Direct entry to S5 level schools in Glasgow area

[Sweenster]

Hi all,

We are potentially moving from Surrey to Glasgow next summer (2023). Our daughter will have completed her GCSEs so will then need to move into a school for her Highers / Advanced Highers starting in level S5. We’ve been struggling to understand the process for this though as it seems difficult to apply for a place without an address in the Glasgow area. We don’t want to move until we know we can have some level of certainty about which schools we can get her into. We may try to find a place in Bearsden as the schools seem to be very good but we are nervous about buying a house if we can’t get a place in one of the schools. Independent schools may be a solution but we would prefer to send her to a good state school if possible.

It would be good to hear if anyone else has gone through something similar. Any advice would be most appreciated!

Many thanks.

I'm nearer Edinburgh but can advise on how the system works.

Every address in Scotland has 2 catchment schools, I catholic and 1 non denominational. Most children go to their catchment school unless going private.

You are guaranteed a place in the catchment school as long as there is space available when you move into the area. If there is no spaces the local authority will offer a place in nearest school with availability. You need proof of address to apply to catchment school but you can contact school directly in advance of buying somewhere to check they have spaces available for children moving to the area.

As your DD will be going into S5 and taking Highers it's also important to check the school has space in classes for the subject she wants to take. The current S4 have all chosen their subjects for next year already and schools are currently making up the timetables.

It's possible to apply for a school not in your catchment but in recent years the popular schools are so full with children who live in catchment that's it's difficult to get in.

East Dunbartonshire and east Renfrewshire schools are very popular. There are plenty people on Scotsnet in Glasgow area so hopefully someone will be along with local knowledge

@CuddlyCactus gives good advice. Definitely check about availability of subjects at Higher as well as a place in school. My DD moved for S5 and I didn't check. Classes were full (top 20 school according to higher results) and she couldn't do both H English and Biology. Luckily there was some movement after nat 5 results day and she got a place for both in August.

Also the earlier you move in summer the better as they usually start S5/S6 courses in June (with a quick recap in August).

Agree with both of the above and to highlight the fact that S5 starts in June with a full month completed before the summer holidays. So if possible try and take that into account when moving.

East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire (where Bearsden is) have excellent schools and are lovely places to live.

Just to add that I found my daughters new school somewhat reluctant to have my daughter despite having space. Probably because of the area we live and their past experience of transfer in kids. This changed when they got her exam results and got to know her. If you call, get on your best home counties accent and big up her results.

Many thanks for the comments. They are incredibly useful. I hadn't appreciated that S5 started in June!

Don't think about East Ren and East Dunbartonshire: Shawlands Academy (South Side) and Hyndland Secondary School (West End) are good schools. Both have very mixed demographics so that they don't necessarily show the "stellar" results of the East Ren and East Dunbartonshire schools which are much more middle class. (I went Bearsden Academy so that I can say that ). Nor do they spoon feed their young people, so they are better prepared for Uni.

I don't have direct experience of Hyndland but ds went to Shawlands (he is now in his final year at Aberdeen Uni).

Lots of nice areas to live in the South Side/Shawlands catchment too - and not as expensive as the West End/Bearsden/Milngavie/Newton Mearns. (although we're in the bit of Pollokshields that isn't in the Shawlands catchment so after ds' brilliant primary school we had to put in a placing request for Shawlands).

As far as I am aware, although Shawlands is now at capacity for S1 entry, there isn't usually a problem at S5. It's worth ringing the school - they're very used to approaches from people moving into the area, as it's a very international school (over 50 languages spoken amongst its young people ) Caveat: Shawlands has changed headteacher since ds was there, so I'm making the assumption that it is still as accommodating.

I agree about moving up by June - essentially as soon as possible after your dd has sat her GCSEs. Schools tend to restart after the Nat 5 study leave straight into the S5 timetable in early June, so that they can get c3 weeks of the S5 curriculum covered.

Come up in June anyway as if nothing else, your dd won't thank you for finishing school in England mid/late July and having to start back at school in the middle of August

Sorry - missed out the "just"

My post should start "Don't just think about East Ren and East Dunbartonshire schools....".

