Choosing a school for your child

Every child has a right to a free place at school.

If you're a parent, you must make sure your child either goes to school or is home educated.

Find a school

Your local council will allocate your child a place at a local school. This is usually at your ‘catchment area’ school.

You can request a place at another school, but whether this request is granted depends on whether there are free places.

Catchment areas

Councils use catchment areas to decide where your child is given a place at school.

A catchment area is an area around a single school. Any children who live in this area are given a place at the school.

Most Scottish councils publish catchment area maps on their website.

You can find out where your child will be given a place at school by looking on your local council's website:

Find out more about catchment areas

Going to your catchment area school

In the year before your child gets to primary or secondary school age, some councils send you a letter to confirm your child has a place at a local school. It should also ask you to confirm this place.

If you want your child to go to this school all you need to do is reply to confirm. If your child has a place at another school you should let your local council know.

Some councils might not send letters. In these councils you'll need to enrol your child at school.

If you're not sure, contact your local council to check.

Contact your local council

If you want to choose another school

You have a right to request a place in a local council school outwith your catchment area.

If there's space at the school your request must be granted.

If there's no space the council does not need to grant your request. If this happens you'll either need to:

send your child to the school in your catchment area
discuss schools in different catchment areas with your local council
look at options for fee-paying private schools that are not run by your local council
choose to home educate your child

You also have a right to appeal if your request isn't granted.

You can ask a council about school places for your child at any time. It does not need to be when your child is at the age to go to primary or secondary school.

You can find out more about what schools are in your local area on the Parentzone Scotland website.

School ages

These tables show when children usually start primary and secondary school, based on their birth dates.

Primary school start dates
Born between:	Start primary school
1 March 2020 - 28 February 2021	August 2025
1 March 2021 - 28 February 2022	August 2026
1 March 2022 - 28 February 2023	August 2027
1 March 2023 - 29 February 2024	August 2028
1 March 2024 - 28 February 2025	August 2029

Secondary school start dates
Born between:	Start secondary school
1 March 2013 - 28 February 2014	August 2025
1 March 2014 - 28 February 2015	August 2026
1 March 2015 - 29 February 2016	August 2027
1 March 2016 - 28 February 2017	August 2028
1 March 2017 - 28 February 2018	August 2029

Deferring primary school

If your child is 4 years old on the date they‘re due to start primary school, you can defer their entry by a year.

If you defer, you can keep getting funded early learning and childcare.

Contact your council about early learning and childcare funding

More information

You can get detailed guidance on choosing a school on gov.scot.

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