Schools - admissions appeals
Making a Placing Request
Information for Parents and Application Form
You have the right to make a placing request for your child or children to be educated in a school other than your local catchment school. If you are applying for more than one child, please complete a separate form for each child. You may only apply for one school at any time.
Please send the completed form(s) to the education office and inform the head teacher of your local school that you are making a placing request.
You will receive an acknowledgement when your request has been received. If you have not received this within 10 working days, you should contact the department at the number given below.
As soon as a decision has been made you will be notified of the result. If your placing request is successful, you will receive a letter inviting you to enrol your child in your chosen school.
Your successful placing request to a primary school is valid only until the end of primary 7. If you wish your child:
to attend a secondary school other than your catchment secondary or,
to move from a denominational primary to a non-denominational secondary or,
to move from a non-denominational primary to a denominational secondary,
you must make a further placing request for a place in S1 in your chosen secondary school.
In December/January each year, the authority will advertise its arrangements in connection with placing requests. If placing requests are made by 1 February, every effort will be made to meet parents’ requests within the limits of places available in schools, but you should note that it is not always possible to grant every placing request to a particular school. You will have declared on the application form that the information that you provide is accurate and correct. The council reserves the right to request proof of where you are living and further information or evidence in some situations from you or other council officials.
There are sound educational reasons for trying to ensure that the transfer or admission of children to a school takes place at the start of a school session. If you are making a placing request (other than those who are moving home to a new area) you are advised to seek this to begin at the start of the next school session.
How Decisions are Made
The responsibility for decisions on placing requests lies with the education directorate. However, where there are more requests than places available at stages P1 or S1 in a particular school for the start of the new school session, it is the usual practice for all such requests for these schools will be considered by a local attendance council who will then make recommendations to the education directorate.
At such a meeting you will have the opportunity of giving more detail about the reasons for your request, or you can submit these details in writing for the committee’s consideration. Should this situation arise, you will be advised in good time of the date and location of the meeting and you will be asked at that time if you wish to attend. You may be accompanied at this meeting by a friend.
Guidelines and Criteria
The local attendance council and education directorate work to guidelines in reaching decisions on placing requests. These are as follows and are listed in order of priority:
A child who has a medical condition, supported with evidence from a medical practitioner, who requires facilities or support available only in the requested school.
Those cases where a brother or sister attends the school and will continue in this school during the next session.
In secondary schools: children who attend a primary school associated with the secondary school according to the length of time at the associated primary.
The child is part of a single parent family where it would be advantageous to the care and welfare of the child to attend the requested school.
With the exception of condition 2, requests from parents resident in East Renfrewshire will have priority. The criteria will be applied in the order listed.
If the places available are fewer than requests then a ballot will be held to allocate the spaces available. A ballot may also be required in the situation where the size of a group of children satisfying the above criteria exceeds the number of places available. This ballot will be conducted by either the attendance committee or by a senior education officer.
Why Requests are Sometimes not Granted
You will be sent a letter notifying you that your request has been refused. This will state why your request has been refused and quote the section of the Education Act which applies.
The most usual reason is that the school is full at the required stage, that is all available places at the stage have been allocated. Additional pupils would require the authority to employ an additional teacher and/or modify or extend the school’s accommodation or facilities at this stage or at a future stage of your child’s education. The authority is entitled to reserve places for pupils who may move into the school’s catchment area during the next year.
There are other circumstances where a request may be refused including:
where the granting of the request would interrupt the continuity of the child’s education
where it is likely that order and discipline in the school or the well-being of pupils in the school be adversely affected
in secondary schools where it is not possible to provide the courses you want.
If Your Placing Request is Refused
You may lodge an appeal and your appeal will be heard by an independent council appeals committee. If you are not provided with a decision on your request by 30 April (or within 2 months for requests made at other times of the year), you may also appeal.
Deciding whether to Appeal
You may be very disappointed that your child cannot go to the school you want, but you should have a good reason for asking an appeal committee to look at your request again.
Before you decide to appeal you should consider these points:
Do you agree with what the council have said?
Do you think what they have said is allowable?
Have the Council’s guidelines been followed?
Would it be more advantageous to apply for another school at this time rather than appeal?
More information on appeals and alternatives may be obtained from the education department.
Your appeal should be sent to the education office. You will know the reasons why your placing request was refused and you will be given the opportunity to explain why the authority was wrong to refuse your request in person or through a representative, whichever you prefer.
If the appeal committee refuses your request, you have the right of further appeal to the Sheriff (other than in the case of early entry requests, where there is no opportunity for appeal).
Further information
Information concerning schools in other authorities is available from the education office of that authority.
Specific information on placing request procedures may be found in:
Choosing a School: A Guide for Parents. Scottish Government
This document is available on the Internet at the Scottish Government website. The publication is regularly updated, and is best found by searching the web for “Choosing a School Scotland”
Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (HMSO) as amended by Standards in Scottish Schools Act 2000
Education (School and Placing Information) (Scotland) Regulation 1982 (S1 1982 No 950 (S.125)) and Amendment Etc. Regulations 1993
Education (Appeal Committee Procedures) (Scotland) Regulations 1982 (S1 1982 No 1736)
Education (Placing in Schools and Deemed Decisions) (Scotland) Regulations 1981 (S1 185 No 1733)
Contacts
East Renfrewshire Council Offices –
PLACING REQUEST, Education Department,
211 Main Street, Barrhead,
East Renfrewshire G78 1SY
Education Department: Telephone 0141 577 3287
Registration Office: Telephone 0141 577 3120