IMPORTANT DATES 

DO YOU WISH TO APPLY FOR YOUR CHILD TO ATTEND OUR RECEPTION CLASS IN SEPTEMBER 2025?

Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday.  Parents of children in a Cardiff school Nursery will receive details of the application process (please see letter at the bottom of this page)  

Applications for admission to St Joseph's are now made directly to the Council through their online admissions system.   PLEASE NOTE:  in order for your application to be fully complete, you will be required to complete our school Application Form, in addition to apply via the Council.  This can be found via the dropdown menu "Forms" at the top of our website and located under "printable forms".   Any queries, please contact the school on 02920621625. You must also attach the following documents to your school application form in order for it to be complete:-

• Baptism Certificate
• Birth Certificate 
• Supporting Letter from any other faith (if applicable)
• Supporting Letter from current Headteacher (if applicable - in year transfer)
• Passport (if applicable)
• Proof of Residency (ie: utility bill, Council Tax, Bank Statement, Rental Agreement)
• Visa (if applicable)

Please ensure that you have read our Admission Policy, which is located in drop down menu "Welcome - Governing Body and School Policies".

You must submit your application by the deadline as stated in the table below

 

LETTER FROM CARDIFF COUNCIL .....

Dear Parent(s) / Guardian(s)

If you have legal parental responsibility for a child born between 01 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 you can now apply for a school place in a reception class to start in September 2025. Applications open on Monday 11 November 2024.

The closing date for applications is Monday 13 January 2025.

Applications received after this date will be considered after all on time applications have been assessed. Many schools fill up in this first round of allocations, so it greatly increases the likelihood of being allocated one of your preferences if you apply on time and use all of the preferences available to you

Which schools can I apply for?

You can apply for a reception place at any primary school in Cardiff. Every area of Cardiff is served by a Welsh medium community primary school, an English-medium community primary school, a Church in Wales Primary School and a Catholic Primary School. You do not need to speak English or Welsh at home to apply for admission to any of these schools. You do not need to practice a particular faith to apply for admission to any of these schools.

Consider applying for Welsh Medium Schools. Anyone can apply for Welsh medium schools regardless of if the family is Welsh speaking. All are encouraged to consider the benefits of Welsh medium education. You can find more information on the Council’s website Benefits of Welsh-Medium Education (cardiff.gov.uk) and via the flyers attached with this letter.

The Council coordinates admissions for 21 of the 23 primary faith schools in Cardiff. For a place at a school that is part of the coordinated admissions scheme, you must apply through the Council’s online admissions system. You may also need to submit further details directly to your preferred school (or schools).

Please note Llandaff C.W. Primary School, St John Lloyd R.C Primary School, independent schools and schools based in other Local Authorities have their own admissions processes. If you would like your child to attend any of these schools you will need to apply directly to that school.

You can check which schools are near to your address along with discovering which are the catchment area Community Schools for your address at www.cardiff.gov.uk/onlinemaps. (please note distances will be the direct distance not safe walking routes).

Whilst living in a catchment area can help your child to receive an offer of a place at the school (if applied for), there is no guarantee this will be possible.

Attending a school’s nursery has no bearing on how likely we are to be able to offer a place in that school’s reception class.

How to apply

Apply online by using the Council’s online application service. Go to www.cardiff.gov.uk/primaryadmissions and follow the instructions on screen. On the webpage is a useful ‘help to apply’ guide also. Help to apply (cardiff.gov.uk)

If you would like support with your application, assistance is available at Council Hubs or via your Primary School. You can find the locations and opening hours of the hubs at www.cardiff.gov.uk/hubs

To allow the Council to make accurate and fair decisions when allocating school places, you are asked to give reasons for each school you apply for. Some of the reasons require you to provide supporting documentation. These documents need to be received by the school admissions team by the closing date.

Be sure to answer all the questions in the application process fully. These answers (such as details of older siblings, or medical/social issues your child may have) can influence your eligibility for a school place. If you don’t tell us we don’t know.

You can make changes to your application up to the closing date, but if you do, be sure to press ‘Submit’ on the final page when you are happy with your application. Applications left unsubmitted at the point the system closes cannot be accepted.

What happens next?

We will allocate you the highest preference that we can. Some schools will be oversubscribed in which case we will use the published oversubscription criteria to allocate places up to the number of places available at that school. If you fall outside this number, we will look at your next preference. Therefore, it is important to express as many preferences as you can, as you may be able to secure a school in the first round that will not be available in later rounds.

You will receive the outcome of your application on 16 April 2025. You will need to accept or reject an offer of a place by 30 April 2025. If we have been unable to offer you a place at one of your preferred schools, you may submit a new application for one of the alternatives proposed by 30 April 2025

Should you not receive an offer for your highest preference school on 16 April, you will remain on a waiting list and will be contacted if there is a change of circumstances.

Any places that parents reject in the first round will be reallocated in subsequent rounds. If you are on a waiting list for a place, you application will be reconsidered if places become available.

You must tell us if you move house between receiving your offer and the beginning of term in September 2025. A change of address might affect your entitlement to your school place and / or your position on a waiting list, hence you should tell us as soon as possible so that we can discuss your options. More information can be found in the ‘School admissions booklet 2025/26’ which is available at www.cardiff.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Yours sincerely

School Admissions Team.