The most in-demand secondary schools in Newport have been revealed in new admissions data from the council as children learn whether they have got their preferred place for this September. Bassaleg School had the highest number of preferences for places but St Julian’s turned down the highest number of applicants.
St Julian’s, The John Frost School and Bassaleg are now full for September but places remain at Caerleon Comprehensive, Llanwern, Lliswerry and Newport high schools as well as at the city’s only Welsh medium secondary, Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed. Children applying for places at one of Newport’s eight mainstream secondaries are asked to state at least three preferences.
The data does not list how many preferences are first, second or third but only the total number of preferences stated. A total of 473 preferences were expressed for one of the 330 places at Bassaleg and it turned down 17 applications. Newport spends the least per pupil on education of any local authority in Wales and you can read more about that here.
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A total 368 preferences for one of the 242 places at St Julian’s were listed with the school turning down 31 applications. That was the highest number of refusals.
The John Frost School had the second highest number of preferences listed after Bassaleg at 394 and it refused 25 of those. The school had a total of 248 places on offer and some applicants may have accepted other school places during the process.
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The number of applications and refusals at each mainstream non-faith secondary in Newport
Bassaleg School
- Number of preferences expressed 473
- Places available 330
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 275
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 55
- Number of Refusals 17
- Places remaining 0
Caerleon Comprehensive School
- Number of preferences expressed 269
- Places available 248
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 132
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 115
- Number of Refusals 0
- Places remaining 1
Llanwern High School
- Number of preferences expressed 225
- Places available 260
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 138
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 41
- Number of Refusals 0
- Places remaining 81
Lliswerry High School
- Number of preferences expressed 229
- Places available 240
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 142
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 38
- Number of Refusals 0
- Places remaining 60
Newport High School
- Number of preferences expressed 223
- Places available 203
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 178
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 17
- Number of Refusals 0
- Places remaining 8
St. Julian’s School
- Number of preferences expressed 368
- Places available 242
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 153
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 89
- Number of Refusals 31
- Places remaining 0
The John Frost School
- Number of preferences expressed 394
- Places available 248
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 240
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 8
- Number of Refusals 25
- Places remaining 0
Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed
- Number of preferences expressed 97
- Places available 150
- Number of Catchment & High Priority places allocated 86
- Number of non-catchment places allocated 6
- Number of Refusals 0
- Places remaining 58
The data does not include applications to the voluntary aided faith school St Joseph’s Roman Catholic High School. That school runs its own, separate, admissions system.
Applications can also be refused even if there are places available. This could be, for example, because parents who do not live in Newport have applied for a school place in the city.
On it admissions process Newport Council says: “Your child cannot be considered for a school unless you have applied for it so you should consider choosing at least three different schools to increase your chances of getting a place that you are happy with.
“Expressing a preference for a school will give your child priority over children whose parents have not. If you decide not to list your catchment school as one of your preferences but are unsuccessful with all of your choices, your child will only be considered for an alternative place at the catchment school if places are available.
“You can ask to be allocated an alternative place at your nearest available school if you are unsuccessful with your school preferences.”
School admission criteria in Newport when applications exceed places
Where the number of applications is equal to or less than the admission number, all applications are successful. If applications exceed the admission number, the following oversubscription criteria is applied:
- Looked-after children (children in public care) and previously looked-after children
- Pupils living within the catchment area making an application on medical grounds
- Pupils living within the catchment area with relevant siblings
- Pupils living within the catchment area
- Pupils living outside of the catchment area making an application on medical grounds
- Pupils living outside of the catchment area with relevant siblings
- Pupils living outside of the catchment area
- After considering the above categories, or if the number of applications in any one of the above categories exceeds the published admission number, priority is for children living nearest to the preferred school.
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