Thanks @prettybird. That is very helpful and widens our search area.

I agree with everyone else, most schools, even those over subscribed at S1, will have spaces for catchment area pupils at S5. But you need to move up in May as S5 starts in early June and timetables are made up in April.

If I were you I’d rent up here first and move up as soon as she has sat her last GCSE.

State schools won’t accept an application until you have your new address.

Good properties in the catchment areas for good schools are selling within a few days ATM. Most will go to closing within 10 days or so and often stop viewings before that if they have enough notes of interest.

You can’t do this from Surrey.

Most estate agents up here won’t even let you view ( even if you could manage the logistics ) if you are still to sell in England.

Even if they did , the vendors solicitor will advise then against accepting your offer unless they want to wait 4-5 months and then have you pull out .

You’d usually be expected to complete here in about 6-8 weeks.

Oh and you must MUST use a solicitor based in Glasgow . Do not even think about using anyone in England , even if they are dual qualified . You need someone who knows the local market. Even more important as you don’t.

Good luck.

(Caveat: I don't rent myself, so I may have picked it up wrong).

Re renting, if it reassures you, I believe that the law was changed in Scotland, so that a renter only has to give a month/4 weeks notice to quit.

There is no longer any such thing as a Short Term Assured Tenancy or a minimum period to take on a rental.

That might make you feel more comfortable renting somewhere for a short period to get into a school. And as SoonToBeQueenCamilla points out, the usual time from offer to completion is really quite short in Scotland at 6-8 weeks.

Getting a place shouldn't be a problem in S5 as quite a few pupils leave end of S4 to go to college, apprenticeships, work so there will be places.

There are usually a few children who leave Bearsden Academy after S4 to go to college or into an apprenticeship. Most stay on for S5 and S6 but you only need one place and with a year group of 210 there is every chance you will get a place.

Bearsden Academy is a large school and as such can offer a wide range of subject choices. All the usual subjects you'd expect plus the Drama, Politics, Food and Nutrition stuff which not all schools can offer. If you can approach the school with a rough idea of what you child might want to study in S5 that would be helpful to them - the most common combination is Maths, English and three others, but not all kids do that and my lot have been able to get the combination of subjects they want. As it's a bigger school they have (for example) 2 Higher Drama classes which helps avoid clashes with other subjects kids might want to take.

The property market is VERY hot here at the moment though and houses are selling super quickly. The demand for school places (not just in Bearsden, Milngavie and East Renfrewshire is just the same) means that if you buy/rent outside catchment you stand little chance of getting in. Especially as a family with no older siblings already in the school.

Happy for you to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Dd went to Hyndland for S5/6 and I can't praise it enough.
Her previous school had failed her badly.
She's going to Glasgow Uni in September and turned down a place at StA's.

Just thinking of logistics- I think your DD will be sitting her GCSEs next June so might struggle to also be starting S5 in glasgow. Please don’t worry too much if this is the case- I teach secondary in glasgow and am very used to pupils changing their minds after results come out/being absent due to duke of Edinburgh expeditions etc in June - so whilst ideally we get 3 weeks of course covered, in reality it’s not quite as productive as that!

Good point.

Just to give you an idea of term dates: Glasgow schools finish at 1pm on 24 June and re-start (for pupils teachers start two days earlier ) on 17 August.

East Dunbartonshire schools finish on the 23rd but go back on the same day. East Renfrewshire finish on the 28th but also go back on 17th August.

Your daughter might struggle to make the transition from GCSE to Highers rather than to A Level. Not to mention getting used to a new area, new culture, new accents.
Might be better to look at independent schools, where they may have other English students and offer the option of doing either A Levels or Highers.

@Sweenster - what is it your dd wants to do after school?

NE Scotland high schools seemed to reserve a few places for people moving into the catchment as opposed to making those places available people applying from outwith the catchment.

I’d definitely be tempted to rent first as it’s a big move and it would give you the chance to refine exactly where you want to live.

Depending on your English exam board, GCSE exams go on well into mid June, so I don’t think trying to rush up to catch the beginning of S5 in June will be feasible.