UK Schools & Childcare- International Students

Group of students on Swansea beach with 'we heart swansea' carved into the sand.

Information and guidance around school and childcare in Wales.

Schools and childcare overview

If you are planning on bringing your children with you to Swansea, it is important you familiarise yourself with the UK schooling structure, understand the process for applying for school places or childcare support, and have a realistic idea around any additional finance that you will need in relation to this. You should not assume that your child will be taken care of for free whilst you are busy in lectures, and/or your spouse or partner is at work, or that you can bring them with you to the University while you study.

Whilst we have provided what advice and guidance we can below, applying for school places and arranging additional childcare and education is the responsibility of parents. The University cannot do this for you.

Children on Campus
It’s important that you fully understand children are not permitted at lectures, seminars, or other teaching activities – including any teaching and learning events that happen off campus.

While children are welcome to visit public areas such as café’s, shops, reception areas and others, for short infrequent visits, the University campuses are not designed to be a childcare environment and children must always be with a responsible adult. The University has a Children on University Premises Health and Safety policy which you should read carefully.

The education pathway

This section will help you to understand which stage of education your child or children are at and whether you will be able to access state schooling and childcare provision for them. This is discussed in more detail in the age sections below.

Pre-school: this is available from private childcare providers full time, it is not free. Some providers will take babies from 3 months onwards and children can stay until they reach 5 years old (when it is compulsory for them to start formal schooling)

Nursery: this is available free on a part-time basis (either morning or afternoons, for 10 hours per week, as decided by the individual school) and is for children aged 3. Some schools will work with private providers to arrange on site or close child care for the rest of the day, but this extra care is not free.

Reception: this is available full time for free and is for children aged 5
Years 1-7: this is available full time for free at a Primary School and is for children aged 6 to 11
Years 7-11: this is available full time for free at a Secondary School and is for children aged 11-16

Table showing age and relevant school year:

Age	School Year	School Level
4-5	Reception	Primary
5-6	Year 1
6-7	Year 2
7-8	Year 3
8-9	Year 4
9-10	Year 5
10-11	Year 6
11-12	Year 7	Secondary / Comprehensive
12-13	Year 8
13-14	Year 9
14-15	Year 10
15-16	Year 11

Types of Schools

There are two main options for schooling within the UK

State-run Schools – these are free schools provided by local councils, teaching subjects and skills set out in the Hwb Wales - Welsh National Curriculum – this gives children equal access to education and qualifications.
Independent or Private Schools – these are fee paying schools run independently of the state system, they do not have to follow the National Curriculum.

Most of our international students choose to send their children to free state run schools. However, if you would prefer to send your child or children to a private fee paying school for their education, this option is also available in Swansea.

Boys and girls aged between 2-11 are able to apply to attend Oakleigh House. Details of the school including fees and the application process can be found on their website.

Secondary school education can be accessed via Ffynone House. This school takes boys and girls from aged 11-18. Details of the school including fees and the application process can be found on their website.

Childcare & Nursery - Children under 5 years of age

Children 0-3 years

If you plan on bringing children under 3 years of age and they will need childcare, it is the parents' responsibility to source, secure and finance this. There is no free childcare for under 3’s provided by the University or the Welsh government.

Childcare costs vary, but you should plan to pay a Nursery or Child Minder £45-60 for a full day, or £35-50 for half-days.

Nurseries are normally businesses, with plentiful staff and children, that are run from buildings adapted for young children and infants. Childminders are usually individuals who care for children in their own homes. Nurseries and official Childminders are both regulated and inspected by the government. Make sure that you find out what drinks and snacks and other sundries (such as nappies) are included as part of the childcare contract- as you may need additional budget for these in some cases.

You can find a comprehensive list of services in the area on the Welsh Government's Family Information Service Website - this includes their costs, ages cared for and other information. You will need to contact the service providers directly to make an application.

Whilst there is a Students’ Union operated nursery on Singleton Park Campus, it is in extremely high demand and has a waiting list. You must apply in advance and should not assume your child will be accepted there. This Nursery is not free- it will charge market rate costs (as above).

Children 3-5 years

In Wales, children 3-5 years of age are usually entitled to apply for free-of-charge part-time nursery places (10 hours per week) at local Primary schools.

Children can apply to attend a nursery, within a council run primary school, from the start of term after they turn 3, or from the day after their 3rd birthday. This will be for a maximum of 10 hours per week and will either run in the morning or afternoon (not full days). Nursery classes are restricted in size, so you will only be offered a place if there is available space and you may not be able to choose the time or day your child attends.

