Craigroyston Primary School

Admissions

We know how important choosing the correct school for you and your child is. We would welcome you warmly should you wish to take a tour; simply contact us via the school office.

The date for registration of new school entrants is advertised in all local nurseries, in the local press and on the council’s website www.edinburgh.gov.uk.

Registration for Primary One and First Year Secondary takes place in November each year. Pupils should be registered in only one school for their catchment area. Parents will be provided with information about the school, when they register their child.

Parents who want to send their child to a school other than the catchment school must make a placing request. Please refer to section four of this handbook for more information on placing requests.

Parents of pupils who have moved into the catchment area or, who wish their child to transfer to the school, should contact the school office for information.

Transitions

Nursery Class Provision

The school’s nursery class provides 60 places for children aged 3 – 5 years.

Nursery class provision is non-denominational. This means that all nurseries are open to children and parents of all religions and beliefs. Placement in the nursery class does not guarantee a place in the primary school.

Transfer from Nursery to Primary

Before leaving nursery, a transfer of information record for each child will be prepared by nursery staff to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of education for the child transferring to primary.

Primary School Admissions

Starting school is a very important milestone both for children and their parents. The vast majority of our parents choose their local, catchment school and we plan our education provision to ensure we can provide places for new pupils at their catchment school.

In the run-up to November’s registration week for the new Primary 1 intake each school will offer an opportunity for you to visit them. You can speak to staff to find out more about the school first-hand. You can see how the school runs; discuss the curriculum and their priorities as well as seeing recent examples of pupils’ work on display. In many cases you may also have the chance to meet other parents who already have children there. All of this will help you understand the school’s unique character and give you an insight into the learning environment that your child could enjoy there.

All our schools offer a high quality educational experience and hope to work with parents and carers to support their children.

Primary to Secondary Transfer

Visits to our local secondary school, Craigroyston High School are organised before the summer holidays and children from other catchment schools who will be attending the same secondary school will have the opportunity to meet and get to know each other and their teachers. While the children are participating in classroom activities and meeting their class teacher, parents will have an opportunity to view the school and are given a brief explanation of school life.

If you wish your child to attend a secondary school other than the catchment denominational or non-denominational secondary school for your home address, you will be required to make a Placing Request as detailed in the Placing Request section below.

You do not need to submit a Placing Request if you want your child to transfer from a non-denominational secondary school or vice-versa at the primary to secondary transfer stage, as long as the intended secondary school is still the catchment school for your home address. Parents of children who are planning to change from denominational to non-denominational or vice-versa between primary and secondary school should ensure that both the primary school and the intended secondary school know what is to happen.

Placing Requests

As a parent, if you don’t want your child(ren) to be educated in your local catchment school, you have the right to make a Placing Request for your child(ren) to attend another school.

If you would like your child to start P1 or S1 at a school outside your catchment area, you must make a Placing Request. You can get a Placing Request application form at any nursery or primary school in Edinburgh from mid-November and must return it by 24 December

If we receive your application form after 24 December, your request will be considered, but if we receive your application form after 15 March places in your chosen school may no longer be available.

The Council must grant Placing Requests where possible. If there are more places available in a school than there are placing requests, all placing requests are usually granted.

If the school you choose has more placing requests than available places, each case is looked at individually. Please include all relevant details on your Placing Request application form so this can be taken into account.

As school rolls have increased there has been a decrease in the number of places available for children living outside the catchment area. This has resulted in high numbers of placing requests being refused.

If a Placing Request is successful for one child, this does not guarantee a successful Placing Request for their sibling. This could mean parent(s)/guardian(s) have children attending different schools.