School Admissions Policy 2026 -27

Admission Authorities

The admission of children to schools is controlled by an Admissions Authority.

Carmarthenshire County Council is the Admission Authority for Community schools and Voluntary Controlled schools within Carmarthenshire.

In line with Welsh Government guidelines, from the 2026/27 academic year, a coordinated admission arrangement will be implemented for all schools located within Carmarthenshire. All applications for Voluntary Aided (VA) schools will be made through the Council's online application system, along with Community and Voluntary Controlled schools. The admissions criteria will be determined and set by each individual VA school. Carmarthenshire County Council will assist in the application process and issue any decision made by the individual VA school to parents. The Appeals process will remain with the individual VA schools.

For Voluntary Aided schools, it is each school’s governing body that determines the admission arrangements, details of which are published in the Information for Parents booklet and can be obtained from the respective governing body of the school or the Diocesan Directors of Education for the Church in Wales and the Diocesan Directors of Education for the Catholic schools in Wales.

Neighbouring Local Education Authorities

Given its geographical location, Carmarthenshire shares its borders with other Local Authorities. Should the school you wish your child to attend be in another Authority area, you should contact that Authority.

The School’s Admission Number – A Limit on the Number of Pupils Admitted

Every school has an Admission Number (AN) which specifies and limits the number of pupils who can be admitted to each year group in the school. The AN for each school is given in the schedule of schools in Appendix A.

The AN for each school has been set by using the capacity formula determined by the Welsh Government. The calculation is based on national guidelines (Measuring the Capacity of Schools in Wales Circular 021/2011) and relates to the physical area of the school buildings, the type of facilities at the school, the age range, and the number of year groups in the school.

As the AN is based on the school’s capacity to provide appropriate accommodation and facilities for pupils, it should not be exceeded.

The AN applies to the age group into which the pupils are admitted into the school and places a limit on the number of pupils that can be admitted. In the normal year of entry, the Admissions Authority must admit pupils until the AN is reached. Should the number of applications received for admission to a school exceed the AN, then the Authority will prioritise the applications it has received in accordance with the oversubscription criteria detailed in this document.

In such circumstances, parents may not be successful in gaining a place for their child at their preferred school.

School governors and the Local Authority must always keep the AN under review.

Catchment Areas

The Authority recognises that there is an important relationship between a school and its community. The Authority has therefore identified a designated geographical area which the school serves and is referred to as the school’s catchment area.

Details of a school’s catchment area are available at the school, the County Council’s website or can be obtained from the relevant Admissions Authority.

Catchment areas may be subject to change; however, where changes are proposed, these would be subject to a public consultation before implementation.

Living in a school’s catchment area does not guarantee admission to the school, but it is an important factor as it will give the application a higher priority than those from individuals who live outside the catchment area.

Residency within the defined catchment area of a school is also important as it is one of the key criteria in assessing eligibility for assistance with home-to-school transport.

Prior to making an application for admission to a school, the Authority strongly recommends that you< contact, discuss, and if possible, visit your local school so that you are aware of the facilities and opportunities they can offer.

Classification of Schools

All Carmarthenshire schools are classified as co-educational schools in that they cater for boys and girls and, unless noted otherwise, are day schools and not residential schools. Secondary Schools are, unless noted otherwise, classified as comprehensive schools.

Admission Outside the Normal Chronological Year Group

Applications for admissions for pupils into year groups other than the usual year group, based on the date of birth of a pupil, will be considered on an individual basis and, where applicable, against the admission’s over-

subscription criteria outlined in this document.
There is a specific process for considering such applications which will involve assessment by the Authority of the individual circumstances of each case. It is not an automatic process. Parents must contact admissions@carmarthenshire.gov.uk to discuss an application for a pupil outside the normal age group. Parents can request the policy and guidance from the Education and Child Psychologist via the following email: EPS@carmarthenshire.gov.uk.

