School placements

On this page:

• Catchment areas
• Choosing a school
• Transfer to secondary
• When to enrol your child
• Non-catchment placing requests
• Further info and contacts

The following gives some general information that may be helpful when you are considering a place in school for your child. See the 2009 Placing in Schools booklet (Word, 205kB) for more information.

Catchment areas

The City of Edinburgh is divided into catchment areas. Your full address determines the schools where you would be given priority admission.

Each catchment area has:

• A Non Denominational Primary School
• A Non Denominational Secondary School
• A Roman Catholic Primary School
• A Roman Catholic Secondary School

View the complete list of downloadable Catchment Area Maps.

Choosing a school

Parents have a right to express a preference for a particular school and the Council will accommodate this wherever possible. If you are happy to send your child to the catchment school you usually need to enrol him/her on the advertised date. This procedure generally starts in mid November of the year before your child is due to begin school - Primary Stage 1 (P1) or Secondary Stage 1 (S1). By the end of April of the following year, parents are informed of allocated places. Places are not allocated until demand is assessed against the number of available places at individual schools.

This does mean that children moving into the catchment area after this date may find that there are no immediately available places, although your child would be placed on a waiting list:

Priority 1 - children living within the catchment area
Priority 2 - children with sibling/s already attending the school
Priority 3 - proximity to school

Transfer to secondary

You should note that if your child is allocated a P1 place at a school from outwith the catchment area, at S1 transfer you will be reserved a place at the secondary school that serves your address, and not at the secondary school which feeds from the primary school.

See the listing of Primary Schools and Associated Secondary Schools (PDF) .

When to enrol your child

For all stages other than entry to P1 or transfer to S1 you should contact the school directly.

• For entry to P1 at the catchment school, enrol during registration week in November.
• For entry to S1 at the catchment school you do not need to take any action. In mid November a letter will be sent to you indicating the school where your child will be allocated a place.
• For entry to P1, and transfer to S1 at non-catchment schools, forms will be available in mid November.
• For entry to Nursery school, contact the Nursery School directly to place your child's name on a waiting list after his/her second birthday. Nursery Schools are not managed by catchment area, therefore you are free to choose city-wide subject to availability.

Non-catchment placing requests

Parents have the right to express a preference for a particular school that they want their child to attend. Application forms for placing requests are made available at nurseries and primary schools in the city from November.

Further information

Scottish Schools Online is a searchable directory of all schools in Scotland, including local authority and independent schools.

Contacts

Contact any primary or secondary school for a non-catchment Placing Request application form in mid November or contact the Department as below.

For advice on school catchment areas:

Name: Information and Research
Address: Waverley Court, Level 1/2, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG
Tel: 0131 469 3219/3351
E-mail: School Catchments

For advice on entry to nursery school:

Name: Early Years and Childcare
Address: Waverley Court, Level 1/4, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG
Tel: 0131 529 2105
E-mail: Early Years and Childcare

For advice on making a placing request:

Name: School Grants, Awards and Placements
Address: Waverley Court, Level 1/1, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG

Transfer from nursery to primary school:
Tel: 0131 469 3033

Transfer from primary to secondary school:
Tel: 0131 469 3032

For all other stages, contact the school direct.

Primary Schools and associated Secondary Schools (93 kB)