Apply for a place at school

Register for a school place in Primary 1 (P1) class, class sizes, early and deferred entry, apply for another school, moving into Renfrewshire, what evidence you need, additional support needs (ASN), local schools.

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Register for a school place in Primary 1 (P1) class

If your child is 5 years of age between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025, you should register them at a primary school in your catchment area.

Online registration closed on Tuesday 7 November 2023. If you missed the online registration period, contact your local catchment primary school and make an appointment to register your child in person.

You can only register your child at one local school, either the denominational or the non-denominational school in your catchment area. You can see a list of primary schools in Renfrewshire and what catchment area they are in on the map of schools and catchment areas in Renfrewshire.

Before you register, you should check what evidence you need to provide.

There is no direct link between your child's nursery school or class and the primary school they will attend. You should register your child at your catchment school, regardless of which nursery they attend.

If you want your child to go to another school outside of your catchment area, you'll need to:

register your child at a school in your catchment area first
apply for a place at a school outside your catchment area (placing request) or phone us at 0300 300 0170.

Class sizes

In Scotland, Primary 1 (P1) classes have a maximum of 25 children per class.

Class sizes for the other primary years are:

Primary 2 (P2) up to 30 children per class
Primary 3 (P3) up to 30 children per class
Primary 4 (P4) up to 33 children per class
Primary 5 (P5) up to 33 children per class
Primary 6 (P6) up to 33 children per class
Primary 7 (P7) up to 33 children per class

If there are two primary class years together, they will have a maximum of 25 children per class. For example, a Primary 1 and Primary 2 class together could have five Primary 1 children and 20 Primary 2 children in the same class.

Children living in a catchment area have priority for places at their local school.

If there are more children registered in a school than available places, we may have to redirect some pupils to another local school. We use a ballot to choose the pupils who are redirected. If we need to do this, we will let parents know as soon as possible.

See the admissions to schools and placing request policy [1MB] .

Early entry to school

You can ask for early entry to school if your child's fifth birthday is later than 28 February. However, you should consider the impact this will have on your child and their education.

Find out more about what to consider before early entry to school.

Deferred entry to school

If you want to delay the date when your child starts primary school, you must still register them at their local school.

Contact your child's nursery or childcare centre to ask for their place to be deferred. They will provide you with an application form to defer your child's place in Primary 1 (P1) class. Complete this form and give it your nursery or childcare provider.

If your child's deferral is confirmed, you will need to register them at their local school again next year, as their school place for this year will be offered to another child.

You can apply for an additional year at nursery and defer your child's place at school.

Apply for a place at another school

You can ask for your child to go to a school other than your local school. This is called a placing request.

If you're applying for a Primary 1 (P1) place, you'll need to register them at their local school first before you can apply for a place at a school outside their catchment area.

If they are already at school and you want to apply for a place at another primary, secondary, or additional support needs (ASN) school in Renfrewshire, you should make a placing request.

Schools in Renfrewshire

If you're moving into Renfrewshire

If you're moving into Renfrewshire and your child has been going to another school, you should contact the new school with proof that you now live in that catchment area.

Schools in Renfrewshire

If you're not living at your address yet, you'll need to provide either a completed contract or a signed and witnessed tenancy agreement or lease.

What evidence you need to provide

When you are applying for a school place, you must provide:

evidence of your child's age
proof that your family live in the catchment area of the school.

You will need to provide:

your child's full birth certificate
your most recent Council Tax notice
a Child Benefit Statement
a Roman Catholic baptismal certificate, if required.

If you don't have a Child Benefit Statement, you'll need to provide us with one of the following:

driving licence
bank statement
a utility bill, such as a gas or electricity bill, dated within the last 3 months that shows your current address
a court order, Looked After Child or foster carer documents.

We may ask you for more evidence if we need more proof of where you live. You must provide original documents if we ask for them.

Additional support needs (ASN)

If your child needs additional support at school, we may be able to help with a plan to get them the support they need.

Find out more about additional support needs for learning (ASN).

Primary, secondary and Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools in Renfrewshire

To find out what schools there are in Renfrewshire, see the:

All schools have a handbook which is updated every year. It is a good source of information about the school. You can find the links to each school's website on each of the primary school pages, secondary school pages and additional support needs (ASN) schools pages.

More information about schools and registration

You can get more information about schools in your catchment area or help with the registration process if you:

e-mail admissionsandtransfers@renfrewshire.gov.uk
call 0300 300 0170
contact the school directly.

You can also find out about schools in Scotland and information about learning and education on the Parentzone Scotland website.

See also the guide for parents on choosing a school and the placing request system on the Scottish Government website.

Apply for a place at school

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