The hardest schools to get into in Cardiff as applications open for 2025

Applications for secondary school places to start in Cardiff in September 2025 have opened. Cardiff Council has offered advice on increasing chances of getting a place at a preferred school.

Hundreds of children did not get into the secondary school of their choice in the city for this academic year in the first round. Six maintained secondary schools in the city had more applications than places to start in September 2024 of which three had to refuse applications from within catchment.

In total 467 children did not get their preferred school initially with more than half of those turned away by the city’s most sought-after secondary, Cardiff High. The school in Cyncoed was once again the most oversubscribed maintained secondary in the city. For the latest Cardiff news sign up to our newsletter here.

Read more: Glowing Estyn report for Kitchener Primary School in Cardiff

Don’t miss: Plans to build four new schools in Cardiff and the Vale thrown into doubt

The deadline for applying for a secondary place in September 2025 is November 18, 2024.Cardiff Council has reminded families that applying on time and providing five school preferences increases chances of getting a place at one of their preferred schools. “Should a family choose to only put one school option, for example, they are greatly limiting their chances of securing a preferred school,” the council warned.

Cardiff has a coordinated admissions scheme for applying to all 12 of the city’s community high schools and five partner schools, which are Whitchurch High, St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School, Corpus Christi Catholic High, Mary Immaculate High, and The Bishop of Llandaff High. This means applicants submit their preferred schools all on one online application although the council advises “you may also need to submit an additional form and/or further details directly to your preferred school (or schools) and should check the school’s admissions policy on their website for further details”.

Cardiff Council’s admissions team have published advice and guidance to help families applying for a school place in Cardiff. The advice can be viewed here and covers:

• The importance of applying on time and by the published application deadline.
• Taking a look at schools in the child’s area by visiting their websites and reading Estyn reports.
• Making sure the application form includes essential information such as if the child has a sibling at the school or any additional learning, medical, or social needs.

• Families wanting more help applying for a school place are advised to visit the council hubs across the city or call the team on 029 2087 2087.

Cabinet member for education Sarah Merry said: “Cardiff’s coordinated admissions helps to simplify the process of applying for a school place by allowing parents to state their order of preferred schools on one application. This provides a better chance of securing a preferred school in the first round of admissions. The system also prevents parents from receiving multiple offers, which would otherwise stop other children being offered these places, helping to eliminate unnecessary stress for the families that otherwise would not secure a place and helping to ensure a fairer and easier way of applying for school places.”

The council also stressed that Welsh-medium education is “available to everyone regardless of whether Welsh or English is spoken at home”. The city’s Welsh Immersion Unit, operating since 2010, has successfully supported more than 400 children with no previous Welsh language to become fluent and transfer into Welsh-medium schools part-way through their education.

Data released by Cardiff Council at the end of the admissions process for this academic year showed the following schools were hardest to get into:

Cardiff High

• Places: 240
• All preferences expressed: 476
• Places allocated: 240
• Out of catchment area with older sibling attending September 2024: Zero
• Refused: 236
• Last qualifying measurement was to someone living 1.797 miles away (this was within catchment)

Fitzalan High

• Places: 300
• All preferences expressed: 412
• Places allocated: 301
• Out of catchment area with older sibling attending September 2024: Zero
• Refused: 111
• Last qualifying measurement was to someone living 1.874 miles away (this was within catchment)

Llanishen High

• Places: 300
• All preferences expressed: 356
• Places allocated: 300
• Refused: 56
• Out-of-catchment area with older sibling attending September 2024: 12
• Last qualifying measurement was to someone living 1.168 miles away

Radyr Comprehensive

• Places: 240
• All preferences expressed: 270
• Places allocated: 240
• Out of catchment area with older sibling attending September 2024: 13
• Refused: 30
• Last qualifying measurement was to someone living 1.655 miles away

Ysgol Glantaf

• Places: 240
• All preferences expressed: 267
• Places allocated: 240
• Out of catchment area with older sibling attending September 2024: Zero
• Refused: 27
• Last qualifying measurement was to someone living 2.659 miles away (this was within catchment)

Cathays High

• Places: 240
• All preferences expressed: 247
• Places allocated: 240
• Out of catchment area with older sibling attending September 2024: 50
• Refused: Seven
• Last qualifying measurement was to someone living 4.672 miles away

The list, from Cardiff Council, did not include applications and offers to Whitchurch High or the city’s religious secondary schools – Corpus Christi, Bishop of Llandaff, St Teilo’s, Mary Immaculate, and St Illtyd’s. Places at other schools may have been freed up if some applicants accepted offers at Whitchurch High, which is not included in the data as it is a foundation school, or the church schools. For the 2024-25 academic year 98.7% of children applying for a community secondary school place secured one of their top three preferences and 88% of children got a place at their first preference – both up on the previous year.

What is happening where you live? Find out by adding your postcode or visit InYourArea.