Parents appeal after daughter turned down for school place at the primary they say they were never warned they were no longer in catchment for
A child has been turned down for a place to start at her local school in September because the primary moved premises putting her address out of catchment.
Tom and Amy Hillier, who have lived at the same address in Old St Mellons, Cardiff, for more than 10 years, said the council has refused their daughter a place to start reception at the school her brother attends, although they were never told the new school building meant they were now out of range.
The couple are appealing the decision but said there is a long queue for over subscribed St Mellons Church in Wales Primary, which moved to new build premises in 2023. As both work full time they said they don’t know how they will get two children to different schools and the situation may mean the brother and sister will also have to go to different secondaries in future.
Branding the situation “totally unfair” Amy said the council should have planned better for an area which it knew was growing in size and needed more school places. The £6m new build St Mellon’s Church in Wales Primary was opened to much fanfare on the new St Edeyrn’s development in September 2023. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
St Mellons Church in Wales School, with only 30 places on offer, turned down the highest number of applications of any primary in Cardiff to start in September. It had 49 applications for 30 reception places and turned away 19.
The new premises was buillt with space for two form entry, but only has one form entry for 30 children and is among the most over subscribed primaries in the city this year, data released on school offer day on April 16 shows. You can read full details of all the most over subscribed primaries in Cardiff here.
Tom and Amy, not realising the 2023 move meant the house they have lived in more than a decade was no longer in catchment for the primary their son already attended went ahead and applied for a place for daughter Rosie to start reception in September.
They only put down one preference, St Mellons Church in Wales, thinking she would definitely get in. But Rosie, who turns four next month, now has no school place to start at in September.
At the time Amy and Tom’s son Gethin, now seven, started at the school it was on Dunster Road in Llanrhumney which was 0.4 miles from their house on Ty’r Winch Road and in catchment. But when the school moved to the St Edeyrn’s estate in September 2023 that put them 0.5 miles away and out of catchment, although Amy said no one told them.
“It blows my mind that we were in catchment and they can just change it. The new school building was to acccommodate an influx of children from the new estate, but what about people already here,” she said.
The mother of two claimed there was no consultation with parents when the school moved, so they didn’t know when they applied for Rosie that we weren’t in catchment any more.
“We are going to appeal but how can we get a place if it is full and over subscribed? Some of those who haven’t got in live in catchment too. My daughter has no school place for September now.
“It is a church school and the local church is three doors down from our house and also out of catchment for its own school too. I didn’t know this would happen when we applied and had no warning.
“We are in limbo now. There are other schools with places but that means our children going to different schools.
“I don’t want to take my son out of St Mellons as he is happy and settled with friends and doing well. We both work so I don’t know how we will get our children to too different schools.”
Tom, who works in retail, and Amy who works in human resources, are not sure how they will juggle two different school runs, possibly for the rest of their children’s time in education. They are also worried about how to handle different inset and sports days and events if their son and daughter have to go to different schools.
Their local councillor Joel Williams is supporting them and said the school catchment should not have changed when it moved. Conservative councillor Mr Williams, who serves the Pontprennau and Old St Mellons ward, said: “The catchment area for St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School has always been the community of Old St Mellons and there are no plausible reasons for this to change.
“The catchment area always included the area where new homes have been built in St Edeyrn’s, along with homes in Old St Mellons. I’m supporting local families who live within Old St Mellons whose children have been denied a place at their local primary school and have contacted the council to request urgent clarification.
“If there are local families who need my assistance they should not hesitate to contact me and I’ll do my very best to support.”
The £6m new home for St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School at the St Edeyrns development opened to pupils in September 2023. The school s relocated from its former site in Llanrumney and was delivered as part of Cardiff’s Local Development Plan.
The primary, which serves parts of Pontprennau and Old St Mellons, is one form entry, accommodating 210 pupils including a 48 place part-time nursery with the opportunity to expand to a 2 form entry (420 place) in the future, Cardiff Council said when it was opened.
In a statement when it opened in 2023 Cardiff Council said it “was part of a strategic solution to rebalance primary school provision in parts of North East Cardiff due to the issue of surplus primary school places in the Llanrumney area, and the need for additional places in Old St Mellons and parts of Pontprennau, when the St Edeyrn’s housing development is complete.”
Amy and Tom believe that, given the new school is over subscribed, but still not expanded to two form entry, the plan has not fulfilled the council’s aim to provide the additional spaces needed.
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “We strongly encourage parents and guardians to read all the school admissions information available on our website. It’s always important to check the admissions arrangements and catchment areas of your preferred schools when applying through the online admission portal.
“Applicants are advised to state no fewer than three preferences for primary schools to have the best chance of gaining admission to one of their preferred schools. Unfortunately, having a sibling at a particular school does not guarantee a place at a school.
” If an application is unsuccessful, families do have the right to appeal. The appeal process is entirely independent of the council, and we recommend pursuing this option if needed.
“Whilst St Mellons Church in Wales is fully subscribed this year, over 98% of Reception Year applicants were offered their first preference and all 3,377 applicants were either offered one of their first three preferences or could be offered a place at their preferred type of school within two miles of their home address”.
