Secondary schools education

[nulaz]

Hi guys

I moved to Aberdeen from ireland in September and my 14 year old daughter is having a bad experience in her new school so bad she wont go back there.. does anyone know which s a better school St Machar's academy or hazelhead academy are both in our catchment area. I heard Grammer is a good school but falling just outside our catchment area. I really do not want to pick the wrong school for her again. I just need to be an easier transition for her.
Thanks for any help.

Don't know Aberdeen but have you called the Grammar to see if they do have any places? Don't discount it automatically.

just outside grammar catchment area which would have been my first option for her. oh well thank you

prettybird, the council told me grammer would not be in a position to offer a place when you outside the catchment area.

That's why I suggested calling the school and asking, even though you are out of catchment. If your dd is 14, she's not going in to S1, so it will depend on whether there is space in the year (ie if anyone has moved away).

Even if you were in catchment, if the school were at capacity, she wouldn't be able to get in. The difference is that if the catchment school was full, the council would have to fund transport costs to whichever school she then went to, if it was over 3(?) miles.

In Glasgow/East Ren you can still get into schools when you are out of catchment if there is space. Surprisingly, even the popular East Ren schools sometimes have space in the upper years.