Canaan Lane - number of kids?

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Hi friends,
Thinking of applying for an out of catchment place at Canaan Lane for my LO starting P1 in Aug 26. It looks pretty great but I heard it's oversubscribed. Anyone has any news on this?
Thanks so, so, so much.

It is oversubscribed.

I do know that there was at least one out of catchment place this year, but they lived very very close to the school.

The previous year I don't think there were any - I had heard that there weren't even enough places for catchment children that year

There are also a fair few sibling applications now, and they get priority over other out of catchment applications.

It's still worth applying though, especially if you are relatively close.

Thanks so much for your replies. And yes, it makes sense siblings are prioritised over those kids out of catchment.

When you said, 'the previous year I don't think there were any - I had heard that there weren't even enough places for catchment children that year' - do you mean those kids out of catchment with siblings already attending the school were left out? What a problem for the parents...

And you're 100% right: it's still worth applying though. 🙌

I'm not in Edinburgh but I will share my experience of placing requests.
In 2005 when my DD1 started school one of our local primary schools had 60 places in P1 and there were 84 children in catchment due to start P1. The council drew names out of a hat as to who would get a place and who would be sent to another school; siblings already in the school weren't taken into account. In the same edition of the local newspaper that this was reported, it was also reported that planning permission for another 94 family houses in this school's catchment area had been granted.
The year below DD2 initially declined all placing requests. 3 families I know already had children in the school but even siblings were declined. One family would have happily moved the siblings to their catchment school which was the neighbouring school (they had used placing requests because of grandparents' support) but there wasn't space for all the older siblings. Another family had moved out of catchment and would have moved to their catchment school but there wasn't a space for the eldest. The third lived round the corner from the school but because they lived in a former council house the catchment area ended before what had been the council estate; their catchment school was the other side of a dual carriageway.

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Good luck with your placing request!

Can I ask what it is you’ve heard about the school that makes you keen?

Plenty of green areas around (most schools have concrete and small playgrounds), it's very much play-led and, primarily, it's a purpose-built school. Schools in Edinburgh are mostly Victorian buildings that are not well-suited to the current way of teaching (not all kids behind a desk). We've been in a few local schools for different events (all Victorian) and they're very echoy, noisy and, ultimately, distressing.

Have you heard anything else?

I’ve heard parents who are very pleased with the nursery provision, but haven’t heard from anyone once their child started P1 and just wondered what it was like.

I don’t think there weren’t enough spaces for all the children living in catchment, some of whom had moved into catchment to get a space.

But yes, last year I did hear of children with siblings at the school who are out of catchment and the younger sibling didn’t get a place

That indicates very good things about the school... and how bad other schools must be. Thanks for your answer!

not at all - all the schools in the neighbouring catchments are also excellent.

People do like the shiny new building, but I think it’s more that CL doesn’t have capacity to add extra classes, or to form composite classes

It is surrounded by really good school catchments! Partly why I was keen to hear more about it was to find out if it measures up to South Morningside, Gillespies, Bruntsfield and Sciennes, which are the original catchment schools for the areas it covers.

This map show the percentage of children meeting certain benchmarks by school https://datamap-scotland.co.uk/primary-school-league-tables-by-local-authority/edinburgh-city-primary-schools-ranks/

It is definitely a good (and popular) catchment

@Ginny98 thanks! That’s a great resource!

I heard it’s a good school, from friends whose kids go. It is definitely popular and if you have more than one child I think an out of catchment request is a risk. The secondary is equally popular so you can’t be sure to get a place there if not in catchment.

Most of the green space you mentioned doesn’t actually belong to the school. The cherry trees area in front is part of the nursery which is lovely. The field next door they share with St Peter’s and from what I’ve heard there are rumours about development.

It is also only at half capacity at the moment, think up to p4 so will get much busier. The surrounding schools are bursting though because the council took their sweet time to build Canaan lane.

I would definitely go for it if you only have one child, but I don’t think it’s hugely better than the surrounding schools.

Don’t forget that this school
and others surrounding it may also be busier due to parents delaying sending kids to private or not sending them at all.