If there are grounds to consider an application for a school place outside of a child’s chronological year group, there is no right to appeal the decision if the application is refused. A right to appeal a decision for the normal chronological year group would be offered if necessary.

Home Education

Parents may also choose to educate their own children at home. This is known as Elective Home Education. The decision to home educate requires careful thought, as it represents a considerable undertaking in terms of commitment, time, and cost.

If you are considering this option, you are advised to contact the authority and seek guidance from the Elective Home Education Officer at 01554 742369 or email eheenquiries@carmarthenshire.gov.uk.

Choosing a School

Parental Preference

Parents have a right to express a preference for their school(s) choice, which will be considered and complied with wherever possible. Expressing a preference for a school does not guarantee a place at the preferred school. Parents are advised to consider 3 preferences when applying for a school place. The parent’s highest preference will be offered. Lower preference will only be offered if a higher preference(s) is unsuccessful.

While, in practice, most parents send their child to their local catchment area school, parents have a right to state a preference for different schools. If you wish to do so, it is recommended that you contact the school you are considering before making a final choice.

Where you choose a school which is not your designated catchment area school or the nearest school to your home, there are some practical issues which you need to consider fully prior to making a decision.

The first is that if a child does not attend the catchment area school or the nearest school to the home address and this decision is based on parental preference, then the responsibility, as well as the cost, of transporting the pupil to and from school, rests entirely with the parents/guardian.

Parents indicate that this can be a particular problem if they then subsequently have a younger sibling who is not admitted to the same primary school. It is prudent, therefore, to consider and plan for this possibility prior to making an application for admission to an out-of-catchment school.

The second issue relates to the stage at which pupils move from the primary school to the secondary sector. Admission to secondary schools is based on whether or not your home address is in the secondary school’s catchment area and not the primary school attended. Where a pupil has attended a primary school which is not their designated catchment area school, there is an increased probability that they may not be able to transfer to the same secondary school as their peers and fellow pupils.

These issues will not apply in many instances but as they have caused difficulties for parents in the past it is recommended that you consider and have planned for such eventualities before making your final choice.

The Authority and school governors will lawfully comply with any preference for a particular school which is expressed. As with all applications, a preference for a particular school will need to be considered and assessed as part of the admission process to ensure that the Authority does not exceed the limit for admission of pupils to that school for the relevant year group.

Parental Preference -Twice Excluded Pupils

Parents may express a preference for a school at which they wish their child to be educated. However, the Admission Authority does not have to comply with that preference for a period of two years from the date of the latest exclusion if a pupil has been permanently excluded from two or more schools.

This does not apply to students with statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN), children below compulsory school age, children who have been reinstated or who would have been reinstated had it been practical to do so, or Children Looked After where the application for admission is made by the corporate parent.

Meeting Additional Learning Needs (ALN)

Some children have additional educational needs and/or a disability that requires extra provision to be made for them to learn effectively. Priority of places will be given to a pupil where a school has been named in part 2D of their Individual Development Plan (IDP).

Normal Admissions Arrangements

Detailed in this part of the document are Carmarthenshire’s procedures outlining the normal point of admission to Nursery, Primary, Secondary, and sixth form arrangements for the academic year.

Admissions Outside the Normal Admissions Arrangements (Transferring between schools)

Where applications fall outside of the normal admission arrangements as seen in part 10, applications are processed in line with the following arrangements.

Changing schools requires serious consideration and should be fully discussed with the Headteacher of a child’s present school in the first instance. The parent/guardian needs to consider if moving school is in the child’s best interests. The Department for Education and Children will also provide advice if required.

Should a parent/guardian wish to transfer a child from one school to another, the online admission application form must be completed.

It is not always possible to offer pupils a place in a year group at a school outside of the normal admissions round, as all available places may have already been allocated to pupils at an earlier time (i.e., earlier requests to move school for the academic year/previous academic years, or during the normal admissions round).

Moving into a school’s catchment area does not guarantee a place at the school. Having a sibling being offered or admitted to a school does not guarantee a school place for other siblings. Where there are multiple children from one household requesting a move to a school, it may not be possible to offer a school place to all of the children in the same school if some year groups are already over its admission number.

