Information for parents booklet 2025 / 2026

Choosing a school place for September 2025 (Reception and Year 7)

Most children attend their catchment area school (this school is usually, but not always the school nearest to your home). You can, if you wish, apply to another school of your choice.

Do not assume you are in catchment just because you live near a school. Contact admissions@swansea.gov.uk to check your catchment school.

Changes to Welsh-medium school catchment areas were implemented in September 2021 and the catchment school for your home address may have changed. If you are not sure which English or Welsh-medium school is your catchment school and wish to check, please contact admissions@swansea.gov.uk.

If you are applying for a place at a school that is not the designated school for your home address, the responsibility and the cost for getting your child to and from school lies with yo as parent / carer. The local authority will not provide free home to school transport when a pupil does not attend their designated school. This also applies if a pupil is granted a place at a school which is not their designated catchment school as a result of a successful appeal.

There are 62 English-medium primary schools and 11 English-medium secondary schools in Swansea. There are 10 Welsh-medium primary schools and 2 Welsh-medium secondary schools. There are 5 voluntary aided (church) primary schools in Swansea, one is a Church in Wales school and the other four are Roman Catholic schools. There is also one Roman Catholic secondary school. Responsibility for admissions to voluntary aided schools lies with the school's governing body. Details of how the voluntary aided schools admit their pupils are shown here: www.swansea.gov.uk/admissiontovaschools

Information about education services in Swansea shows the partner primary schools that are associated with each secondary school although attending a partner primary school does not guarantee a place in the associated secondary school. Detailed information about each school is available from the individual school. You may wish to visit different schools before you decide on the school you want your child to attend. To do this, please make an appointment with the headteacher. You can also obtain the school prospectus, free of charge, from the school and this will give you a range of information about the school, for example, pupil welfare, school uniform and after school clubs etc. School websites are also useful sources of information and the Welsh Government website, My Local School www.gov.wales/my-local-school-guide publishes data and reports on all schools in Wales.

The names, addresses and telephone numbers of all schools are on www.swansea.gov.uk/schoolcontactdetails.

We will try and meet a parental preference, however, please be aware that:

• Living in the catchment area does not guarantee your child a place at the school.
• Having a sibling of statutory school age already attending the school does not guarantee your child a place at the school.
• Attending the nursery class in a primary school does not give your child automatic right of entry into the Reception class and it does not guarantee your child a place at the school.
• Attending a partner primary school does not guarantee your child a place at the associated secondary school.

If you are applying for a place at a school that is not the designated school for your home address, the responsibility and the cost for getting your child to and from school lies with you as parent / carer. The local authority will not provide free home to school transport when a pupil does not attend their designated school. This also applies if a pupil is granted a place at a school which is not their designated catchment school as a result of a successful appeal.

Parental Responsibility (PR)

Where there is shared parental responsibility all parents should be in agreement about the preferences listed in the application. It is the parents responsibility to come to this agreement.  The person applying should ensure they have obtained the agreement of all other persons who have parental responsibility for the pupil before submitting the application.

What address do I use?

The address on the application form must be the child's permanent address. In all cases evidence of permanent residence of the pupil at time of application must be supplied if required. The local authority may request confirmation of the home address, particularly where schools are oversubscribed in the year group. The home address is very important, as school places are allocated on the basis of the home address of each child. A child's home address is considered to be where the child spends the majority of their time with parents or carers.

Any place approved on the basis of residence will be withdrawn if the pupil is no longer permanently resident at the address at the beginning of the school term to which the application relates. The home address is considered to be the child's along with their parents' main and genuine principal place of residence ie. where they are normally and regularly living. If a child is resident with friends or relatives (for reasons other than guardianship) the friends or relatives address will not be considered for allocation purposes. For children of families living between two addresses because the parents are permanently living apart the address at which the child spends the greater part of the school week will be taken as the child's main address when an admission application is considered. Evidence of arrangements may be requested. Only the one main residential address will be used to allocate places. Addresses which have restrictions on occupancy (such as chalets or caravans on holiday parks with seasonal restrictions on occupancy) cannot be used as a permanent address.

