Battlefield/Shawlands/Langside placing request

[8DaysAWeek]

Anyone know what the placing request stats are like for Battlefield/Shawlands/Langside Primary (feeder schools for SA)? Living closeby but not in catchment and would prefer to send DS somewhere that feeds into a better secondary than where we are currently.

Though I am seeing reports that suggest by the time DS is ready for secondary, being in a feeder school may not guarantee a secondary place and they would use catchment areas. That could be sorted with a move closer to the time, but with a young family and childcare costs currently we're not best placed for a house move yet.

Not sure - but you're right: GCC is currently consulting on making all schools "delineated" (some schools are "non-delineated" at the moment).

As I understand it, it means that it's not the primary school that matters but whether you are in the catchment for the secondary school as well. But it would give you time to move I to catchment.

Battlefield might be your best bet: iirc, it's one of the schools where you have a choice of secondaries (Kings Park or Shawlands), but I might be mis-remembering.

After the initial rush of the beginning of the school year, why not ring the schools and ask them?

Ds was a placing request (went to Glendale) but you're right not to rely on getting one as the school is now chockablock and may well struggle to accept placing requests in future.

Something to be aware of is that there seems to be a "bulge" going through the system, so GCC, having closed a number of primary schools over 10 years ago, is now having to invest in new capacity , so many primary schools are currently struggling even to fit in the children who are in catchment

Placing requests are becoming an issue all over the city. We're in East Dunbartonshire and for the last two years there have only been a handful of placing requests accepted for the local secondary, all children who have older siblings already at the school. Partly because of new house building, partly because of a new school with a maximum intake of 210.

It's come as a real shock to parents from outside the catchment who have been used to putting in placing requests and having them accepted. It's just not happening any more.

By all means chance your arm for Primary. But remember that this doesn't in any way guarantee progress to secondary, and that in 7 years time the situation may be very different. It does however give you 7 years to move into the catchment of the school you're interested in.

Thanks guys that's really useful info. The secondary isn't much of an issue in terms of catchment as, if all goes as intended, we'll be in the position to move to the necessary area in advance as needed.

I just have hopes that we can send him to a primary school then he will move into the "feeder" secondary and it be a smoother transition if other pupils are doing the same.

Perhaps though I shouldn't focus on that. What about sending him to the local catchment primary, moving when he is older to allow for a good catchment secondary and him moving on then? Will it be a big issue if he doesn't move up with his friends?

Personally, I don't think it is a big issue as they go to make new friendship groups at secondary.

But there again, I'm thinking in terms of ds, who only had 4 classmates going to Shawlands with him, one of whom he stayed friendly with for a couple of years but has drifted apart from and another, who he wasn't particularly close to, who came up the After Prom Party (and who I barely recognised all glammed up!

But I also knew his character and that he'd make new friends - especially as he also played rugby and already knew lots of the kids who he'd been playing Minis rugby with for years.

I agree re change of friends at high school.

Lots to think about even though we won't be registering for a primary school for another couple of years.

I don't love the insecurity of placing requests (who does?) but looks like that's where we're heading.