Applications received prior to a new Academic Year for which the application is for will be processed in the Summer term before the Academic Year starts.

Applications received during the Academic Year should be assessed, and parents/guardians notified of a decision within 15 school days or 28 calendar days (whichever is sooner) if the application has been successful or not. All applications are processed in accordance with the Welsh Government Admissions Code.

If an offer of a place is made, parents are required to accept or decline the offer of a place. Once accepted, a space at the school will be kept until the end of the term in which they are due to start.

The offer of a place will be removed and re-allocated to other pupils if:

• The offer of a place is not accepted within the given allotted time specified in the offer letter,
  or
• The child does not physically start by the end of that term for which they applied.

Parents seeking to postpone their start date longer than one term will be asked to re-apply for a school place.

A pupil moving into the county will be placed on roll at the new school in Carmarthenshire on the start date noted on the offer email.

Applications for children identified as either a Child Looked After or previously a Child Looked After; or with an Individual Development Plan will need to be verified before processing. Applications will be considered in accordance with the admission procedures and policies detailed in this document. Should there be more applications than places available, the Authority will prioritize applications in accordance with its over-subscription criteria detailed in this document.

Should parents be unsuccessful in obtaining a place for their child at their preferred school, they will be notified by email of the reason(s) why a place has not been offered. The decision email will also state their right to appeal against that decision and the process of how to appeal, including the closing date to appeal. More information on the appeals process is detailed in this document.

Waiting Lists for Applications Outside of the Normal Admissions Arrangements

Applications that have been unsuccessful in gaining a place of choice are kept on the waiting list until the last school day of the Academic Year for which they applied. Parents must email admissions@carmarthenshire.gov.uk for their child to be placed on the waiting list.

Making an Application

Requirement to Make an Application

It is a requirement that a parent/guardian must complete and submit an online application for a pupil to be admitted to a school.

The application form will ask a parent/guardian to rank their school choices by 1st, 2nd and 3rd preference.

Applications for the Normal Admissions Arrangements must be submitted by the prescribed closing dates as set in the Admissions Schedule of Events as detailed in this document. Any subsequent application/s received after the published deadline will be processed as a late application as detailed in this document.

Parent/Guardians will be notified by the Admissions Authority as to whether the application has been successful or not in line with the admissions arrangements. This includes applications made on behalf of a Child Looked After by a corporate parent where the Authority is both the corporate parent and the Admissions Authority.

Applications for admission outside of the normal admissions arrangements are detailed in part 11 of this document. No Community or Voluntary Controlled primary school can authorise the admission of a pupil.

How to Apply

Once the parent/guardian has decided upon the school they wish their child/children to attend they should submit an online application via the Councils website:

Visit the School Admissions and Changing Schools webpages

It is recommended that before submitting an application parents contact the preferred school direct. The school will have a map of its catchment area and can assist parents by providing other information about the school and the admission procedure.

Completing the Application Form

Over Subscription Criteria

For Admission to Community and Voluntary Controlled Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools

If there are more applications for admission than places available at a particular year group within a school, the allocation of places will be based on the following criteria listed in priority order:

1. Children Looked After and previously Children Looked After.
2. Children who live in the school’s catchment area and have a sibling on the roll of the school at the time the child is to start at that school.
3. Children who live in the school’s catchment area and who do not have a sibling on the roll of the school at the time the child is to start at that school.
4. Children who reside outside of the school’s catchment area and have a sibling on the roll of the school at the time the child is to start at that school.
5. Children who reside outside of the school’s designated catchment area and who do not have a sibling on the roll of the school at the time the child is to start at that school.

N.B. Where there is an Individual Development Plan (IDP) naming a particular school for Admission then this must be stated clearly on the admission to school application form. Such applications are dealt with before the award of any places by the Authority through the application of the oversubscription criteria stated above.

