Primary and Secondary School Admissions

Monmouthshire County Council looks after all school admissions for our school and all others in the county. While we can give an indication of places and spaces at The Dell, all applications and appeals must be made through the Student Access Unit at Monmouthshire County Council. Details are shown below.

Starting Primary School (Reception)

Starting primary school is one of the most important events in a child’s life. As a parent/carer, you will no doubt have a wide range of questions about this transition. If your child has a date of birth ranging between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021, they are eligible to start school in September 2025.

The admissions process for children seeking admission into reception for the following September begins each November.

The timetable for the admission round is detailed below:

Date application packs available - 6th November

Closing date for applications - 9th January 2025 (5pm)

Offer date 16th April

Please ensure that you complete and return your application prior to the published closing date, as failure to do so will result in your application being determined as late which will reduce the chances of you obtaining a place at your preferred school.

Our 2024-25 Reception Team

Open Mornings

We'll be offering parents a chance to visit the school, meet our Reception team and see our classrooms and outdoor learning areas as well as our school grounds on the following dates. No booking is required and sessions start at 9.30 with a brief introduction and welcome by the headteacher:

Tues 16th Oct 2024
Weds 17th Oct 2024
Thurs 7th Nov 2024

How do I apply?

Parents/guardians can apply online for their child’s school place. However, please ensure you read all the information regarding the admissions process which can be found on these admissions pages. Please ensure you have your Unique Identification number (UID) which can be found on the letter you are sent in the post before you apply online.

For assistance in completing your online application please refer to the user guide.

Benefits of applying online

A quick and simple application process
Saves on postage costs
Guarantees the safe delivery of your child’s application
Get an automatic acknowledgement as soon as your form has been submitted
Ability to view and amend your application up until the published closing date
Ability to log onto our system to find out if your child’s application has been successful on the notification date

If you do not wish to apply online please contact the school access unit and we will arrange for an application pack to be sent to you:

Email: schoolandstudentaccessunit@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Phone: 01633 644508

Address: Directorate for Children & Young People, County Hall, Rhadyr, Usk, NP15 1GA

Frequently Asked Questions

Ask a question by CLICKING HERE. We'll post an answer usually within an hour or two to inform you and other prospective parents.

Q - My child is not five until May 2026. Can she start at Easter 2026 rather than September 2025?

A - Schools in Wales only have one intake per school year and that is for all children who will be five in the following school year.

Q - Will my child start attending for full days from September 1st 2025?

A- No. We have a very well tried and tested induction programme that sees children attending in smaller groups for shorter hours. We gradually build up to longer days and bigger groups over the course of the first 2 weeks. It works really well and staff are able to spend a little more time getting to know individual children this way.

Q - We live outside the school's catchment area, is it likely that we will be able to get a place for our son?

A - There are no guarantees and numbers of applications change each year but currently around half of all our pupils live outside our official catchment area. Around 12% live in England, (though this doesn't mean that English households have a 12% chance of getting a place). Each of our year groups has a maximum Admission Number of 60. Catchment area is only a factor when the school receives more than 60 applications.

In the event that the Local Authority receives more applications than there are places, the below criteria will be applied to select the successful applicants: Children in receipt of a Statement of special educational needs (statutory requirement for admission)

Looked after children or previously looked after children i.e. children that are in the care of or have previously been in the care of a local authority, will be afforded priority over those fulfilling points 2-8 below.
Children with exceptional medical circumstances, will be afforded priority over those fulfilling points 3-8 below
Children residing within the catchment area for the preferred school who have relevant siblings will be afforded priority over those fulfilling points 4-8 below
Children residing outside of the catchment area for the preferred school, but with relevant siblings who will continue to be in attendance at the preferred school due to being unsuccessful in their application for a place at their catchment school will be afforded priority over those fulfilling points 5-8 below
Children residing outside of the catchment area, but with relevant existing siblings enrolled at the preferred school by September 2023, will be afforded priority over those fulfilling points 6-8 below
Children residing inside the catchment area for the preferred school will be afforded priority over those fulfilling points 7-8 below
Children residing outside of the catchment area for the preferred school, with a relevant sibling (who will be in attendance at the preferred school at time of admission) that does not meet criteria points 4 and 5 above
After applying the categories above, or should the school continue to be in a position of over-subscription in any of the above categories, priority will be based on closeness to the preferred school, measured using the shortest safe walking route.

Q - My child is three, can I put their name on a waiting list for The Dell?

A - No. Schools in Monmouthshire do not operate waiting lists or reservation lists for Reception intakes. All applications must be made to Monmouthshire County Council who are the admitting authority for all (except some faith) schools.

Q - Will my child be able to attend Breakfast Club from the start of September?

A - No. As part of our staggered start and induction programme, children in Reception classes cannot attend Breakfast Club or After School Club until they are attending for full days. This is because of the gap between the club and their start/finish time and because we want their experience of school to be wholly positive and not drawn out too soon.

Q - My son is young and gets very anxious I worry that he will be upset when he goes into school on the first few days. Is this normal?

A - Most of our youngest children come into school with a big grin from day 1. A few are a little anxious and sometimes one or two children may get upset at leaving their parent(s) on the first day. Please be assured that, if they are upset, you will probably get upset too and by the time they come inside and you get to your car, they will be laughing and smiling and you will still be crying and anxious. We'll call you to let you know they are OK (which they always are) and our Reception team are excellent at providing the care and reassurance needed. We'd advise all parents to talk positively and excitedly to their child about starting school and ask you to remember that children will usually be as confident, positive or anxious as you allow them to be.

Starting Secondary School (Year 7)

Please note that as part of the Chepstow cluster of Monmouthshire primary schools, we work closely with neighbouring Chepstow School. However we understand that parents will want to know about all their options for local secondary schools. The information below relates to applications to secondary schools in Monmouthshire only. If you are looking for a place in a different local authority or an independent school, please contact them directly to find out about their admission policy and deadlines.

Starting secondary school is one of the most important events in a child’s life. As a parent/carer, you will no doubt have a wide range of questions about this transition.

Soon after your child begins year 6 at primary school, you will need to apply for them to transfer to secondary school in the following September.

The Admissions process for children seeking admission into secondary school begins in the previous October.

The timetable for the admission round is detailed below:

Date application packs available - 25th September 2024

Closing date for applications - 13th November (5pm) 2024

Offer date - 3rd March 2025

How do I apply?

For assistance in completing your online application please refer to the user guide.

Benefits of applying online

A quick and simple application process
Saves on postage costs
Guarantees the safe delivery of your child’s application
Get an automatic acknowledgement as soon as your form has been submitted
Ability to view and amend your application up until the published closing date
Ability to log onto our system to find out if your child’s application has been successful on the notification date

If you do not wish to apply online please contact the school access team and we will arrange for an application pack to be sent to you:

Email: schoolandstudentaccessunit@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Phone: 01633 644508

Address: Directorate for Children & Young People, County Hall, Rhadyr, Usk, NP15 1GA

For more information about school places and to apply online CLICK HERE

APPLY ONLINE

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