Late applications to Edinburgh secondaries (long, sorry!)

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

DH has been offered a brilliant job opportunity in Edinburgh, he'd be mad not to accept it. We have family in Glasgow and friends in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, I think it'd be a really positive move for us all. Currently we're in England.

But the move seems daunting as we'd be moving in the same year as our eldest's secondary school admissions, so we'd miss this process. Can anyone help me navigate this?

This has all happened really quickly - but realistically I don't think we'll have sold our house and be ready to move till the new year at the earliest, or later if the market's not moving - unless we're really lucky.

Also, because of the difference in the English and Scottish systems, I can't see any way of doing this other then selling our house first, then renting in Edinburgh while we house hunt. We don't have much spare cash - our house budget is about £300k which I know doesn't go far in Edinburgh!

So, by the time we've bought a home in Edinburgh, we'll have long missed the applications process.

Can anyone give me any advice on this? I know the system is different to England, there isn't the same competition for places, but are Edinburgh schools oversubscribed even so?

DS is bright and has ASD (high functioning) so I need to be careful he's going to a school that he'll likely thrive in.

Will DS end up without a school? Or sent to one miles away that's not suitable for him? Are we mad to consider this?

Thanks for reading all this!

[zelbazinnamon]

Can you rent in Edinburgh (ideally where you then want to buy!) and apply from that address?

[prettybird]

First off: don't panic.

Second: what age is your ds and when is his birthday. They go to secondary a year later than in England (7 years at primary, 6 at secondary). You may have more time than you think.

Normal age range for starting secondary in Scotland is 11.5 to c 12 and 9 (or even 10) months old (because of deferrals.)

I'm not in Edinburgh so can't give you specific advice but I do know that most of the Edinburgh schools do tend to be over-subscribed but I think that they do need to keep a couple of spaces for those that move into catchment and/or you are top of the list if there are no spaces.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

Can you rent in Edinburgh (ideally where you then want to buy!) and apply from that address?

Yes, I think this may be what we have to do.

The problem with that is, because our budget is so tight (we want 3 beds and a garden, and £300k doesn't go far in Edinburgh) I was thinking we'd have to cast our net wide and see what comes up.

There are a few in budget but they're spread out. We haven't got enough money to be able to decide what area we want to live in up front, it'll depend a lot on what's available at the time.

But then again, if what matters most is DS's school, then I guess we could see which schools have a place and rent locally, and compromise on the property if we have to.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

First off: don't panic
Thanks

what age is your ds and when is his birthday

DS will be 11 in November, so I as far as I can make out, that means he's on course for S1 in 2020, doesn't it? But, if he wasn't 11 till after March next year then he might be in the year below?

That's my understanding anyway. If I've got it wrong and we've got more time - great! (I think? )

[MissMarks]

I would look at Linlithgow. Easy train to Edinburgh and very good school.

[MissMarks]

And yes, first year in September 2020

[Yoollyball]

Firstly, no you are not mad. Schools in scotland are not like in England - its not as manic. Most kids go to their local catchment high school. If you only have one dc ( so don't have to get another future dc into the same possibly out of catchment school) this makes it easier.

Our school year ( whilst we start in August) dob run 1st March so you can work out school year. A dc born between 1st March 2007 to 29th Feb 2008 would currently just have started high school in S1 this year (in reality there is a fuzzy month deferral period but those are the official dates). We're not Edinburgh but rented and then bought.

There are lots of threads about where is good to live in Edinburgh/ schools. Your budget you know if small for Edinburgh so you may need to think about other communtable areas.

[MissMarks]

You won’t get you want in the catchments for the good schools for 300k. ☹️

[Griefmonster]

Schools start in August not Sept (assuming state sector) and I think he could start the following year if you wanted him to have a year of primary and buy you a bit of time. Whether an Edinburgh school is over subscribed or not REALLY depends on area. Some areas bursting at the seams, others under capacity. But at 300k for 3 beds and a garden you're not looking at the really pressured catchments I wouldn't imagine. Best bet is Google Edinburgh council school admissions and contact the council for advice. They can let you know on when he can start and what schools are more likely to have places. There's also a fair amount of boundary changes going on so worth speaking to council rather than other parents as they might not know what is planned/happening now. There is a shit tonne of misinformation (gossip) about schools in Edinburgh! Good luck with move!

[Griefmonster]

Yeesh case in point above about misinformation! If you looked at most threads on here about Edinburgh state school you would think the only ones worth going to are Boroughmuir and Gillespie's where yes £300k might get you a 2 bed tenant flat (if you're lucky). Other schools are available! That have well rounded children attending them and going on to do good things!

[margotsdevil]

Do you have to stay in Edinburgh itself? If you moved out to West Lothian or Fife that money would buy a lovely property - and the commute isn't too bad. Be careful if considering Linlithgow. A new school is being built which is splitting the catchment.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

Schools start in August not Sept

Sorry, I do know this really, honest! September is just so ingrained in my mind as the start of school!

