School admission applications and placing requests for session 2021-2022

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 your local primary school for school academic year 2021-22.

You must apply for a place at your catchment school even if you intend to apply to defer your child’s start to school or make a placing request to another school; 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. For 2021 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 www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/school-admissions, where you will also find a copy of the Council’s school admissions policy.

Online applications should be made 1 December 2020 until 22 January 2021. Any catchment applications after 22 January 2021 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.

The Council is currently making arrangements for documentary evidence to be gathered digitally; further 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 the school admissions team as detailed below for further guidance.

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 the processing of placing requests (including the criteria used for prioritising placing requests when there are more requests received than places available) and can apply online or download the Placing Request Application Form. Placing request applications for the school session beginning August 2021 should be received by the Education Department between 1 December 2020 and 31 January 2021 by:
• applying online, via the Council’s website;
• emailing a completed application form to: admissions@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk;
• sending a completed paper copy of the application form to:
PLACING REQUESTS, East Renfrewshire Council Offices, Education Department, 211 Main Street, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire G78 1SY.
Applications received after 31 January 2021 will be treated as late applications.

Deferring Entry to School: Catchment Residents
If a child reaches the age of five during January or February (after the August in which they are supposed to commence their primary education), parents/carers may choose to defer entry until the following academic year. Such children will be entitled to an additional year of funded early learning and childcare.
In the case of children who reach the age of five between the start of term in August and the end of December, parents can still decide to defer, however education authorities are required to exercise discretion as to whether an additional free year of early learning and childcare will be funded. The Council will consider supporting evidence from parents, staff and where applicable other professionals working with the child, to determine whether or not to fund an early learning and childcare place.

If the Council does not agree on the educational benefits of your child staying at nursery, you may wish to exert your right as a parent to defer their entry to school until the following August. In this case you may apply for a further year of early learning and childcare, however the cost will be met by you at the appropriate hourly rate and will be dependent on availability.
For more information on deferring entry to school visit the Council’s website at https://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/school-admissions.
If you choose to apply for deferred entry you must also apply for a place at your child’s catchment school. Should your child’s deferred entry be confirmed, it will be assumed that you will not require the P1 place for that school session and this place may be allocated to another child. You are required to re-apply as a new applicant for a P1 catchment place in the following December for a P1 place commencing the next school session in August. By deferring a school place, an application for a P1 place for the following academic year is not afforded any higher priority, with such applications being processed in accordance with the Council’s school admissions policy.

General
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, please contact the school admissions team for further guidance. 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.

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.

Mark Ratter
Director of Education