You have the right to ask for your child to attend a school that is not the catchment school for your home address. If your child is 16 or over they can make their own placing request.
Placing requests can be made at any stage of a child's education.
Primary 1 and Secondary 1 placing requests for August 2025 intake will be accepted from 05 December 2024 until 15 March 2025.
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Placing request application - Information for parents
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We have a duty to approve your placing request if there are places available at the school you choose, or for other reasons defined in law. Where the number of places in a school is limited, we will prioritise admissions. For more information, please read our Admissions Policy.
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Admissions Policy
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If your placing request is refused, you can appeal in writing against the decision.
Primary 1 and Secondary 1 placing requests
You should submit your placing request between the first Thursday in December and 15 March the following year, for pupils starting school in August of that year. You will be told if you are successful or not by 30 April. Placing requests received after 15 March will be considered after those received before 15 March. You will be told the decision within two months of us receiving your application.
Primary 1 pupils should be enrolled at their catchment primary school until a decision is made on their placing request. If the placing request is unsuccessful, children will be given a place in their catchment school unless a second choice school is requested on the application form.
If a secondary 1 pupil would like to attend a high school which is not their catchment high school, they must submit a placing request. Transfers between denominational and non-denominational schools also need a placing request.
If your child was enrolled into a non-denominational school at primary 1, then your catchment high school is the non-denominational high school for your address.
If your child was enrolled into a denominational school at primary 1, then your catchment high school is the denominational high school for your address.
Pupils will where possible, be included in transition arrangements to the school applied for in a placing request. This is because transition arrangements begin before decisions about a placing request are made.
If your placing request is successful, you will be responsible for the arrangement and costs of transport to and from the school.
Placing request appeals
You can appeal to the Education Appeals Committee if your placing request is refused. This applies to primary and secondary placing requests only. If you wish, a Children's Services officer can discuss the refusal with you. This will not affect your appeal.
Your appeal in writing should be made to:
Your appeal request should be made within 28 days of you being told your placing request is unsuccessful. It should tell us why you wish to appeal against the decision. You can make more than one placing request in a 12 month period, but you can only appeal once during that time.
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Placing request appeals procedures - information for parents
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Placing request appeals - legal information
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