Primary schools3 · phase from the school’s name
The Old Tollhouse · Photo: Adrian Dust · CC BY-SA 2.0–Not graded
Schools in Pontardawe · Welsh Government, DfE register
State schools in Pontardawe
Welsh is the language of teaching at 25% of Pontardawe’s schools, above both West Glamorgan’s towns (0%) and Wales’s schools (22%). 4 state-funded schools are located in Pontardawe’s built-up area, 1 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; Pontardawe’s overall grade uses its other subjects.
State schools
4
3 primary, 1 secondary
Pupils
1,617
Welsh Government school census
Welsh-medium
1 of 4
mainstream schools
School Grade
Not graded
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results
What stands out about Pontardawe’s schools
About the Welsh mix
25% of Pontardawe’s mainstream schools teach mainly in Welsh, against 29% across Wales. Families choose either, whatever language they speak at home. Welsh and English ↓
Sixth forms at every secondary
1 of Pontardawe’s 1 state secondaries teach to 18. After 16 ↓
Written from the Welsh Government’s list of schools and DfE’s register on this page.
Map
Where Pontardawe’s 4 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 Pontardawe’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsWelsh-mediumDual languageEnglish-medium
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Welsh and English
Which language Pontardawe’s schools teach in
Mainstream state schools by the Welsh Government’s language category. The black tick is the share across Wales.
Welsh-medium 125%
Dual language 00%
English-medium 375%
1 Welsh-medium primary in Pontardawe. 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 Pontardawe
Neath Port Talbot Council handles applications for every state school in Pontardawe. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Starting school or moving to secondaryApply to Neath Port Talbot 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. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
The schools
4 state schools in Pontardawe
Every state school in Pontardawe, 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.
Secondary schools1 · phase from the school’s name
Pupils: Welsh Government school census, as in its April 2026 list of schools.
After 16
Where Pontardawe’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.
The state secondary in Pontardawe has its own sixth form. Further-education colleges in Wales aren’t in DfE’s register, so they aren’t listed here.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 1
state schools in Pontardawe
Neighbours
Pontardawe and the places around it
State schools and Welsh-medium schools in the built-up areas around Pontardawe.
How to read these numbers
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results
- 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 Pontardawe’s schools and leave the School Grade out, rather than grade Welsh towns on a different measure.
- 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 Pontardawe
Are schools in Pontardawe good?
Wales doesn’t publish school-level results, so Welsh towns, Pontardawe among them, have no School Grade. The overall grade uses the other subjects.
How many state schools are in Pontardawe?
4 open state-funded schools are located in Pontardawe’s built-up area: 3 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other.
Are there Welsh-medium schools in Pontardawe?
Yes: 1 of 4 mainstream schools teach mainly in Welsh, including YGG Pontardawe.
How do I apply for a school place in Pontardawe?
Through Neath Port Talbot Council, which sets its own closing dates for primary and secondary places.
Why do Pontardawe’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.
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