For many families, 10 hours per week childcare is not enough for their needs. If you need additional support, you will need to arrange and pay for the additional childcare you need. Some providers offer ‘wrap around’ care, which means you can pay for someone to drop off and collect your child, looking after them until you are ready to pick them up. Wrap around care costs depend on distance, length and what services the child is getting (i.e. food etc). For budget planning, you should expect to pay around the same costs as standard childcare detailed above (£45-60 for a full day, or £35-50 for half-days). As per information above, you can find a comprehensive list of additional childcare providers, in the area on the Welsh Government's Family Information Service website - this includes their costs, ages cared for and other information. You will need to contact the service providers directly to make an application.

Regarding the application for free 10 hours per week nursery places, all council run primary schools in Swansea have a nursery and places must be applied for in advance. You cannot just take your child to a school without having first applied for and secured a place - so please do not just turn with your child hoping you can leave them there.

You can find local Primary Schools through the "My Local Schools" website. Make sure you search for Primary Schools, not Nursery Schools. This will give you a list of local schools and their email/phone contact details. We recommend making a list of 3 schools to contact, as your first choice might not be immediately available (you will usually be offered a place at a school within a 2-mile radius of your permanent address).

Once you know which schools you would like to apply to, contact them directly by phone or email. It is not appropriate to just turn up at a school without an appointment due to safety restrictions.

Please note: you should only contact a school directly if you are applying for a Nursery place– for all school places for children 5+ you must follow the application processes via the Swansea Council Schools Admissions Team as detailed below.

You must make sure your child has adequate care arrangements in place for you to carry out your studies. As per information above, you cannot bring children with you to the University and/or expect staff or other students to mind them for you.

Primary and Secondary - children over 5 years of age

Children 5-10 years (Primary)

In Wales, children aged 5-10 are usually eligible for free full time education at a local state run Primary School.

A child must be formally allocated a place, by the relevant local Council, before they can attend school. It is not possible to just turn up at a school and expect your child to be a) automatically accepted at that school or b) able to attend straight away.

You must follow the proper process for school allocation, failure to do can cause significant issues to the local Council/Schools and also considerable upset to you and your children.

When do I apply for school places?
In all cases, you must have secured your accommodation before applying for any school places. This should be the accommodation where you intend to stay for the duration of your course. One of the biggest issues that we have raised to the University, is students trying to switch schools multiple times as they have applied for schools while in temporary accommodation. As well as creating a swathe of issues for Councils and the schools themselves, this is also distressing for children, who may already be struggling to cope with a new country and culture. Please THINK before you apply for a school place, and ask yourself if it is the right time and place for you to be applying. The local schools, community and your children will all thank you for it.

As part of the Schools Admissions process you will usually be asked to choose 3 local schools and the Council Schools Admissions Team will try to allocate you one of these. These should be within a 2-3 miles radius of your accommodation address and a list of schools and their websites should be available on the relevant Council website or by using a search engine to help you. However, there is no guarantee that you will get your first, second or third choice. For example, Primary Schools in Swansea are currently heavily subscribed and some are already full. There is also no guarantee that you will have all your children placed in the same school- it depends on space availability.

You need to be prepared to travel up to 2 miles to an allocated school and should factor any related costs into your finance plan. In the UK, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure their children get to school and it is a legal requirement that your children attend. If you are offered a school but do not register your child, you may be contacted by the local authority to find out why your child is not in school. Stating that you did not get your initial school choice or that you have to catch local transport will not be classed as an acceptable reason and you will be expected to ensure that your child registers and has regular attendance.

What is the application process?
You will need to apply for a Primary school via the Council for the area in which you live. As most of our students live within the Swansea Council catchment area, we have provided a guide to applying for school places in Swansea below. If you are living outside Swansea, remembering you must live within a 50 miles radius, you will need to check and apply using the process for the relevant local Council.

Here are the links to some additional Council’s Schools Admission information if relevant to you:

Bridgend County Borough Council
Carmarthenshire County Council (including Llanelli and Carmarthen areas):
Cardiff Council
Neath Port Talbot Council
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Council

How do I make an Application in Swansea?
Once you have secured your long term accommodation, you will be able to apply for a Primary school for your child aged 5-10. The process and where you can access help and guidance are detailed below:

Process outline
• Visit the Swansea Council Schools Admissions website
• Select “Apply for a school place mid-year (school transfer)”
• Click the link at “Mid-year transfer application for primary schools - Apply online”
• Complete the application and submit.

Help & Guidance with your Application
It is your responsibility to complete and submit the Schools Application Form, the University cannot check or send this for you. However, we have prepared a Primary School - Online Application Guide which supports you through the form and clarifies what information is needed.
You should also download and read the Swansea Council Information for Parents Booklet- as there is lots of information and guidance available in that resource.

