Consultation begins on school catchment areas and transport in Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire County Council is seeking views on proposed school admissions arrangements for the Academic Year 2027/28. This includes proposals to adjust school catchment areas and school transport across the county.

School catchment areas in Carmarthenshire have remained largely unchanged since the previous review in 2010, except for school reorganisations/closures. The proposed changes have been developed from recent data and result from:

• Aligning school catchments to the Unitary Authority Boundary of Carmarthenshire
• Ensuring that all areas of Carmarthenshire are included
• Previous school closures/openings
• Inclusion of some land areas where there is little pupil population
• Reflecting greater community cohesion
• More accuracy to ensure that properties are within catchment lines
• Digital technology enabling more accurate understanding of where pupils come from and which schools they attend
• Feedback from informal discussions with schools
• Over capacity/over subscription in some settings and the need to balance pupil numbers to improve financial efficacy and efficiency
• To support more efficient provision of school transport

As part of this consultation, views on proposed changes to free school transport are also being sought, to support a more efficient provision. The proposals include that from September 2027, free transport will be available only to a learner’s catchment school, in line with the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Glynog Davies, said: “The proposed changes to school catchment areas and transport within Carmarthenshire will enable us to deliver a more balanced education provision across the county.”

We are encouraging parents, teachers, school governors and wider school communities to have their say in the consultation.”

The consultation closes Friday 27 February 2026. Find more information or take part in the survey on the Council’s website. Paper copies can also be requested by visiting one of the County Council’s Hwbs in Ammanford, Carmarthen or Llanelli.

Voluntary Aided Schools are responsible for their own Admissions Policy and catchment area maps consultation.  The catchment area review only applies to mainstream schools and excludes Additional Learning Need Units or specialist schools.

This consultation does not affect the parents right to apply for a school place of their choice in line with WG Admissions Policy.