Reception admissions

Reception Admissions Round 2024-25

The admissions round for Reception academic year commences on the 6 January 2025 and closes at 5pm on the 21 February 2025. 

Important dates for you as a parent to note can be viewed here: Important dates poster 2025

Children are eligible for admission into Reception at the start of the school year in which their 5th birthday falls (if your child turns 5 in the year 2024/25). Children are not legally required to attend school until the start of the school term following their 5th birthday.

Only applications received by the published closing date, with relevant supporting evidence, will be considered in the initial round of allocations of pupils to schools. Forms received after this date, or incomplete forms, may result in a child being refused a place at their chosen primary school.

If a child is currently attending the nursery setting of their parent’s chosen school, an application form will need to be submitted as attendance at the nursery setting will not guarantee admission into reception at that school.

In the case of Welsh Medium Education, the admission authority (Blaenau Gwent Council) is responsible for placing pupils at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Helyg. These pupils are then allocated a place at either the Blaina or Tredegar Campus by Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Helyg Leadership team and Governing Body.

News: Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Helyg has now opened its seedling provision Ysgol Gymraeg Tredegar, at its temporary location Bedwellty House, Morgan Street, Tredegar for Nursery and Reception Pupils. For the Academic year 2024/25 Ysgol Gymraeg Tredegar will then be situated in its new school building on Chartist Way, Sirhowy, Tredegar.

You have responsibility, by law, to ensure your child receives appropriate full-time education.

If you are still unsure about which school to choose for your child, please see our starting schools booklet: . Parent / Carer School Information Booklet - Applying for a School Place for 2025 / 2026

To request a copy please contact the Admissions Officer by email: schooladmissions@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk

For more information on the School Admissions Process please refer to the Blaenau Gwent School Admission Policy for Nursery & Statutory Education 2025/26.

Special Diets

To request a special diet, please complete the special diet request form and return it to the address at the bottom of the form.

Once the Catering Department and Dietitian have received the form, you will either receive a special diet menu for your child by post/email or they will contact you to discuss your child’s requirements in more detail before sending a menu out to you. Please allow up to 3 weeks for your menu to arrive.

To protect the health of your child, the Catering Department request that you provide your child with a packed lunch from home until you have received a confirmed start date.

Universal Primary Free School Meals

All primary school children in Wales are entitled to free school meals. This commitment is in response to the rising cost-of-living pressures on families and our shared ambitions of tackling child poverty and ensuring no child goes hungry in school. The Welsh Government is committed to implementing the scheme as quickly as possible.  There are also wider benefits of free school meals, including promoting healthy eating across the school, increasing the variety of food learners can eat, improving social skills at mealtimes, as well as improving behaviour and attainment.  The policy is part of the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, which will see free school meals extended to all primary school pupils over the next three years.

There is no registration needed, your child will just need to state whether they require a school meal in registration at the start of the school day. Also if your child has an allergy or intolerance you will need to complete and return the Special Diet Application Form.