Best primary school

[Biombg]

Hello, my family and I are relocating to edinburgh this summer. We have 3 young children aged 1,4&7. We would need a p1 and p3 place at primary school. Obviously we would like to put them into one of the best schools ( attainment wise) and are looking at living south,south west or city center. Really like St. Peter's ( but don't think we would get in). Any comments, advise much appreciated.

Sciennes Primary School is fab - it's a bit of a victim of its own success and is huge (639 pupils in 21 classes according to its website) but it still manages to keep a family feeling, and a lovely diverse intake. It's just south of the Meadows, so quite near to the city centre. South Morningside has a good reputation but I don't know it personally. I think a lot of children would go on to independent schools from there, and it's definitely posher than Sciennes. But both get excellent results. Not sure what the position is on getting children in at the moment as mine are both past primary schools now.

South Morningside feeds into Boroughmuir - they were on the news recently for still being overcrowded with kids in the container classrooms after two decades or so, but then, Sciennes also teaches some classes in containers.

Sadly catherinaathome that's an issue with almost all of the schools in the city centre and southside - they're all bursting at the seams thanks to bad planning by the council (here's a hunt guys...look at the number of children born in a year...those children will need school places in 5 years time)

I think the best thing to do is settle in an area and hope you get a place for P1. They seem to be rather scarce this year.

Or, if you can afford it, live wherever you want and go private. Edinburgh has lots of excellent independent day schools

What about Crewe area on Telford road,is that a good living place"

I'm also moving to Edinburgh this summer and have looked at a few schools but can't decide! Any thoughts on Sciennes, Cramond, and Stockbrige? My time is running out!

Looking a long way ahead (which you have to!) the southside schools are favoured because they feed into James Gillespie's and Boroughmuir High schools, which are the two best secondaries in the city. The primary schools for Boroughmuir are Bruntsfield, South Morningside, and Buckstone. Getting into Buckstone is probably your best bet. Bruntsfield is full to bursting and should you move into that catchment, you will have no chance at all of getting your child into P1, P2, P3 or P4. I should imagine Sth morningside is the same.

P1 places will be tight - offers will already have been made, and there will be waiting lists for lots. I think often at least one place is reserved for someone moving into the area during the summer, and then released just before the start of term to the waiting list (I know a couple of people who got a place this way).

Lots of primary schools overcrowded as Statistically points out - schools were closed a few years back despite the birth rate already increasing, and there have been more people moving into the city/not moving out of the city/less going private. There are buildings going up in playgrounds to address this, but I'm not sure which schools in the south are getting them this time. If you look at the council website for documents on the 'Rising Rolls' programme you should get the up to date position.

If you know you'll be here for mid August when term starts then the placements team at the council should be able to advise - getting the mix of P1 and P3 may be tricky, and potentially one child may need to go to another school and wait for a place. If you pick a catchment school then stay in the area your 1 year old should get a place, but there are talks about doing catchment reviews and there may be new schools built in the south (although I think further out from the centre). But previous catchment reviews I've read about do prioritise siblings.

Hi, we may be in a similar boat this time next year (ie moving up over the summer with the need for a P1 place). How likely is it if you move into catchment for a popular school that you would get a place even though you have missed registration cut off? Do you leapfrog the waiting list (which doesn't seem very fair :))?

The schools usually hold 2 places for people who move into catchment over the summer, hence why some people out of catchment get a call the first week in to the term.

But my dd had a child in her P1 class who was having to get 2 buses to school because there were no places at the catchment school and they moved into catchment before the summer holidays. By the time a place became available they'd moved back to our area as they were fed up.