PARENTS and guardians of Year 6 pupils in Pembrokeshire are invited to apply for a secondary school place for September 2025 by the closing date of December 22^nd 2024.

Applications received after this date will be considered late which may have a bearing on whether your child gets a place at their preferred school.

There is no automatic admission to a secondary school (except for 3-16 schools – see below), even if you are living in catchment and/or your child attends a feeder school, an application must be made.

It is important to note that a school place will not be allocated unless a formal application is received.

Parents of pupils in Year 6 at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, Ysgol Bro Preseli or Ysgol Caer Elen do notneed to apply as they are attending 3 to 16 schools and it is assumed they will remain in their current schools. 

However, if parents wish to apply for a different secondary school they should apply by the deadline noted above.

The online application form can be found on the Pembrokeshire County Council website: www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning under ‘Apply for a School Place’. 

For further information on the school admissions process, please view our Information to Parents

Parents/guardians will be informed of the allocation of places on the common offer date of 3 March 2025.

THE NUMBER of children recorded as having additional learning needs has almost halved under Welsh Government reforms due to “systematic underfunding”, a committee warned.

Buffy Williams led a debate on the education committee’s interim report amid a Senedd-long inquiry investigating the Welsh Government’s sweeping changes to educational support.

The additional learning needs (ALN) reforms have been replacing the old special educational needs (SEN) system in phases over four school years from 2021.

Ms Williams, who chairs the committee, said: “So, what have we found? To be blunt, the additional learning needs reforms are not going as planned.”

She raised concerns about a 44% fall in the number of pupils recorded as having SEN or ALN during the transition which is entering its final year.

She told the Senedd: “This reduction appears to be driven by a decrease in the number of pupils identified as having low to moderate SEN or ALN.

“At no point during the passing of the ALN bill did the Welsh Government anticipate that the reforms would almost halve the numbers of children identified as having additional needs.

“In fact, the Welsh Government repeatedly asserted that it would have no impact on the total numbers of children identified as having ALN or SEN.”

Ms Williams said the committee struggled to believe arguments that SEN was previously over-reported or that “universal” provision is sufficiently inclusive.

The reason committee members found most convincing was schools and councils lacking the required resources to give every child an individual development plan.

Ms Williams told the debating chamber or Siambr: “This resourcing shortage is the result of years of systematic underfunding of SEN and ALN provision in schools.”

Tom Giffard, the Conservatives’ shadow education secretary, echoed the Labour committee chair’s comments, warning that too many learners are being left behind.

He said: “In 2016/17, there were 92,000 children recognised as having SEN with low to moderate learning difficulties or disabilities. In 2022/23, that’s nearly halved.

“Now, I can’t realistically believe that there are fewer young people today with additional learning needs than there were less than a decade ago.”

Mr Giffard, a former teaching assistant in a Welsh-language primary school, added: “It’s clear that there are huge elements of the system that are not working.

“And that causes frustration for parents, for pupils, for teachers and others who care about these young people who are not getting the support they need.”

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s shadow education secretary, was similarly greatly concerned by the fall in the number of children receiving support.

Calling for adequate funding, he said: “We can’t let these children and young people down.”

Labour’s Hefin David, who is stepping down from the committee for personal reasons, said he had nothing but praise for the ALN support his daughter has received.

“This system has worked for her,” he said while acknowledging that some parents feel they face a “constant battle” for support for their children.

Dr David, who represents Caerphilly, suggested the difficulty is children in a grey area of diagnosis who sit just outside the statutory support that is available.

He told the Senedd: “Giving them the support is the challenge because their needs are very different and diverse.”

Warning that children are falling under the radar, Laura Anne Jones said the reforms are not clear enough, with Wales’ councils interpreting them in 22 different ways.

She raised the impact on parents, saying: “Many felt very isolated and helpless that they didn’t know how to get the support their children needed, and it’s quite heartbreaking.”

Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan said the committee heard children have been traumatised by a lack of support, leading to high absence levels among some pupils with ALN.

Responding to the debate on October 16, Lynne Neagle, who formally accepted most of the committee recommendations, recognised the challenges.

Wales’ education secretary told the Senedd she has listened to feedback that parts of the legislation, which was passed in 2018, are overly complex and unclear.

Ms Neagle said improving collaboration between health and education is a key priority.

The minister pointed to £107m invested in day-to-day revenue support since 2020, with more than £170m in longer-term capital to improve facilities for pupils with ALN.

She said her officials are reviewing how councils fund mainstream schools, with the aim of identifying how much each delegates for ALN.

Ms Neagle highlighted an extra £5m invested in a pay award for schools’ ALN coordinators.

In closing, she said: “I am determined that meeting the needs of learners with ALN remains at the heart of our education reforms.”

ENHANCED Marine Engineering Pre-Cadets embarked on a fantastic journey during their visit to the prestigious Warsash Maritime School Open Day.

Aspiring mariners embarked on an action-packed two-day visit to Southampton, gaining firsthand experience of the maritime industry. Their journey began on Friday with immersive sessions in the Maritime Simulation Centre, where they got a taste of life at sea through advanced simulations.

On the second day of their visit, Pre-Cadets were welcomed by Matthew Stewart, the School’s Deputy Director. They attended talks on the life of a maritime officer, were able to explore the world-class facilities on campus and had the opportunity to connect with sponsoring shipping companies.

Tim Berry, Maritime Lecturer for the Faculty of Engineering & Computing commented: “A fabulous opportunity for our Marine Engineering Pre-Cadets to explore career options in the Maritime Industry. Rubbing shoulders with shipping companies, recruitment agencies and sea going cadets, the ultramodern training facilities showcased by Warsash Maritime School left us excited about the voyage ahead.”

A heartfelt thank you to the Port of Milford Haven for sponsoring the maritime uniforms, and to the Reardon Nautical Trust for sponsoring the enrichment education, which includes a suite of RYA professional courses.

For more information or to apply, please visit www.pembrokeshire.ac.uk