Schools in Aberdare · Welsh Government, DfE register
State schools in Aberdare
22 state-funded schools are located in Aberdare’s built-up area, 2 of them teaching in Welsh. Wales doesn’t publish school-level results comparable with England’s Key Stage 2 and GCSE tables, so Welsh towns have no School Grade; Aberdare’s overall grade uses its other subjects.
11% of Aberdare’s mainstream schools teach mainly in Welsh, against 29% across Wales. Families choose either, whatever language they speak at home. Welsh and English ↓
No school sixth forms
None of Aberdare’s state secondaries teaches past 16; students go on to a further-education college or a sixth form elsewhere. After 16 ↓
Faith schools
Aberdare Town C.I.W. Primary School, Cwmbach C.I.W. Primary School, St John Baptist C.I.W. High School and St Margaret's R.C. Primary School have a religious character; some give priority by church attendance when full. Getting a place ↓
Written from the Welsh Government’s list of schools and DfE’s register on this page.
Map
Where Aberdare’s 22 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its teaching language and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Aberdare’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 3 secondaries are named.
Welsh and English
Which language Aberdare’s schools teach in
Mainstream state schools by the Welsh Government’s language category. The black tick is the share across Wales.
Welsh-medium 211%
Dual language 00%
English-medium 1789%
1 Welsh-medium primary and 1 Welsh-medium secondary (Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun) in Aberdare. Welsh-medium schools teach mainly in Welsh and bring pupils to fluency in both languages; English-medium schools teach Welsh as a subject; dual-language schools teach in both.
Getting a place
How school places work in Aberdare
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council handles applications for every state school in Aberdare. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Starting school or moving to secondaryApply to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. Each Welsh council sets its own closing dates, usually in the autumn or winter before a September start.
Welsh-medium or English-mediumFamilies choose. Welsh-medium schools take children from homes that speak no Welsh, and teach them in Welsh from the start.
Moving mid-yearAsk the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 4 of Aberdare’s 19 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
The schools
22 state schools in Aberdare
Every state school in Aberdare, from DfE’s register of schools (GIAS) and the Welsh Government’s list of schools (pupils, language). Wales publishes no school-level results. Each school has its own page.
Pupils: Welsh Government school census, as in its April 2026 list of schools.
After 16
Where Aberdare’s teenagers go at 16
Young people in Wales can leave education at 16; most stay on at a sixth form or a further-education college.
All 3 state secondaries in Aberdare teach 11 to 16. Further-education colleges in Wales aren’t in DfE’s register, so they aren’t listed here.
Secondaries with a sixth form
0 of 3
state schools in Aberdare
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Aberdare
Aberdare has 2 special schools (Maesgwyn Special and Park Lane Special: 280 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an individual development plan (IDP), Rhondda Cynon Taf Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. Their cards ↑
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s additional learning needs (ALN) pages list support beyond these schools.
Neighbours
Aberdare and the places around it
State schools and Welsh-medium schools in the built-up areas around Aberdare.
MaerdyFerndaleMountain AshMerthyr TydfilTreorchyTroedyrhiw and PentrebachTreherbertAberdare
Not published in Wales. England publishes each school’s Key Stage 2 and GCSE results; Wales publishes no school-level results tables comparable with them. Estyn inspects Welsh schools and publishes a report on each, without a one-word judgement. So we list Aberdare’s schools and leave the School Grade out, rather than grade Welsh towns on a different measure.
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Estyn. Each school’s latest inspection report is on Estyn’s website: search by the school’s name. estyn.gov.wales ↗
Questions about schools in Aberdare
Are schools in Aberdare good?
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results, so Welsh towns, Aberdare among them, have no School Grade. The overall grade uses the other subjects.
How many state schools are in Aberdare?
22 open state-funded schools are located in Aberdare’s built-up area: 16 primary, 3 secondary and 3 other.
Are there Welsh-medium schools in Aberdare?
Yes: 2 of 19 mainstream schools teach mainly in Welsh, including Ysgol G.G. Aberdar and Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun.
How do I apply for a school place in Aberdare?
Through Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, which sets its own closing dates for primary and secondary places.
Why do Aberdare’s schools have no grades?
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results comparable with England’s tests and GCSE tables, so we don’t grade Welsh schools or towns on schools. Estyn publishes an inspection report on each school.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Welsh establishments; Welsh Government address list of schools in Wales (April 2026: language, sector, pupils). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
