Whitchurch High School

When there are more applications than places for 2027-28 (Year 7), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1. 1Looked after children / Special Guardianship Order — Pupils who are – or have previously been – looked after (in public care) and those subject to a Special Guardianship Order, are given the highest priority in oversubscription criteria.
2. 2Named on IDP — Pupils subject to an Individual Development Plan (IDP), in which a specific school is named.
3. 3On roll at partner primary school — Pupils who are on roll in one of Whitchurch High School's partner primary schools (see 3.1)
4. 4Catchment with sibling at WHS — Pupils who live within the catchment areas of the partner primary schools with an older sibling attending WHS at the time of their admission to the school, ie will be in Y7-Y11 in September 2027.
5. 5Catchment area (not on roll) — Pupils who are not on roll at any of the partner primary schools but who, by virtue of their address, would normally expect to be taught at one of these schools as they live in the catchment areas of the partner primary schools.
6. 6Outside catchment with sibling at WHS — Pupils who live outside the catchment areas of the partner primary schools with a sibling attending WHS at the time of their admission to the school, ie will be in Y7-Y11 in September 2027.
7. 7Outside catchment area — Pupils who live outside the catchment areas of the partner primary schools.

If two applications tie: Where the number of preferences exceed the number of places available in any higher criterion, proximity is used as a tie breaker to determine which pupils are admitted. Whitchurch High School uses the Council's Geographical Information System (GIS), referred to as an 'Integrated Transport Network' (ITN), configured in compliance with the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008 and the Learner Travel Statutory Provision and Operational Guidance 2014 route determination criteria. The shortest safe available route (as defined by the Welsh Government's 'Learner Travel Statutory Provision and Operational Guidance June 2014') is calculated (to 4 decimal places) from the co-ordinates of an applicant's home address (determined using the Local Land and Property Gazetteer [LLPG] address point data), to the nearest open school gate using Ordnance Survey (OS) route data. a) Where there is no safe route available, the nearest point on the ITN to the applicant's home address will be used to calculate the shortest driving route to the nearest open school gate. b) Tie-breaker: Where flats use the same LLPG address point co-ordinates, the route assessment is determined from the front entrance to each flat.

Applications for admission to secondary schools (Year 7) are made through Cardiff Council's common admissions process; closing date for September 2027 entry is 30th October 2026. Notification of results by 1st March 2027; deadline for acceptance of places is 15th March 2027. Statutory right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel arranged through Cardiff County Council; closing date for receipt of statutory appeal listed as Monday 16th March 2026 (as printed, though this appears to be a typographical inconsistency with the rest of the timetable). Waiting lists: applications remain on the normal admission round waiting list until 30th September 2027, allocated according to the oversubscription criteria; a separate in-year waiting list applies for applications made outside the normal admission round, lasting until the end of the term in which the application is made. Admission to Ty Calon (Special Resource Base) is managed by the Council subject to a statement of SEN/IDP, separate from the Year 7-11 criteria above. Multiple births (twins, triplets) considered together and admitted together if criteria met. Evidence required for residence changes (solicitor's letter, tenancy agreement, etc.) as detailed in the Notes for Guidance section. Sibling definition provided (brother/sister, half-sibling, step-sibling, adopted/fostered children living at same address). False information given to obtain a place may result in withdrawal of the offer and possible prosecution under the Perjury Act 1911.

Published by the admission authority. Meeting a criterion never guarantees a place — it sets the order places are offered in. Full detail, other entry points and previous years are on the Admissions tab.