Admissions and Immersion
Some families choose Welsh-medium education for their children later in their school lives, and we are here to help so that these children’s language skills are similar to other children of their age.
We offer this through dedicated immersion provision available in both the primary and secondary sectors.
Applications for admission to Welsh-medium schools are successful wherever possible. You can find full details about admission on our school admissions page.
You can elect to transfer your child from one school to another at any stage of their education, and this includes transferring them from an English-medium school to a Welsh-medium school.
Where this requires a change in language provision, the School Admissions Team will advise you to contact the Headteacher of the relevant school in order to be able to assess any immersion support needs.
They will also contact the relevant Headteacher to advise them that an application has been received and is pending.
Once you confirm that you wish to proceed, processing progresses as normal, and a placement offered at what will become the “host” school.
We currently host a Welsh-medium primary immersion unit at Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Gwenlli, supporting all primary aged pupils preparing for Welsh-medium education from Year 1 to Year 6. The school hosts and delivers the service on behalf of the primary schools within the Welsh-medium cluster.
Support for secondary age pupils is available directly through Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed.
Primary aged pupils will spend their first term at the immersion unit within Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Gwenlli, in an arrangement agreed between the Headteachers of their named school and Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Gwenlli.
However, an outreach arrangement will be in place that enables the pupil to attend their named school on a set day each week so that they are able to spend time at their new school with their peers.
This outreach arrangement will also enable staff to facilitate progress checks on previous immersion pupils. Secondary aged pupils access immersion facilities with gradual transition into mainstream classes as language transmission progresses.
Home to School Transport
The Council’s Home to School Transport policy provides free transport to those primary aged pupils who live two miles or more from their catchment or nearest available school, and those secondary aged pupils who live three miles or more from their catchment or nearest available school.
If a primary aged pupil is assessed as living two miles or more from Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Gwenlli, they will receive free transport to the immersion unit. This arrangement may not apply however on their designated outreach day.