Areas that look maybe doable after my initial searches and DP's 3 decades-old knowledge of Edinburgh schools has given the following areas as possibles. (I know they're far from the city centre!)

Currie
Balerno
South Queensferry
The catchment for Portobello if we're very lucky!
Brunstane
Places the estate agents call Corstorphine but I suspect are near it, not in it
Leith
Trinity
Possibly Musselburgh
Random one off affordable places in more central locations.

Does anyone know any of these locations / schools?

A tenement with shared garden in a more central location that the above would be grand! I've been looking at ESPC and Rightmove and and I hope it's doable for £300k with a bit of luck.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

MissMarks I'll have a look at Linlithglow, thanks!

margotsdevil I'll bear that in mind also, thank you :)

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Firrhill is a decent school - this is what is available in the catchment and mostly in budget.

espc.com/properties?pid=35750650&school=5532639&minbeds=3plus&maxprice=325000

As others have said, most children will get a place in the catchment school if you are living in catchment.

remember it's high school so intakes are much bigger than primary so are a little more flexible and there is more movement. Easier to find an extra space when you have 160 DC starting than when you have a one class primary intake.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

Do you have to stay in Edinburgh itself?

Personally, I'd love to be. I grew up in a city and I'd love the DC to have access to all the Edinburgh has to offer. DS is bright and loves learning.

DP and DD are rooting for the countryside! So I'm open to looking. But if we were out of town, it'd ideally need to be somewhere with good public transport links so the DC can get into Edinburgh (and back!) as they grow into teenagers.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

WaxOnFeckOff thanks, that's useful.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Whilst it isn't always about exam results i terms of how good a school is, here is the "league table" for scottish schools, if you go for something in the top half of the table then you are probably on a decent bet without knowing too much else about the school.

ESPC you can search by school catchment.

www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/4020266/scotland-secondary-schools-results-chart-best-worst-highers/

[prettybird]

You've got it right - he would normally be going into S1 in August 2020. In theory at least, he could go into P7, as in theory he could have been deferred.

So if he's currently in Y6 (as one of the oldest in the year) and with his ASD, there is a argument he should go in to P7.

He wouldn't actually be going back a year - he'd just end up being on of the oldest in his year, instead of (if he went in to S1) one of the youngest. (Most, but not all, January/February birthdays defer - and a few December and fewer still November and I know one October but he came from abroad with English as an. additional language ).

It really depends on what year he is in now: the Scottish age cut-offs are more flexible.

To give you an idea, if he's in Y6 at the moment and were to go into P7 next year (while his old classmates go into Y7), he'd sit his Nat 5s (GCSE equivalents) in the same year as his former classmates sit their GCSEs) - him in S4 and his former classmates in Y11.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

The other thing to remember is that 25% of Edinburgh kids are in private school so that skews the tables a bit as it could be argued that a lot of higher achieving pupils are not in the state system. I know that is not an exact science, but the biggest influencer on pupil achievement is parental interest and parents education level.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

A few in Baberton Mains which is catchment for Currie.

espc.com/properties?pid=35750650&school=5540739&minbeds=3plus&maxprice=325000

[Griefmonster]

You will notice that the league tables linked to above are in a tabloid rag and are not any kind of official publication. That is because we don't publish government league tables in Scotland because they don't tell you anything useful about how your child will do at the school or how good a school is at improving children's attainment. There is more information on school stats on government website but can't remember if it is Scottish Government or Education Scotland (the inspection body).

[WaxOnFeckOff]

yes grief, hence the quote marks...

I agree that there is definitely more to a school than the made up league tables, but for someone who knows very little about the area, you need a starting point. There will definitely be schools further down the table that do an excellent job for their pupils and ones who achieve well that don't do so much. However, when you are looking at houses, it's still the case that mostly, schools that are doing well will have a more affluent catchment and are probably places where you'd be looking to spend your money on property.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

Thank you so much for all this info everyone, this is really useful.

It's starting to feel a bit more manageable.

[AllTheNameAreTakenEvenThisOne]

What's Penicuik like? It looks very pretty. Does anyone know what the High school's like? And/or what the commute into Edinburgh is like?

This, for example, would be wonderful if only we could afford something like this in Edinburgh! www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72443074.html

[prettybird]

If you can find one of the "league" tables that includes what they call the "virtual comparator", ie the percentage results that they are expected to get given their demographic, so that they are slightly more useful as you can see if they are performing above or below their virtual comparator.

I only say "slightly" because as far as I know (assuming things haven't changed), the calculation doesn't include things like the number of pupils at the school for whom English is an Additional Language (ds for example was at a secondary where there were 55 languages spoken )