Vale of Glamorgan Council
Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
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Choosing a school

Information and guidance on choosing a suitable school for your child in the Vale of Glamorgan

 

Vale of Glamorgan has 55 schools, including Nursery, Primary, Secondary, Middle and Special Schools.

 

Before you complete an application, we recommend that you research your preferred school. By collecting as much information as possible about the schools in your area, you can decide which would be most likely to meet your child's needs.

 

Find Schools in Vale of Glamorgan

 

To help you decide your preferred schools you can:

  • Visit school websites

  • View school results. You can read the schools’ most recent Estyn reports

  • Arrange a visit or attend an open day

  • Talk to other parents

 

Consider schools in your catchment area

A child does not need to live within the catchment area of a school to be eligible to attend that school. However, we do recommend that you consider including your catchment school as a preference when applying for a school place.

 

Children living in this area get a higher priority for admission to their catchment school compared to other schools they may be interested in.

 

Catchment schools are not always the closest school to your child’s home. You can find your catchment schools online. Living in a school’s catchment area does not guarantee a place.​

 

Find your catchment schools online

Consider how your child will get to school

It is your parental responsibility to make sure your child is able to get to school.

Active travel - Active travel such as walking, cycling or scooting should be your method of choice when choosing how to get to school. Active and sustainable travel can promote physical activity, improve pupil learning, and contribute to a safer local environment.

 

Free school transport - You may qualify for free school tr​ansport if your child lives a certain distance from the nearest appropriate catchment school. 

 

Alternative transport - If you are not eligible for free school transport, there are lots of other options available.

Selecting your preferred schools

List your school preferences in priority order. Put the school you want the most first.

 

Make sure you choose:

  • Three school for Admission to Nursery Education

  • Three schools for Admission to Primary Education

  • Three schools for Admission to Secondary Education