Cardiff Council opens school catchments consultations

The City of Cardiff Council has launched two consultations on proposals to realign a number of school catchment areas in the city from September 2017. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The plans, which would not affect applications for September 2016, are intended to help the council match school places to changing demand in order to maintain a school admissions system which is both fair and equitable. The proposals would see catchment areas change for English-medium schools in and around Canton, and for Welsh-medium schools in and around Llandaff. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The English-medium primary and secondary school catchment areas for the following schools are up for consultation in and around Canton: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Kitchener Primary School
Lansdowne Primary School
Radnor Primary School
Severn Primary School
Cantonian High School
Fitzalan High School ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

While in and around Llandaff, it is the Welsh-medium primary and secondary catchments for: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Ysgol Pencae
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Commenting on the proposed changes, Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry said: “It is important that we continually review the school catchment areas in Cardiff in order to ensure that we make the best use of places in the city and we meet changing demand for education. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The proposed changes are designed to balance school places with preferences and make full use of the spaces available. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Consultation is open until 1st March and I would encourage anyone affected by the proposed changes to have their say.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Full details of the proposals, including maps showing the realigned catchment areas are available from the council’s website at www.cardiff.gov.uk/SchoolProposals. The proposed changes are summarised as follows. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Proposals in and around Canton
Currently, Kitchener, Lansdowne, Radnor and Severn primary schools serve catchment areas that include parts of Canton, Llandaff and Riverside. At the moment the catchment areas of these four primary schools fall within the secondary school catchment area of Fitzalan High School. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Projections show that demand for English-medium places in the current Fitzalan catchment area will exceed the number of places available. At the same time demand in the existing catchment area of Cantonian High School is less than the number of school places available. The proposed secondary school catchment changes, designed to balance demand at the two schools, would see Lansdowne primary and Radnor primary transfer from the Fitzalan catchment to the Cantonian catchment. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The proposed changes to the primary school catchments in the area are designed to create a better balance the supply of and demand for places across Kitchener, Lansdowne, Radnor and Severn primaries. Changes to the catchment boundaries between Lansdowne, Kitchener and Severn primary schools would see part of the existing Lansdowne primary catchment transferring to Kitchener, and part of the existing Kitchener primary catchment moving to Severn. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Proposals in and around Llandaff
Ysgol Pencae currently serves a catchment area which includes parts of Canton, Fairwater, Llandaff and Riverside. The catchment area for the school falls entirely within the secondary school catchment area of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Projections indicate that the demand for Welsh-medium places from within the existing catchment area of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr will exceed the number of places available at the school from September 2017. However demand from within the existing catchment area of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is predicted to be less than the number of places available at the school. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In order to rebalance demand at the two Welsh-medium secondary schools, the Council is proposing to transfer Ysgol Pencae from the Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr catchment to the catchment area of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Consultation is open until the 1st March and the Council really wants to hear the views of anyone who would be affected by the proposed changes. Hardcopies of the consultation documents are being sent to the relevant areas and they are also available online at www.cardiff.gov.uk/SchoolProposals. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​