The online application form requires you to include your council tax reference number. Failure to do this could result in the local authority needing to verify this information. Supplying the council tax reference numbers or using the addresses of grandparents, other relatives, family friends or businesses will be viewed as fraudulent, misleading or inaccurate information and could lead to the place at your preferred school being withdrawn. If you are not able to provide council tax information other proof of residency may be required.

A temporary address will not be used for allocation purposes but it does not restrict you from applying for a school place. If you do not have a permanent address you should contact the Admissions Team for further advice on how to complete the form. Details of acceptable documents are suggested below.

Proof of residency - accepted documents (documents must be recent, within the last 3 months)

• Drivers Licence / Car Insurance Policy
• Mortgage payment document / Tenancy Agreement
• Recently paid gas / electricity or other utility bill
• Recently paid credit card / store card bill.

The local authority is the admissions authority and must be notified of any change of address during the admissions procedure.

Places cannot be allocated on the basis of an intended future address, unless the house move can be confirmed through the formal 'exchange of contracts' or the signing of a minimum of a six month tenancy agreement. An address change due to a move to live with family or friends will not be considered until the move has taken place and suitable proof of residency has been provided. Proof that a move from the previous address has taken place may also be required, for example, proof of exchange of contracts, a tenancy agreement showing the end date of the tenancy or a notice to quit from the landlord or repossession notice. An address of UK service personnel is accepted if the application form is accompanied by an official Ministry of Defence letter confirming a definite return date and giving a new address. The local authority reserves the right to seek further documentary evidence to support a claim of residence which could include contacting the estate agent, solicitor, landlord or relevant professional.

The local authority reserves the right to contact other local authority departments or other organisations or individuals to verify the details submitted on admission application forms.

If I live in the City and County of Swansea, can my child go to school outside of Swansea?

If you wish to send your child to a school outside the City and County of Swansea, you should get in touch with the education department at the local authority responsible for admissions to the school. Swansea Council will not usually provide transport or make any contribution towards transport costs for pupils who go to a school outside the City and County of Swansea. The Education Department will not contribute towards transport costs for pupils to attend specialist schools, for example schools for drama and dance.

If I live outside the City and County of Swansea, can my child go to a school in Swansea?

Children who live outside the City and County of Swansea are able to apply for a place in a Swansea school. If you are applying for a Reception place or a Year 7 place for September 2025, please refer to the admission criteria detailed: www.swansea.gov.uk/schooladmissionarrangements

We strongly advise that you also make an application with your own local authority (the local authority to whom you pay your council tax) as in the event we are unable to offer your child a place at a Swansea school(s) that you have made a preference for, we will not offer your child an alternative Swansea school. Children will be able to have full-time education in schools in the City and County of Swansea if places are available. If there are no places available, parents have the same right of appeal as children of parents living in Swansea. You should follow the relevant application processes detailed in this document.

Children of UK Service Personnel and Crown Servants

School applications can be made without a confirmed address in Swansea. If an application is made in advance of the approaching school year it should be accompanied by an official Ministry of Defence (MOD) or Foreign and Commonwealth Office letter declaring a return date. Admission applications will be considered in line with the LA's admission arrangements.

Applications from children overseas

In most cases, children arriving from overseas have the right to attend state-funded schools in Wales. However, the following children are not entitled to a state education:

• Children from non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries who are here as short-term visitors - these are children who live abroad but have been admitted to the UK for a short visit (for example as tourists or to visit relatives), and not to study.
• Children from non-EEA countries who have permission to study in the UK - these children are allowed to study in England on the basis that they attend an independent, fee-paying school.

Applications will not be refused simply because of doubts about a child's immigration status. However, advice may be requested from the Home Office to check on a child's entitlement to a state-funded education.