For Full Time 4 year old Primary School applications: the 3 year old part time Nursery or early years provision allocated cannot be used as a criterion for giving priority in allocating Full time 4 year old Primary school places.

For Year 7 Secondary applications: The primary school a pupil attends cannot be used as a criterion for giving priority in allocating a secondary school place.

Siblings

Children will be classified as siblings if they are: A full brother or sister (children who have two parents in common), a half brother or sister (children who have one parent in common), an adopted or fostered brother or sister, a step brother or sister (children who are related because their parents are married, co-habiting or in a civil partnership), but in every case the children must be living in the same family unit at the same address for the majority of the week.

Where there is 50/50 residency it is the address of the parent/guardian in receipt of child benefit which is used to process the application and the sibling must be enrolled and attending the school when your child is due to start school. The Authority reserves the right to request evidence if required. Failing to provide evidence when asked, will result in your application being ranked as having no sibling at the school.

Multiple Birth Children

In any circumstances in which there is one place available, and the next eligible children are twins/triplets, then the Local Authority will admit both/all children.

Distance Criteria

Where there are more applications than places for a school, the distance from home to the school will be used in order to allocate priority for places with those living nearest the school being given priority and a place at the school before those living further away. The distance will be measured using the shortest available route on Google Maps.

The distance from the home address to school will be measured from the nearest available route from the nearest school entrance to the nearest available access point by highway or public footpath to the home address as measured by Google Maps.

Notification of Offer of a Place at a School

Parents will be advised by e-mail confirming, or otherwise, that a place is available at the school and offering them the opportunity of accepting the place in line with the admissions arrangements set in the Admissions Schedule of Events timetable as detailed in this document.

A parent must accept the offer email to secure a place in school. If a parent does not respond by the date on the email, the place may be taken away and offered to another pupil.

Withdrawing the Offer of a Place

The offer of a school place may be withdrawn on the basis:

• that it is subsequently discovered that a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application was made (e.g. falsely claiming to reside within a catchment area of a school); or
• the offer of a place has not been accepted by the dates on the letter/email. The Authority may then re-allocate the place to another child.
• A place at another school is confirmed by a parent/guardian
• If a pupil has not started at a school at the end of the school term which they were due to start in accordance with the Authority policy.

Appeals Regarding Admission of Pupils to Community / Voluntary Controlled Primary or Secondary Schools

Should parents be unsuccessful in obtaining a place for their child at their preferred school, they will be notified by email of the reason(s) why a place has not been secured and also of their right to appeal against that decision and the process for doing so.

For Community Schools and Voluntary Controlled Schools the Authority will make arrangements for an Independent Appeals Panel to consider appeals. The appeals procedure will be undertaken in accordance with Welsh Government’s School Admission Appeals Code.

There is no right of appeal in the case of refusal of admission to Early Years, 3 Year old part-time Nursery provision.

Appeals will be heard individually or as a group if there are more than one appeal for the same school, except when the body or bodies responsible for making appeal arrangements direct otherwise. Parents will be afforded an opportunity of presenting their case in private either directly or with the assistance of their chosen representative. All supporting evidence must be submitted to the panel by the appeal hearing date otherwise the panel may not consider this. The panel will not be able to consider any additional information or evidence provided following the hearing.

The Clerk will notify all parties of the Panel’s decision which will be binding upon the Authority, the Governing Body and the parents.

An appeal by parents against refusal of a place at a Community or Voluntary Controlled School must be submitted via the Appeals e-form.

School Admissions Appeal Form

The appeals must be submitted by the deadlines noted on the decision email or as set in the Admissions Schedule of Events Timetable as detailed in this document.

Voluntary Aided Schools will have their own arrangements for appeals to be heard independently.

Medical Condition

Where Medical Evidence is required, you will need to provide copies of reports relating to the diagnosis from the relevant Consultant and/or Specialist.

Schedule of Events Timetable for Normal Admissions Arrangements to Schools 2026-27

Appendix A

List of Schools