Changes to Secondary School Entry Criteria (all to delineated secondary) and Placing Request Criteria

Published: 28 January 2019

Changes to Glasgow's placing request criteria and secondary school entry criteria will be implemented from the new school term in August 2019 following an extensive public consultation and agreement by elected members at a recent City Administration Committee.

Please note changes to catchment areas will take immediate effect but will not mean any changes to current P7 transition arrangements for S1 entry in August 2019.

The council launched the consultations a few months ago to seek the views of parents, carers and stakeholders on proposed changes to school placing request criteria and secondary school catchment areas across the city.

The current placing request criteria had not been updated in more than 10 years and with the aim to make the process clearer for parents and carers, the proposed changes reflect the way life, schools and families in the city have evolved.

The new placing request criteria take into account the views expressed by those who responded to the consultation.

Councillor Chris Cunningham, City Convener for Education, Skills & Early Years said: "The consultations looking at secondary school catchment areas across the city and placing request criteria was the ideal opportunity for all interested parties to make their views known.

"We've listened to parents, families and the local community and made changes to a number of the original proposals and that's reflected in the final report to committee yesterday.

Parents of children due to transition from P7 to S1 from August 2020 should please note the following in regard to the agreed change to secondary entry criteria:-

1. Any child who attends a primary school by means of a placing request, and has a sibling in the associated secondary school at the time of transition, will be entitled to transfer to the same associated secondary school and considered as if they were a catchment area pupil for up to five years (until August 2025)
    
2. Families who made the decision to place their child in a specific primary school, having the reasonable belief that they would automatically transition to the associated secondary school will be treated as "priority" placing requests for up to five years (until August 2025).  This means that your request will be considered ahead of other general placing request applications. Please note that this does not mean that the child will be guaranteed a space within associated secondary school, this will be dependent on the number of catchment children to be accommodated.

View the full committee reports here