Welsh language primary schools in Cardiff - admissions question

[Isserlis]

Does anyone have any insight into how applications to Welsh language primary schools in Cardiff work? Do you have to live in a particular catchment area? Do you have to have a minimum standard of Welsh to be accepted?

I am a native Welsh speaker (a bit rusty if I'm honest as I have been living overseas for 25 years) and looking to move to Cardiff in 2021 or 2022 depending on my job. I have a lot of "hiraeth" going on!

My children speak Spanish, Dutch and English and if we moved back to Wales I'd like them to learn Welsh. It's been difficult to keep the Welsh going when they are hearing different languages at daycare and school. They would be 5 and 7 when we moved back so hopefully not too late to pick up Welsh quite quickly.

I'm new to Mumsnet so sorry if I posted this in the wrong section and thanks in advance for any insight. Diolch!

given your children's ages you will be doing an 'In year application' and you will be offered a place somewhere where there is space which may not be a school you like and may not be your catchment school anyway. catchment areas are most significant for initial admissions to Reception year. for an in-year application, catchment area will only matter if there are two potential new pupils applying for that yeargroup at the same time - in which case the place will be allocated according to the published admissions criteria which will include catchment but also other factors. you will not be able to arrange a place in advance - you will need to apply when you move and the children will then be expected to start the new school immediately

there's a list of Welsh Medium schools in cardiff here on Wikipedia so you can express a preference for those when the time comes. chances are that there will be a place at one of them.

Thanks for this information YinuCeatleAyru - much appreciated!

Hopefully if there isn't a second lockdown I will be able to do a visit to Cardiff in September and will focus on areas where there are a couple of Welsh primaries within walking distance.

The most popular Welsh primary schools (Melin Gruffudd, Treganna, Y Wern) are very oversubscribed, just so you know. There's plenty of good ones though.

My children are at welsh medium primary in Cardiff - the admissions process is same as english medium schools. You can see the catchment areas on the council website to give you an idea, and it will also show you how far away the furthest person was to be admitted (some schools you need to practically live in the play ground to get in!).

If children move to welsh medium after reception class without having welsh spoken at home (so 99% of the children!) then they do a term or so at an immersion unit in Whitchurch. My friends son moved to our welsh medium primary in the easter of y1, and between then and May half term, he did 4x days per week at the immersion unit and one day a week at school. By May half term he was fluent enough not to need the immerision unit and no welsh is spoken at home so he did brilliantly. I imagine your children will pick it up super quick!

There are a couple of new/new build welsh primaries in Cardiff with good ratings and undersubscribed (which means lovely small class sizes and lots of outdoor spaces for inner city schools) in the south of the city. I'd add Pwll Coch to the oversubscribed list by poster above (those schools are mostly in the north or west of the city, where most welsh speakers live due to S4C/BBC studios but that might change over the coming years as the studios have moved to the bay)

Hi Isserlis!

How did you get on with moving your children to Cardiff? I'm in a similar situation now and would be amazing to have some advice from someone who has experienced the transition back to Wales/kids schools etc xx