Admission to School - Information for Parents 2026-2027
In this section
- Introduction
- SECTION A - Admissions to Carmarthenshire Schools
- When to Apply
- At what age can children start Primary school?
- Admission to secondary schools and sixth form
- Choosing a School and Catchment Areas
- How to Apply
- Awarding Places – Oversubscription Criteria
- Moving / Changing Schools outside the normal admissions arrangements (Mid/in Year Transfers)
- Notification of Offer of a Place at a School
- Appeals Regarding Admission of Pupils to Community / Voluntary Controlled Primary or Secondary Schools
- Admission to Voluntary Aided Schools
- SECTION B - Information on Education and Learning
- Learning Experiences
- The Teaching of Welsh and English in Carmarthenshire Schools
- Public Examinations
- Exclusion of Pupils
- School Activities
- School Leaving Date
- School Governing Bodies
- SECTION C – Services to Pupils
- Carmarthenshire County Council – School Transport Policy
- School Meals & School Essentials Grant
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
- School Safeguarding and Attendance Team
- Trust Funds
- The Careers Service
- Carmarthenshire Family Information Service
- The Childcare Offer
- Health & Well-being Promoting Schools Programme
- Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education
- SECTION D – Schools and Pupil Summary
- SECTION E - Carmarthenshire Schools: Nursery Schools
- Carmarthenshire Schools: Community, Voluntary Controlled and Voluntary Aided Primary Schools
- Carmarthenshire Schools: Secondary Schools and Voluntary Aided Secondary Schools
- Carmarthenshire Schools: Special Schools
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 Application 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 If a Parent does not respond by the date on the email, the place may be withdrawn and the place offered to another pupil.
Applicants for admission outside of the normal admissions arrangements will be notified usually within 15 school days or 28 calendar days, whichever is soonest from receipt of application.
Waiting List
Where it has not been possible to admit a pupil to a school due to oversubscription, parents must inform the Authority by e-mail if they wish their child’s name to be placed on the waiting list which will be retained until the last school day of the Academic Year for which they applied. Should vacancies become available they will be awarded in accordance with the oversubscription criteria outlined rather than the amount of time the application has been on the waiting list.
Pupils on the waiting list will only be considered for a school place if the number of places allocated/on roll in the relevant year group drops below the admission number for the school. If any vacancies become available, all new and late applications received at that time will be considered for the vacancies along with those on the waiting list. Any available places will be allocated in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. Applications on the waiting list for the normal admissions arrangements will be reviewed on a monthly basis after the notification of decision date as set in the Admissions Application Timetable as detailed in this document.
Parents/guardians can appeal a decision while on the waiting list for multiple schools.
Withdrawing the Offer of a Place
The offer of a school place will 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 withdraw the offer and the place may be given 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 in which they were due to start in accordance with the Authority policy.
