Secondary admissions

Secondary Admissions Round 2023-24

The admissions round for Secondary for the academic year commences on the 25th September 2023 and closes on 24th November 2023. Only applications received by the published closing date, with relevant supporting evidence for the receipt of application forms, will be considered in the initial round of allocations of pupils. Forms received after this date, or incomplete forms, may result in a child being refused a place at their chosen secondary school. 

Important dates for you as a parent to note can be viewed here: School & Nursery Admission Dates 2023.

Children transfer from primary school to secondary school at the beginning of the school year following their 11th birthday (i.e. if your child is 11 between the 1st September 2023 and 31st August 2024 they would be entitled to a secondary school place in September 2024).

Whilst every effort will be made to accommodate pupils, an application must be made to attend Secondary School at the appropriate time.

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

Please note: the Secondary round has now closed. Please register and complete a Late application form for: secondary school admissions.

If you are still unsure about which school to choose for your child, please see our Starting Schools Booklet.

For more information on the School Admissions Process please refer to the Blaenau Gwent School Admissions Policy for Nursery and Statutory Education 2024/25.

For further information on the admissions process or to request a copy of the Starting Schools Booklet, please email: schooladmissions@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk  

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 will get free school meals by 2024. 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.

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council began delivering free school meals to pupils attending full time nursery, Reception, Years 1 and 2 at the start of the autumn term 2022.  The offer will be extended to Years 3 to 6 in September 2023.

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.

Related Documents

Contact Information

Name of Team: Education Transformation team, School Admissions

Telephone Number: (01495) 355493/ (01495) 355340

Address: Education Directorate, Floor 8, Anvil Court,  Abertillery., NP13 1DB

Email Address: schooladmissions@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk