Schools named where non-catchment pupils refused

COUNCIL chiefs have named the primary schools where placing requests for pupils outside the catchment area are set to be turned down.

Rising rolls mean many applications from parents for children to go schools outwith their own area will be refused.

Letters will be sent to more than 700 parents during the week beginning April 15 to confirm whether or not their request has been successful.

But the council published a list of 20 schools where all placing requests are likely to be refused and a further 39 where some non-catchment places will be available by August, but not all placing requests will be met. For applications made for Roman Catholic schools, baptised children will be given places as a priority.

The council said the number of P1 registrations had increased by 3.5 per cent since last year to a total of 4632. More than 700 placing requests have been received so far for the next school year, a 15 per cent reduction on last year, which the council attributed to a concerted campaign to encourage parents to learn more about their local catchment school.

Education convener Paul Godzik said: “Parents who have submitted a placing request should be prepared for the fact that they may not get the place they were hoping for and recent experience has been that appeals are unlikely to be successful. However, their child will be registered with their local catchment school and will start next August alongside other local children.”

Extra classrooms are due to be built at three primaries Wardie, Trinity and Granton.

Schools where all placing requests are likely to be refused are:

Broughton,

Craigour Park,

Davidson’s Mains,

East Craigs,

Fox Covert ND,

Fox Covert RC,

Holy Cross RC,

James Gillespie’s,

Liberton, Pentland,

Queensferry,

St Catherine’s RC,

St Cuthbert’s RC,

St David’s RC,

St John’s RC,

St Mary’s RC (Edin),

St Mary’s RC (Leith),

St Ninian’s RC,

St Peter’s RC,

Stockbridge.

Schools where some non-catchment places will be available by August but not all placing requests will be met are:

Balgreen,

Blackhall,

Bonaly,

Bruntsfield,

Buckstone,

Carrick Knowe,

Clermiston,

Corstorphine,

Craiglockhart,

Craigroyston,

Cramond,

Dean Park,

Duddingston,

Ferryhill,

Flora Stevenson,

Forthview,

Gilmerton,

Gracemount,

Granton,

Gylemuir,

Hermitage Park,

Juniper Green,

Leith, Leith Walk,

Murrayburn,

Oxgangs,

Pirniehall,

Preston Street,

Prestonfield,

Roseburn,

Sciennes,

South,

Morningside,

St Francis’ RC,

Stenhouse,

The Royal High,

Tollcross,

Towerbank,

Trinity and Wardie.

Roman Catholic schools where baptised children will be given places as a priority:

Covert,

Holy Cross,

St Catherine’s,

St Cuthbert’s,

St David’s,

St Francis,

St John’s,

St Mark’s,

St Mary’s (Edinburgh),

St Mary’s (Leith),

St Ninian’s and St. Peter’s.

Liberton Primary and East Craigs are two schools where high catchment numbers mean that to manage the intake the committee is being asked to prioritise placing requests out of these schools.