School places
We deal with school enrolments and requests for places at local schools. Children in Scotland usually start school between the ages of 4 years 6 months and 5 years 6 months old. All children who are 4 years old at the start of the school year can defer and start primary one the following year.
Catchment areas
All of our schools cover areas known as catchment areas. You can apply to any school but children living in the catchment area get priority when allocating places.
- Check which school's catchment area you live in
- View contact details for all of our primary schools
- View contact details for all of our secondary schools
We can't guarantee that places will still be available at your child's catchment school if you make a request for a non-catchment school and aren't successful.
School admission (enrolment) policy
Our policy covers the admission of pupils to our primary and secondary schools.
Enrolling for Primary 1
Primary Enrolment
Parents are asked to attend their catchment school to request a place at either their catchment school or to request a place at a non-catchment school for their child(ren). Parents are required to bring along proof of address and the child's date of birth, between Monday 29 January 2024 and Friday 2 February 2024.
Secondary Enrolment
Parents are asked to contact their current primary school to accept a place at their catchment secondary school or to request a place at a non-catchment secondary school for their child(ren), between Monday 29 January 2024 and Friday 2 February 2024.
Application Form
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Download the P1 and S1 Catchment Application Form [PDF - 481KB]
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Download the P1 and S1 Non-Catchment Placing Request Form [PDF - 482KB]
Enrolling at a Temporarily Closed (Mothballed) School
The term mothballing refers to the temporary closure of a school where the school roll has fallen to very low pupil numbers, and in some cases zero.
For children living within the catchment of a mothballed school, the appropriate enrolment form should be completed. If you wish your child to attend the catchment school which is currently mothballed, please complete a Catchment School Application form and return to the temporarily realigned catchment school (detailed in the table below). Non-catchment children should complete a Non-Catchment School Application form (above) and return to your catchment school.
Following the Primary 1 enrolment process the status of mothballed schools will be reassessed. If the school is due to remain mothballed, contact will be made with parents to discuss alternative options. There is no guarantee that mothballed schools will be reopened, nor can it be guaranteed that currently mothballed school won't return to mothballed status in the future.
Mothballed School | Temporarily Realigned Catchment School |
Ae Primary School | Nethermill Primary School |
Borgue Primary School | Twynholm Primary School |
Carsphairn Primary School | Dalry Primary School |
Hottsbridge Primary School | Eaglesfield Primary School |
Hutton Primary School | Applegarth Primary School |
Kirkbean Primary School | New Abbey Primary School |
St Ninian's RC Primary School | St Joseph's RC Primary School |
Tundergarth Primary School | St Mungo Primary School |
Transferring schools / moving home
Children moving schools (or into the area) should contact their local school directly. The school will be able to provide forms and deal with the request.
Moving to secondary school
Pupils normally transfer to the secondary school associated with their home address between the ages of 11 and 12. Your child's school will provide further information on the process when the time comes to transfer.
Appeals
You can challenge a decision within 28 days of receiving a letter of refusal from us. Full details will be provided within the response.
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