Service Directory

All parents must apply to send their children to school. All applications are dealt with by an 'Admissions Authority'. Within Torfaen the Local Education Authority (LEA) is the admissions Authority dealing with admissions to all state schools, from nursery schools/units through to secondary schools.

Each child in Torfaen resides within a designated catchment area for a nursery, primary (or separate infants and juniors), and secondary school. In most cases, pupils will go to their nearest school. However, parents/carers are entitled to express a preference for the school that they would like their child to attend. The LEA processes all of these applications, and most pupils will usually be admitted to their preferred school. In the event that applications to a school exceed the admission number for that school (the number of places the admission authority must offer in each relevant age group of a school for which it is the admission authority) the LEA will follow its oversubscription criteria to determine which children will be offered places. The criteria includes such factors as; looked after children, medical grounds, older brothers or sisters going to the school and distance between a child's home address and the school. Pupils living in the catchment area for a school will be given priority over other pupils. They no longer however have an automatic right of admission.

It should be noted that Voluntary Aided Schools (e.g. St Alban's RC High School) are their own Admissions Authority, and have their own criteria for deciding which pupils to offer places to in the event of oversubscription (often involving the denominational faith of the pupil).

All parents whose children are:

• Starting a nursery school/unit
• Starting in reception
• Transferring between 'stand alone' infants and juniors schools (e.g. between Kemys Fawr Infants School and Griffithstown Primary School), but NOT progressing from infants to junior departments of a single primary school (e.g. Croesyceiliog Primary School)
• Starting Secondary School

The LEA endeavours to send out applications to all parents of children that will be starting nursery, or reception in the next school year. If you do not receive an application form, you should contact the LEA to request a copy. When transferring from infants to junior and to secondary school, children will receive an application form from their current school. If you have lost the form, or did not receive one, you can get a form either from your childs school, or directly from the LEA.

Alternatively, application forms are available here.

• Infant Schools Admission Application
• Junior Schools Admission Application 
• Secondary Schools Admission Application

8.30 - 5.00  -  Monday to Thursday
8.30 - 4.30  -  Friday