Edinburgh Secondary schools

12 replies

sparrow18 · 18/04/2017 22:19

Recently moved here and have applied to ten schools, but all seem to be oversubscribed, apart from the "less desirable" ones (one example, please nobody be offended, this is just what I have been told, I have never even been there so don't know - Leith Academy). Is it just a case of staying on the waiting list? What do you do in the meantime?

OP posts:

Buckeyedjim · 18/04/2017 22:27

Well are any of them your catchment school? They will, eventually, give you a place there if you are in their area. What most people do I think is move into the catchment of a school they are happy with. What year is it for?

Original poster

sparrow18 · 18/04/2017 22:30

Catchment area school has a waiting list of six ahead of my child!

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Buckeyedjim · 19/04/2017 06:34

That's quite a few! All in one year? You need a really big family to move away!
You don't have much choice though for the present but to accept a place in the most convenient school, unless your dc want an extended holiday. It could be a good way to test a school out for "fit" as you know you can move when a place comes up.

Nospringflower · 19/04/2017 06:51

Are you South? I know people who moved recently and got into
Firrhill which is a good school.

GrooveeCar · 19/04/2017 07:16

To be honest. My children go to what is classed as a less desirable school. But dd's exam results were great last year and the pastoral care has been amazing.

badguider · 19/04/2017 07:46

It sounds like you're going on pure hearsay for "desireable" and "less desireable". This is often based on out of date impressions of people who are parents now harking back to when they were at school.

Just as an example, we've chosen to move to the firrhill catchment not boroughmuir - some people would call that crazy but I've got recent positive experience of firrhill whereas I don't like the location of the new boroughmuir or that it's already overfull.
But that's just one example, what I'm trying to say is please don't judge by gossip and rumour - go and visit. And if you already know where you're living think more about travel and friendships / clubs / community etc.

weebarra · 19/04/2017 07:51

Totally agree. I've worked in a lot of Edinburgh secondaries (not a teacher) and my favourite was one which was not at all desirable in terms of exam results but had amazing pastoral care. Firrhill, for example is good at both.

Original poster

sparrow18 · 19/04/2017 15:44

Thank you for your comments. I do intend to visit schools, and will more than likely have to take whatever is offered, but am also keen to avoid a commute of two buses and over an hour (each way) to a school that simply has vacancies. That would be okay if we love the school, but if it's not a happy experience (as with the last school) then it's just another layer of stress, etc. We are north, catchment area school is Broughton (waiting list)..

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badguider · 19/04/2017 15:49

Does that make tynecastle your nearest with space?
Nice modern building at least. Good transport links. I don't know anything about the pastoral care or community now I'm afraid.

Buckeyedjim · 19/04/2017 17:37

Drummond or Craigroystane may well have spaces and would be closer for you than Leith.

Doowop · 19/04/2017 19:56

My daughter is at Broughton. She was 1st on the waiting list a couple of years ago for S1. There were children in her P7 class who were in the 50's on the waiting list e.g. 52nd 58th so to only have 6 above you is pretty good. She was offered a place by the end of May and has been really happy there.
I was told (don't know if it's true) that there will usually be movement on the Broughton waiting list as they have reserved places for pupils who will be joining the music academy. This is based on ability only so if they don't have enough successful auditions, they just put the reserved music academy places back into the pot. I don't know if this is the same for the football and dance academies and I've probably explained it really badly. Someone she knew who was 12th on the list was also offered a place at the same time.

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/04/2017 09:34

Are they going in to s1? I'd be surprised if there's not a fair bit of movement off the Broughton list due to people who are in catchment but planning to go private, it's fairly common at a couple of the catchment primary.

I would go for Leith over craigroyston tbh, but if you are concerned about travel I'd look at your local bus routes and see which schools would be a single bus even if they're a bit further away. Depends where in the Broughton catchment you are - if ferry road is nearby then it's a fairly major bus corridor. So the 21, for example, would make craigmount, royal high and Forrester/St augustines in west edin a single bus journey. Going the other way it looks like the 10 will eventually get you to firhill, albeit more of a trek.

Have you checked trinity?

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