What a placing request is
Usually, when it’s time to register your child for Primary 1 (P1) at school, you’ll register them at their local school. This is called the local catchment area school.
Any children who live in a catchment area are given priority for places at that school.
If you want your child to go to another school, you can ask for a 'placing request.'
You can also make a placing request if your child is already at school in Renfrewshire and you want to apply for a place at a different:
- primary school
- secondary school
- additional support needs (ASN) school.
See what schools there are in Renfrewshire:
Why we might not grant a placing request
It’s not always possible for us to grant every placing request for a particular school.
Factors we consider when receiving a placing request include:
- the size of the school
- the current number attending the school
- the number of children who already live in the catchment area.
Once you’ve told us that you want your child to go to a particular school, we can only refuse your request for certain reasons set out by law in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.
Examples of where we may not grant a placing request include if:
- the school would need to employ an extra teacher or spend a lot of money, for example, if we would have to provide an extra classroom
- your child’s education would suffer as a result of changing school
- education in the school would not be suitable to the age or ability of your child
- the school you have requested is an additional support needs school and your child does not require the education or special facilities provided at that school
- we think your child would be likely to disturb the order and discipline in that school, or the educational wellbeing of other pupils at the school
- accepting the request would prevent us from reserving a place at the school for a child who is likely to move into the catchment area of the school that year
- accepting the request would make it necessary for us to create an extra class or employ another teacher at a future stage of your child’s primary education
- accepting the request could lead to the pupil numbers exceeding the school capacity at a future stage.
Before you make a placing request
You must read our sending your child to school booklet before you complete a placing request:
If you're applying for your child to start school in a Primary 1 (P1) class in August, you'll need to:
- register your child at their local school before you apply for a place at a school outside their catchment area
- tell the head teacher at your catchment school that you’re making a placing request.
If you’re applying for your child to change schools after the school year has started in August, you will only have to complete the placing request form.
How to apply for a place at another school
Apply for a place at another school online
If you’re applying for more than one child to change school, you must fill in one form for each child.
You must submit your application before 15 March for the new school year starting in August.
After you’ve applied
We’ll let you know we have received your placing request within 5 working days.
We’ll review your application and contact you by letter to let you know if your placing request has been successful.
After we’ve decided all catchment allocations, we’ll make decisions about placing requests we’ve received for the new school year starting in August.
Applications submitted by 15 March will receive a decision by 30 April.
Applications submitted after 15 March will have a decision made within 2 months of the date submitted.
For applications in the current school year, we’ll respond to you in writing within 2 months.
If there are more requests than places available for a particular school, we’ll make decisions based on our placing request priorities.
You can see our placing request priorities in our sending your child to school booklet.
If we grant a place to one child, this does not automatically reserve spots for their brothers or sisters at the same school, if you apply again later.
You can only submit one placing request application at a time. If your request is refused, you can then submit a second placing request to another school.
Appeal process
If we refuse your placing request, or if we have not given you a decision by 30 April for the new academic year (or within 2 months for requests made at other times of the year or for new session other stages applications), you may make an appeal to the appeal committee.
You can only make one appeal in a 12-month period.
This does not mean that you cannot make another placing request during this period.
To appeal a decision, you can email the Director of Children’s Services at admissionsandtransfers@renfrewshire.gov.uk.
You can also make your appeal in writing to:
Director of Children’s Services - Renfrewshire Council
Renfrewshire House
Cotton Street
Paisley
PA1 1LE.
Your appeal must include:
- your name
- address
- contact telephone number
- email address, if available
- name of your child the appeal is being made for
- name and address of the school of your choice
- date and reference of the letter of refusal
- a statement indicating why you wish to appeal against this decision.
If you make an appeal, we’ll contact you by email, if that’s your preference, or telephone to confirm that we have received it within 5 working days.
If the appeal committee agree that we were right to refuse your child a place in the school you requested, you have 28 days from receiving the appeal committee’s decision to appeal to the Sheriff Court.
We’ll keep your request open until 31 August of the year you submitted your application, in case places become available in the school you requested.
We’ll do this unless you tell us you want to change your request to another school.
More information
If you need more information, you can contact us by:
- email admissionsandtransfers@renfrewshire.gov.uk
- phone 0300 300 0170.