A number of schools across Edinburgh are oversubscribed the new school intakes.A number of schools across Edinburgh are oversubscribed the new school intakes.
A number of schools across Edinburgh are oversubscribed the new school intakes.

Here are the Edinburgh primary and secondary schools which are oversubscribed for the 2020/21 academic year and their non-catchment placing request numbers

More than 8,300 children enrolled in a primary or secondary school in the Capital this year.

Edinburgh City Council also receives several hundred requests each year from parents who want their child to attend a school in another catchment area, which can be for a variety of reasons.

Letters about granted requests are posted in early March but parents whose children are declined a spot can also appeal decisions.

Here we look at new figures, obtained under freedom of information laws, which show 21 schools – 18 primary and three secondary – in Edinburgh which are currently oversubscribed, based on their P1 and S1 intake, and their corresponding number of granted and refused placing request applications.

Non-catchment placing requests will only be granted if there are places available after all children living in the catchment area have been accommodated and reserved places have been retained.

In the case of Roman Catholic schools, children of this faith are given priority and catchment children which were turned down are all non-Roman Catholic.

Initial intake limits are set based on children being in the catchment area by the end of February.

Reserved places are retained for pupils moving to the school from outwith the area during the school year.

Education convener, councillor Ian Perry, said: “Every year, as part of our detailed planning for rising rolls, we identify which schools may be over capacity at some point in the future and what may be the appropriate solutions to deal with this. Edinburgh’s increasing population presents a huge challenge for us but it’s one we're tackling head on as we continue to invest in new and upgraded schools and early years centres.

“We have already successfully delivered over 170 modern, high quality classrooms since 2012 to deal with rising roll pressures. The new Queensferry High School opened in August and construction work is continuing on a number of new primary, secondary and special schools across the city.

"We are continually identifying and planning for extensions and new schools in other areas of the city where we know we need to increase places as we look to provide the very best learning environment for our young people through our £500m investment over the next 10 years.”

Education Vice Convener Cllr Alison Dickie said the council seeks to create an “inclusive Edinburgh” where “all of our schools are the best schools,” which is why they encourage parents to send their children their catchment school as there are big benefits to local communities and families by having a thriving school.

In recent years, she says the council has carried out successful campaigns which has resulted in the number of non-catchment placing requests fall each year.

She added: “The reality is that the population growth in Edinburgh is resulting in fewer spaces in our schools which limits the scope for parents to choose a school out of their catchment.”

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