Pontypool Schools’ Eisteddfod (Wales) — A Welsh Schools’ Eisteddfod: Singing, Recitation, Folk Dance, Music and Art for Reception to Year 6

Cultural & Folk Festival · Europe

A Welsh primary schools’ eisteddfod (2025 edition): Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 solo singing, solo and group recitation, folk dancing, choir, woodwind, brass, piano and strings, plus a Reception to Year 6 art competition, with points of 10, 8, 6 and 2.

A ready-made schools’ eisteddfod for primary pupils, with Welsh-language singing and recitation, folk dancing, choirs, instrumental classes and a Reception to Year 6 art competition, all scored by points for the school.

This template models a one-town schools’ eisteddfod in south Wales, where primary schools send pupils to compete on a stage in front of adjudicators. It is built from the festival’s own 2025 booklet, so the phases, the classes and the points are real. Booklets change each year, so check the current one before reusing dates or entry rules.

The festival runs in two phases on separate days. The Foundation Phase (Reception to Year 2) has five classes: group recitation, solo singing, folk dancing, solo recitation and choir. Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) has eleven: solo recitation and solo singing, each split into a Years 3-4 and a Years 5-6 class, plus group recitation, choir, folk dancing, and free-choice woodwind, brass, piano and strings classes open to Years 3 to 6. Alongside both phases runs an art competition with seven classes, one for each year group from Reception to Year 6.

Solo and instrumental classes take one pupil per school, so every school sends a single representative per class. Team classes are made up of a school group: the booklet sets 8 to 15 pupils for group recitation, 4 to 8 for folk dancing and no more than 45 for a choir. The sung and recited classes are in Welsh, with set pieces for each phase; folk dancing, instruments and art carry no language rule. For art, a school may send one entry per year group, made either by a single pupil or by a group of pupils from that year, and only paintings or drawings are accepted.

Results are by points. First place scores 10, second 8, third 6 and a merit 2, and the art points count towards the overall winner of each phase, who takes the winner’s cup. Every participant receives a medal and a certificate, first place in a solo class gets a small trophy, and the first three group classes win a voucher for their school. The booklet prints no marking table and no time limits, so each class is installed as scored out of 100 with no time set; a coordinator should add the time limits and judging notes they announce to adjudicators.

Where this event is run

Competitive eisteddfodau for schools are a long tradition in Wales, run at school, town, county and national level, and the same competitive festival format, with adjudicators, set pieces and placings, appears in other parts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Patagonia, Australia and New Zealand. This template follows one town’s primary schools’ edition and is useful to any local authority, cluster of schools or community council running a schools’ competition day.

• Wales (United Kingdom)

Key facts

• Ten competitions: Solo Singing, Solo Recitation, Group Recitation, Folk Dancing, Choir, Woodwind, Brass, Piano, Strings and an Art Competition (My Wales)
• Two phases: Foundation Phase (Reception to Year 2) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6), plus art classes for each year from Reception to Year 6
• Team sizes are registration rules: group recitation 8 to 15 pupils, folk dancing 4 to 8, choir up to 45; solo and instrument classes take one pupil per school
• Sung and recited classes are in Welsh; dance, instruments and art have no language rule
• Points for the school: first 10, second 8, third 6, merit 2; art points count towards each phase’s overall winner
• The booklet prints no marking criteria or time limits, so every class is installed as scored out of 100 with no time set

Age groups

13

Competition items

10

Competitions

30

Grade bands

0

Rank awards

4

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

Foundation Phase

4From

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6To

Candidates aged 4 to 6 compete in this group

Years 3-4

7From

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8To

Candidates aged 7 to 8 compete in this group

Years 5-6

9From

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10To

Candidates aged 9 to 10 compete in this group

Years 3-6

7From

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10To

Candidates aged 7 to 10 compete in this group

Foundation Phase Team

4From

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6To

Candidates aged 4 to 6 compete in this group

Years 3-6 Team

7From

–

10To

Candidates aged 7 to 10 compete in this group

Reception

4From

–

4To

Candidates aged 4 to 4 compete in this group

Year 1

5From

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5To

Candidates aged 5 to 5 compete in this group

Year 2

6From

–

6To

Candidates aged 6 to 6 compete in this group

Year 3

7From

–

7To

Candidates aged 7 to 7 compete in this group

Year 4

8From

–

8To

Candidates aged 8 to 8 compete in this group

Year 5

9From

–

9To

Candidates aged 9 to 9 compete in this group

Year 6

10From

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10To

Candidates aged 10 to 10 compete in this group

Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Solo Singing

MusicMarks

Solo Recitation

LiteraryMarks

Group Recitation

LiteraryMarks

Folk Dancing

DanceMarks

Choir

MusicMarks

Woodwind

MusicMarks

Brass

MusicMarks

Piano

MusicMarks

Strings

MusicMarks

Art Competition - My Wales

ArtMarks

Frequently asked questions

Can I change this template after installing it?

Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.

Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?

No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.

Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to school arts fest software.