No places in P1

[LadaB]

Hi everyone,

my husband and I are planning to move to Edinburgh in summer 2016. Our daughter is starting school this year, so we'll be looking to get her into P2 when we move. We bought a flat in Barnton, in the catchment area of Davidson's Mains Primary. I got in touch with the school but was told I could not apply now, and even if I do apply in November, my DD will go on a waiting list, as the primary is full. I tried to figure out from this website www.edinburgh.gov.uk/ what I should do if my request for a school place is rejected but I could not find any answer. In fact, the website was a bit confusing, as it made me think I could apply for a place in P2 any time, the earlier the better. Could anybody advise me what happens if my DD does not get a place in Davidson's Mains Primary? Thank you in advance!

Placement services at the council would help you find a P2 place. Places for P2 can open up depending on the school as the class sizes are restricted to 25 per class or team teaching with over 25. But are 30 per class in P2.

GrooveeCar, thank you. The problem is, that we are not in Scotland at present. The school told us we could only apply when we are in Scotland, but we were planning to move once our DD finishes P1 which means it would be too late to apply. So at the beginning of school year 2016-2017 she would have no school to go to :(

For P2, it is a case of going on the waiting list as soon as you are here. There are likely to be new spaces becoming available in P2, as Groovee says - they may be full in p1 but not in p2. Also, many of the Edinburgh schools have started keeping a space or two available for people moving in to the area but aren't exactly making this very public (because they have people clamoring for spaces from out of catchment).

If there is no space available in catchment in P2 then you would apply for places at other local schools until you found one although placement services should be able to help - but there would be nothing to stop you staying on the waiting list for D Mains and moving once a space came up.

Thank you, StatisticallyChallenged. Do the placement services give you any choice? do we have a say if we don't want our child to be placed in a certain school?

I think you can basically go on as many waiting lists as you want - my understanding is that it's a school level decision and that you apply directly to the schools. But placement services can help to find a space as they will have overall data so know where there are places IYSWIM.

But there wouldn't be anything to stop you downloading the application form and sending it to Davidson's Mains and others which would work for you. Do you know where you are going to be working - maybe we could suggest other schools which are en route to work so might be potentials?

We actually bought a flat in DM catchment area. I don't know where I will be working yet.