East Renfrewshire, School Admission Applications For 2025-2026

East Renfrewshire Council

Choosing a school for your child School admission applications and placing requests for session 2025-2026 Applying for a P1 primary school place for your child

East Renfrewshire Council invites you to apply for a P1 catchment place for your child at the preferred primary school for school academic year 2025-26.

You must apply for a place at your preferred catchment school even if you intend to make a placing request to another school; this ensures a place is held for your child in the event of an unsuccessful placing request. If you intend to educate your child privately or at home, you should still inform your local catchment school of your intention.

You may choose to apply for a catchment place for your child in either the local denominational or non-denominational school. The Council also offers Gaelic Medium Primary Education at Bun-Sgoil Ghaidhlig Thornliebank.

For P1 catchment school applications you can apply online via our online application form. The application form will be available on the Council's website at https://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/apply-for-p1 where you will also find a copy of the Council's school admissions policy.

Online applications should be made from 2 December 2024 until 19 January 2025. Any catchment applications after 19 January 2025 should continue to be submitted using the online form. However, it is advisable, where possible, to make your application by this date as this provides you with the optimum chance of securing a place in your preferred school.

Catchment applicants must submit documentary evidence to validate the catchment application, including the child's birth certificate, a child benefit statement where appropriate, the most recent copy of Council Tax Notice, most recent mortgage statement or tenancy agreement and recent utility bill. If you are not in receipt of child benefit the Council will also accept a driving licence or bank statement (with transactions in the last 3 months). If your child is of Roman Catholic faith, as evidenced by a Roman Catholic baptismal certificate, and you are applying for a place in a Roman Catholic denominational school, you should also provide the Roman Catholic baptismal certificate.

Parents/carers are required to submit their documentary evidence digitally via an online portal. Guidance advising how evidence can be submitted will be provided in the automated response email which parents/carers will receive only once a catchment application has been submitted.

Should any parent/carer not be able to apply for a catchment school place online or submit digital versions of the required documentary evidence, please contact School Admissions (details below), for further guidance.

Deferred school entry and eligibility from 1 August 2025: Catchment Residents

If your child will not be 5 years old on 1 August 2025, your child is entitled to another year of fully funded early learning and childcare. You need to let us know if you want to defer your child's entry to school so that we can allocate them another year at nursery; even if deferring your child's entry to PI you must submit a P1 application and record your request to defer.

Should deferral applicants decide at a later date that they wish for their child to commence their primary education in August 2025, the School Admissions team should be advised of this as soon as possible. Late PI applicants will be less likely to be allocated a PI place at the preferred catchment school.

Parents/carers who chose to defer their child's entry for August 2025, must apply for a PI catchment place for the commencement of the 2026-27 school academic year, in December 2025. By deferring a school place there is no higher priority allocated to applicants for the following year; all applications will be processed in accordance with the Council's school admissions policy regardless of previous deferral.

For more information on deferring entry to school visit the Council's website https://eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/article/1334/Apply-for-primary-1

P7 - S1 Transition

If your child is currently in the P7 year stage and attends an East Renfrewshire school, the School Admissions team will be in contact to advise of the process for transitioning to secondary school.

New catchment applications - any other stages (P2-S6)

If you reside within, or are in the process of becoming resident with East Renfrewshire and wish to apply for a school place for any other year stage (P2-S6), please contact the School Admissions team for further guidance (details below).

Placing requests

Most school children attend their local primary or secondary school, but parents/carers can choose to apply for a place for their child in another school.

If you are interested in making a placing request for a school in East Renfrewshire, visit the Council's website at https://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/placing-requests where you will find information on how to apply, be able to submit your application online and get further information on how placing requests applications are processed.

If you are unable to access the placing request portal, please contact School Admissions (details below).

Alternatively, you may wish to submit a paper placing request application. Where such an application is being made, the application must be sent to: PLACING REQUESTS, East Renfrewshire Council Offices, Education Department, 211 Main Street, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire G78 1SY.

Placing request applications for the school session beginning August 2025 should be received by the Education Department between 2 December 2024 and 31 January 2025 to be regarded as on time and processed in the first phase of applications. Paper submissions must be received by the department no later than 31 January 2025.

Applications received after 31 January 2025 will be treated as late applications, and will be processed only after those received on time have been considered.

General

If you require further information about a particular school you should contact the school directly or visit the school's website.The links for these websites can be found on the Council's website.

The Education Department will process applications fairly and transparently in accordance with its school admission arrangements which are published on the Council's website. In doing so the Council will conduct checks to establish the accuracy of information supplied which may include visits to premises or surveillance in cases where it is necessary and proportionate to do so. Any attempts to obtain a place by deception will result in the rescinding of your application/placing request and may result in the matter being passed to the Procurator Fiscal's office for consideration of criminal proceedings.

East Renfrewshire School Admissions: admissions@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk

0141 577 3246

Mark Ratter, Director of Education