Schools, school places and buildings, additional learning needs and Welsh-medium education.
What councils do
Councils run community schools, fund every state school, provide school transport and support pupils with additional learning needs. They plan school places, including Welsh-medium places under a ten-year plan.
Who decides
The Cabinet decides on school changes, such as opening, closing or merging schools, after a formal consultation. Head teachers and governing bodies run each school day to day.
Having a say
Proposals to change a school must be consulted on, and anyone can respond. Parents can also become school governors.
In numbers
Welsh councils plan to spend £1,307 per person on this in 2026-27.
It ranges from £1,099 in Monmouthshire to £1,475 in Merthyr Tydfil.
Year 1 pupils taught in Welsh: 25% across Wales (2025-26).
Decided: Cabinet approved nine nominations recommended by the Director of Education with the Cabinet Member for Education & Learning. They are: Dr Nicola Jones (Knelston Primary), Cllr Andrew Williams (Penclawdd Primary), John Winchester (Pentrechwyth Primary), Finola Wilson (Sea View Primary), Richard Lancaster (Sketty Primary), Cllr Fiona Gordon (Terrace Road Primary), Jessica Hopkins (Ynystawe Primary), Cllr Lyndon Jones (Bishopston Comprehensive) and Cllr Chris Holley (Pentrehafod School).
Decided: Cabinet considered the responses to the public open space notice dated 27 July 2026. It resolved that the land is no longer needed for its current General Fund purpose. It appropriated the land from General Fund purposes to Education purposes under section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972. This lets the land be allocated as a potential site for a new Ysgol Calon Lân, subject to Planning and Welsh Government approval.
Decided: Cabinet approved the change to the design brief for the Gowerton School (Secondary) Sustainable Communities for Learning project. It approved and committed a revised sum of £2,523,285 for the pre-construction phase to the capital programme. This is £4,557,600 less than the £7,080,885 approved on 17 July 2025.
Decided: Cabinet approved receiving and committing the £2,962,397 additional 2026-27 Welsh Government grant to the capital programme for school repairs and maintenance, subject to the final grant award and conditions. It noted that schemes are still being developed. These may include roofing at YGG Bryn Tawe, works at Cefn Hengoed Community School, school-identified priorities such as toilet upgrades, early design for 2027/28 schemes, health, safety and safeguarding risks, and new heating for four primary schools on oil-fired boilers. It delegated to the Director of Education and the Director of Place the choice and priority of schemes. It also delegated to the Director of Finance and the Director of Education the power, if needed, to swap up to £1,533,800 of the grant for core capital funding already allocated to Education projects. The equivalent unsupported borrowing would move to the 2027-2028 programme.
Armed Forces Community Covenant Signatories Panel,
Decided: The committee approved application 2026/0393/S73 for land north of Garden Village. It changes condition 3 of the 2019 permission (2016/1478), so that reserved matters for the phases other than Phase 1 are due after 13 years instead of 7. The approval includes the updates reported to the meeting: amended conditions 20 and 21 and a corrected condition 24. It is subject to a revised Section 106 agreement.
Resolved that:
1) The following nominations recommended by the Director of Education in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Education & Learning be approved:
St Josephs Cathedral
Caitlin Littlejohns
Ynystawe Primary
Laura Tams
YGG Bryniago
Mark Biscoe
YGG Tan Y Lan
Meleri Cole