Hundreds miss out on class places

EDUCATION bosses have been swamped with appeals from parents who have failed to get their child into their choice of primary school.

The number of appeals has almost doubled since new legislation reduced primary one class sizes for this term, with a total of 233 challenges received, compared with 120 last year.

Appeals have been made for places in 50 of the Capital's 87 schools - compared with 20 last year - as a record number of out-of-catchment requests were refused this year.

It comes after the Scottish Government introduced legislation limiting P1 class sizes to 25 as of August. Previously, the 25 figure was just for guidance and many schools had classes with 30 pupils in them.

Only 289 placing requests to send out-of-catchment children to schools were granted, down to 33 per cent from 89 per cent last year.

A total of 588, or 14 per cent of all new primary pupils, were refused, with 233 of these cases being taken to appeal.

City education leader Councillor Marilyne MacLaren said: "Having long campaigned for class sizes of 25, I welcomed the Scottish Government's legislation earlier this year to enshrine this in law.

"We knew that this would impact on placement requests, which is why we took steps to alert parents early to the changed circumstances.

"The fact that we won't be able to accommodate every request for a placement out of catchment will be disappointing for many, but our staff are working very hard to support parents through this process."

Earlier this week, the Evening News reported on one of the families forced to appeal after they discovered their two children would not be able to attend the same school.

Sean and Hazel Wood's two daughters had to change schools last year when Royston Primary and Nursery were closed but education bosses ruled that Laura, five, could not get a place at Ferryhill Primary, despite the fact her older sister Emma, eight, goes there.

Last month, it emerged that Frank and Lindsay Brown were told they could not send their daughter Macy, four, to a school just 300 metres from their home, but should instead send her to one almost four times further away as that is her catchment school.

Although Macy attends the nursery at Lorne Primary, she was refused a place at the school because it is too full.

Flora Stevenson Primary received the highest number of out-of-catchment requests this year, but all 29 applications were refused.

All 28 applications to Davidson's Mains were rejected, while the 24 placing requests to Balgreen Primary were also refused. All applications to Juniper Green, Sciennes and James Gillespie's primaries were also refused.