Most pupils get their first choice of high school
MORE than eight in 10 pupils got their first choice high school place in Cardiff for applications to start in 2019.
The figures come as angry parents and a governor at the city’s Mount Stuart Primary claim children there have been denied places at their catchment school – double excellent Estyn rated Fitzalan High.
Only 16 of the 56 pupils in Mount Stuart Primary gained places at Fitzalan, the nearest high school, while 19 have no high school place at all, council figures show. Parent governor Sadia Abbi said a majority applied to Fitzalan and are very upset to be denied places.
Council figures show of the 56 current Mount Stuart year sixes applying to start high school in the city in September, 17 have places at Cathays High, 16 at Fitzalan and four to other unnamed schools.
A further 18 have no places because they submitted less than the permitted five preferences and received no offers or did not state a preference. One pupil selected five preferences on the application but was rejected by all.
Mount Stuart parent Hannah Alboreky says she and her son are “very stressed” after his first choice of Fitzalan was rejected.
“I applied on time thinking my son would go to his catchment school. We live in Grangetown. Fitzalan is our catchment school and the nearest school to us. Fitzalan buses stop near our door,” she said.
“I didn’t know there would be a problem getting in and no one warned us. I have appealed against the decision. The council sent me a list of schools with places but they are all too far away – they said there are places at Willows, Cantonian and Eastern High.
“I wouldn’t feel confident with hin travelling that far. He is very upset and was expecting a place at Fitzalan. It’s as if they are pushing people out.”
Another mother whose daughter didn’t get a place at Fitzalan said parents and children were crying when they found out they hadn’t got in to the school. The mother, who did not want to be named, said families assumed their children would get into Fitzalan as year sixes had traditionally gone there from Mount Stuart and no one had advised otherwise.
Parent governor Sadia Abbi, who lives in Butetown put down St Cyres in Penarth as first choice for her 11-yearold daughter to start high school in September, but she didn’t get a place and now has no place. “I had St Cyres first, Fitzalan second and Stanwell in Penarth third. You can make five choices but I made three as there were no other schools I wanted. I am going to appeal all three,” she said.
A Cardiff council spokesman said 98.7% of year six children were offered one of their five preferred choices for high school with 85.4% getting their first choice and only 1.3% having no offer – a similar picture to applications last year,
Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills Sarah Merry said: “While living in a catchment area doesn’t guarantee pupils a place at their local school, the majority of secondary schools in Cardiff currently have enough spaces to cater for incatchment applications.
“This year, in-catchment demand has exceeded supply of places at two secondary schools in Cardiff, namely Fitzalan High and Cardiff High. Sadly this has inevitably meant some children missing out, but there are places available at alternative schools.”