Edinburgh Primary School help please

[gininteacupsandleavesonthelawn]

Hi All, I've recently moved to edinburgh with my 3yo DD. She's my PFB so no idea what the deal is with registering her for school. She's a may birthday so won't start until 2016. Can anyone advise on what I need to do and when?

Thanks!

You will have to register her in her pre-school year. If she attends a school nursery, the nursery will remind you to do this. Private nurseries may also remind you, and there are sometimes adverts in local press etc. Every council has a different date for registration - IIRC ours (not Edinburgh, but Scotland) was in November (quite early compared to some other councils). You go along to your catchment primary on the specified day (you will probably have a choice of a couple of days) and show them her birth certificate and proof of your address.

If you want to do an out-of-catchment placing request the procedure will be different.

So this november or next?

Next, this coming academic year is her ante-pre-school year; next year 2015/16 is her pre-school year.

Thank you! do ou know what factors contribute to getting a place? Is it first come first served if in catchment? The closest one (that i want her to go to) is very oversubscribed from what i hear

In catchment I think there will be a ranking of who gets priority, so things like looked after children first, then siblings, then it may be done on proximity to the school. It won't be first come, first served (in terms of everyone who registers on time, anyway). To be honest though where we live everyone gets a place in their catchment school so I've never had to really look into it.

In Scotland everyone gets into their catchment school. Nursery is more tricky as they have limited space. If she is 3 then she should be starting her ante preschool year in August. She can do nursery anywhere though, it doesn't need to be next to the school she goes to eventually.

You can try contacting the nurseries you are interested in now, although if it is a school nursery it may be a bit tricky as they are on holiday now.

Actually Lemon I don't think it's technically right to say that everyone gets into their catchment school in Scotland. I have friends whose daughter didn't, because the catchment primary was full. What the council did was allocate her another local school and put her on the waiting list for her catchment school, so she did eventually get a place, but it was a bit disruptive (and I imagine that in a city, where transport wasn't an issue, you might just opt to stay in the school which you were allocated rather than move back to your catchment school).

She'll be staying in private nursey until she starts school. I believe we are in catchment for a couple of schools but the closest in by far my preferred- but very full.

You should be in catchment for one non-denominational and one catholic primary school. You could get turned down for a catholic school if your child isn't baptised but you would usually get a place in your catchment non-denominational, though as forkandknife says there are sometimes exceptions.

You can check your school catchment here: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20074/schools/388/school_places/2

Your local schools may be full now, but there's no way of knowing yet how many children will apply for places for P1 in 2016 and what arrangements the council will make if a P1 class is oversubscribed with catchment children. DS had team teaching because his P1 was over-subscribed, but that was only arranged once all applications had been made and appeals heard )so in the spring before he was due to start).

I can't remember how we were notified of when to apply - his private nursery definitely reminded us and we may have received a letter. The link above will take you to the information next year.

Thank you! So we are in catchment for Stockbridge and St Marys. She's baptised catholic but tbh I'd rather she went to Stockbridge.

Normally in Scotland you will be in catchment for one 'non-denominational' and one Roman Catholic school - non-RCs can apply to those as well, though I think they can be selective to let the RCs in first.

As said above, you are not 100% guaranteed to get into your catchment school, though you nearly always do because the councils are able to plan ahead and try to allow for larger year groups etc.

The best way to find out what's what is to contact the school and find out what is usual - they may be 'very full' if they have out of catchment area requests for places, but that wouldn't stop your child getting in if you are in catchment and apply at the proper time. Or they may have a problem over the catchment area having too many children for their capacity. Hard to know without asking them directly.

There will be open days at the school next year before you apply, so you'll have a chance to go and look round and ask questions. If the school you prefer is likely to be oversubscribed ask what they've done in the past - are they likely to have team teaching (a bigger class but with two teachers) or introduce a composite class? P1 places are tight in lots of schools just now, but the Council will do as much as they can to accommodate in catchment requests (though people aren't always happy with the solution).