Admission to School - Information for Parents 2023-2024

SECTION B - Information on Education and Learning

1. School Terms and Holiday Dates for 2023/24

Please note that this calendar is subject to any changes that may arise as a result of government policy decisions. Carmarthenshire County Authority does not accept liability for any losses incurred in respect of altered holiday arrangements following such changes.

School Terms and Holiday Dates for 2023/24

2. The School Curriculum

During primary education and the first three years of secondary education all schools offer a broad and balanced programme which includes all National Curriculum subjects. The aim of the curriculum offered in each school is to enable all pupils to achieve their full potential. In the 4th and 5th year of secondary school pupils continue to study the National Curriculum subjects but with some scope for options to suit pupils' individual talents and interests.

Parents are fully consulted about these options and a careers adviser is attached to each school to offer advice. The National Curriculum consists of the core subjects: English, Welsh where it is a principal medium in the life and work of the school, mathematics and science. The other foundation subjects are technology, history, geography, a modern foreign language (in secondary schools only), music, art, physical education and Welsh, where it is not a core subject.

All schools must also make provision for religious education. Parents have a right to withdraw pupils from the religious education provision and acts of collective worship. Any such requests should be made to the Headteacher of the school.

General Principles

Carmarthenshire believes in the educational value of being conversant in two languages and is strongly in favour of a bilingual policy in its primary schools. The long term aim of this bilingual policy is to teach children to be completely bilingual in the use of Welsh and English by the time they leave primary school, to enable them to become full members of the bilingual society of which they are a part. The provision made should ensure that the children are able to communicate with confidence in both languages and that they are aware of the cultural heritage of Wales. The secondary schools’ language policy is a continuation of the primary policy and reflects the place given to Welsh in the communities in which the schools are located. It recognises that there is a different emphasis on the Welsh language and teaching through the medium of Welsh in the County’s various schools. It aims to give the pupils an opportunity to continue with a proportion of their education through the medium of Welsh so that they are fully integrated into their bilingual communities at the end of the educational process.

Complaints about the School Curriculum and Related Matters

Each individual school has a policy for dealing with complaints. Any concerns which parents may have will ideally be resolved informally in discussion directly with the school. However, should parents wish to make the complaint formal, the school has established procedures which they are obliged to make available.

In relation to Voluntary Controlled and Voluntary Aided Schools a representative of the relevant Diocesan Body will be invited to be present in accordance with the established procedures when a complaint is being considered. Should the complaint involve religious matters then the above procedure would be followed, but the Complaints Committee would also include Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Standing Advisory Authority on Religious Education and for V.C. Primary Schools the Diocesan Director of Education would be invited as an observer.

Year Groups/Pupil Ages

A pupil's progression through years of compulsory education is divided into four key stages. The table shows the key stages against the corresponding pupil ages and year numbers.