secondary campuses. Each Voluntary Aided Schools Governing Body manage their own admissions and should be contacted directly.

• Blessed Carlo Acutis St Aloysius Campus
• Blessed Carlo Acutis St Illtyd's Campus
• Blessed Carlo Acutis St Mary's Campus

Additional Information

Where parents knowingly give false information in order to obtain the advantage of a particular school for their child to which they would not otherwise be entitled, the council reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a place. Parents may render themselves guilty of an offence under Section 5(b) of the Perjury Act 1911.

Applying for Reception school place 2025-26

You can apply on-line via the following link:

Start Now

Paper applications are available on request either by calling (01685) 725000, or by emailing School.Admissions@merthyr.gov.uk

 PLEASE REFER TO THE BELOW TIMETABLE FOR APPLICATION DEADLINES

Further Information:

• School Admission Arrangements for Parents 2025-2026
• School admissions information
• Pre-nursery and nursery school admissions
• Secondary school admissions
• Mid Term Admissions or Transfers 
• Check school catchment areas
• School admission appeals
• List of Schools
• Admissions Forum

Contact Us

• Email Us
• Contact Telephone Number
• Our Address