I can’t complete the Online Application
If you have difficulty completing the online application, you can request a PDF copy by emailing Swansea Council’s Schools Admissions team at admissions@swansea.gov.uk, or by calling +44 (0)1792 636550. You can then print and complete this form and return it by post. They are also available to help with other questions you may have.
We have also prepared a Primary School - Paper Application Guide which supports you through the form and clarifies what information is needed.

What happens next?
The Swansea Council Schools Admissions Team will usually assess your application and allocate a place within 15 school days (or 28 calendar days – whichever is sooner). Please be patient during this time. Do not contact the schools directly as they have no influence over the allocation of places. Do not attempt to take your child to a school before you have a confirmed place as they will be turned away.

Once you have received the school allocation notification, you can then contact the school to arrange a first day. Some schools may invite you to visit before your child’s first day, so they can have a look and meet some of the children and teachers.

Make sure that you know what the school uniform is, school start and finish timings, lunch arrangements (you have to pay for a cooked lunch or can opt to bring a packed lunch from home) and plan any public transport journeys you may need (likely by bus) to avoid any issues with lateness on the first day and beyond.

Children 11+ years (Secondary)

In Wales, children aged 11-16 (or 18 by choice) are usually eligible for free full time education at a local state run Secondary School, these are also known as Comprehensive Schools.

You must follow the proper process for school allocation, failure to do can cause significant issues to the local Council/Schools and also considerable upset to you and your children.

When do I apply for school places?
In all cases, you will not be able to apply for a school place until you have secured your accommodation. This should be the accommodation where you intend to stay for the duration of your course. One of the biggest issues that we have raised to the University, is students trying to switch schools multiple times as they have applied for schools while in temporary accommodation. As well as creating issues for Councils and the schools themselves, this is also distressing for children who may already be struggling to cope with a new country and culture. Please THINK before you apply for a school and ask yourself if it is the right time and place for you to be applying. The local schools, community and your children will all thank you for it.

As part of the Schools Admissions process you will usually be asked to choose 3 local schools and the Council Schools Admissions Team will try to allocate you one of these. These should be within a 2-3 miles radius of your accommodation address and a list of schools and their websites should be available on the relevant Council website or by using a search engine to help you. However, there is no guarantee that you will get your first, second or third choice. Schools in Swansea are currently heavily subscribed and some (particularly Primary schools) are already full. There is also no guarantee that you will have all your children placed in the same school- it depends on space availability.

You need to be prepared to travel up to 3 miles to an allocated school and should factor any related costs into your finance plan. In the UK, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure their children get to school and it is a legal requirement that your children attend up to the age of 16. If you are offered a school but do not register your child, you may be contacted by the local authority to find out why your child is not in school. Stating that you did not get your initial school choice or that you have to catch local transport will not be classed as an acceptable reason and you will be expected to ensure that your child registers and has regular attendance.

What is the application process?
You will need to apply for a Primary school via the Council for the area in which you live. As most of our students live within the Swansea Council catchment area, we have provided a guide to applying for a Secondary school in Swansea below. If you are living outside Swansea, remembering you must live within a 50 miles radius of the campus, you will need to check and apply using the process for the relevant local Council.

How do I make an application in Swansea?
Once you have secured your long term accommodation, you will be able to apply for a Secondary school for your child aged 5-10. The process and where you can access help and guidance are detailed below:

Once you have a confirmed residence in Swansea, and have identified your choice of 3 schools, you will need to complete an application form and return it to the Council School Admissions Team. This form requires information from your child’s previous / current school, so familiarise yourself with this as soon as possible – you may be able to complete section in advance.

Visit the Swansea Schools Admissions Website
Select “Apply for a school place mid-year (school transfer)”
Click the link at “Mid-year transfer application for secondary schools - Application for mid-year admission to secondary school”
Download and save the Word Document
Complete this application form – you can either complete it electronically or print the form and complete it manually
Return the completed form:
- By scanning / saving and emailing to midyearadmissions@swansea.gov.uk
- OR by post to Admissions Team, Pupil Support Unit, Civic Centre, Oystermouth Road, Swansea, SA1 3SN

We recommend emailing the form - this will make sure the application is assessed as soon as possible. In addition, we recommend sending proof of Visa status, any proof of address you have, along with any other information that may be relevant for your application.

Help & guidance with your application
It is your responsibility to complete and submit the Schools Application Form, the University cannot check or send this for you. However, we have prepared a Secondary School - Application Guide which supports you through the form and clarifies what information is needed.
You should also download and read the Swansea Council Information for Parents Booklet- as there is lots of information and guidance available in that resource.

I am having difficulties with the application form
If you have used the resources available above but are still having difficulty completing the application, you can ask for help by emailing Swansea Council’s Schools Admissions team at admissions@swansea.gov.uk, or by calling +44 (0)1792 636550.