Children start secondary school in September after they turn 11. Parents of pupils in year 6 at a Cardiff primary school will receive details of the application process.
You can apply for a place at all community secondary schools in Cardiff.
We run coordinated admissions with some schools. For a place at St Illtyd's Catholic High School, you will need to apply directly to the school.
For more information on admissions, please read the school admissions booklet 2026 to 2027 (PDF, 7 MB).
If your child is already in secondary school, you can apply for a change of school.
School place offer day
From Monday 2 March 2026, we will send you an offer letter for secondary school places for September 2026 by email and post.
View the summary of the allocation of places.
You will receive either:
- a place at your first preference school,
- a place at your lower preference school, or
- no offer.
If you have received an offer for a place at your first preference school, you must respond to the offer by Monday 16 March.
View a copy of the first preference offer letter (PDF, 355 KB).
If you have received an offer for a place at your lower preference school, this means your first preference does not have enough places available. Even if you are not sure about the lower preference offered, we strongly recommend you accept this offer and stay on the waiting list for your higher preference school. You still have the right to appeal, even if you accept the lower offer.
View a copy of the lower preference offer letter (PDF, 368 KB).
If you have received no offer, this means none of your preferences have enough places available. There are still alternative places available at other Cardiff schools for your child. We will have sent you a list of schools where there are spaces available.
View a copy of no offer letter (PDF, 334 KB).
Responding to the letter
You must respond to the offer by Monday 16 March.
You can respond by:
- logging in to the school applications system, or
- emailing [email protected]. Please make sure you include the child's name and date of birth.
Login to the school applications system
If you do not respond to the offer by 16 March, we will assume you no longer want that place and your offer may be withdrawn.
If you accept the offer, the school will contact you with information about the admissions arrangements.
If you have missed the application date
Applications have closed. If you have missed the deadline to apply for a place starting in September 2026, please complete a late application.
Complete a late application form
The application process
View important dates in the application process:
| Date | Step in the application process |
|---|---|
| Monday 22 September 2025 | Application process for starting Year 7 in September 2026 begins. |
| Monday 17 November 2025 | Closing date for applications. After this date, you will need to complete a late application form. |
| December 2025 to February 2026 | All applications are processed and assessed against the Admission Criteria. We will check and verify your address and any supporting information you have given us. |
| Monday 2 March 2026 | Offer day. We will send you an email or a letter if you have asked for your offer to be sent by post. Decisions can also be given over the phone after 10am on the offer day. |
| Monday 16 March 2026 | Closing date for you to accept or refuse the place we have offered. We reserve the right to withdraw offers that have not been responded to by this date. This is also the closing date for late applications. |
| April 2026 | Second round (late) applications processed and assessed. |
| May 2026 | Second round results sent out via post. All following rounds are processed on a monthly basis from now on. Waiting list positions available. |
| September 2026 | Children start secondary school. |
Coordinated admissions
We run coordinated admissions with 5 secondary schools:
- Corpus Christi RC High School
- Mary Immaculate RC High School
- St Teilo's CiW High School
- The Bishop of Llandaff CiW High School
- Whitchurch High School
If you are applying for Bishop of Llandaff CiW High School, Corpus Christi RC High School, Mary Immaculate RC High School or St Teilo's CiW High School, you will need to submit an extra form. Please contact the relevant school to get the form.
We only deal with the first round of applications for all coordinated schools. If you miss the application date, please contact the schools directly to submit late applications.
Contact us
If you have a question or would like more information, please contact us.
Tel: 029 2087 2087
