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Choosing a School
A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

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This booklet is provided to assist parents who are choosing a local Council school for their child. If you wish to send your child to an independent school please contact the Scottish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS).
SCIS website: www.scis.org.uk telephone 0131 220 2106

If you wish information on home education, please see the relevant section on the Parentzone website. www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk telephone 0131 244 4485

The booklet is made up of four sections:

Choosing a School
Considering your request
How to appeal
Further information

Introduction

Parents' rights in relation to their children's education include the right to have information about their children's school, to have a say in their children's education through School Boards and to have a quick and effective means of redress when things go wrong.

Parents have the right to express a preference for a particular school that they want their children to attend. This booklet gives information for parents in Scotland about choosing a local Council school. It gives a general explanation of the law relating to these placing requests and sets out the procedures that parents and local Councils have to follow.

This booklet cannot give a definitive interpretation of the law.
That is a matter for the Courts.

Information in this booklet should answer most of your questions. If you want more information or have queries, you may wish to consult your local Council, the headteacher of your local school, the local parents' association or School Board.

Choosing a school

Deciding which school you would prefer your child to go to

Councils usually divide cities, towns and country areas into catchment areas, and children living in a catchment area usually go to the same local school.

If you have a child who is due to start primary school or who will be transferring to secondary school soon, your Council will probably suggest that you should use the local school designated by them. Of course you may be happy to do so, but the Council must also tell you of your right to choose a different school. They can give you a contact address where you can get information to help in making up your mind.

If you express a preference for a particular school the Council have a duty to grant it wherever possible. However, the size of the school, the current roll and number of children who already live in the catchment area and other factors will affect the Council's ability to grant a placing request.

( The law relating to placing requests also applies if you want your child to change school, as well as when he or she starts primary or secondary school).

When deciding on the school you prefer, here are some important things to keep in mind.

• Find out all that you can about the school your Council suggests that you should use. If you can, arrange to visit the school and speak to the headteacher. Schools make special arrangements to welcome visitors and it is advisable to find out what these arrangements are. A telephone call to make an appointment always helps.
• Look out for advertisements in your local paper telling you about enrolling new pupils in the school.
• If you decide you want to know about other schools before you make up your mind, telephone or call at the address the Council gave you to ask about other schools. The headteacher of the school your Council suggests will help to put you in touch with other schools. Try to arrange a visit, by telephone or by letter, to the schools you are considering. (Addresses of schools are usually listed in your local telephone directory under the name of the Council.)
• Councils are required to publish specific information about each school under their management. This information is available free of charge to parents who request it and you should always ask about it.

If you are happy to send your child to the school designated by your Council, you usually only need to enrol him or her on the advertised date. Some Councils ask parents to let them know if their children will be attending the school designated by them, or to enrol by a certain date. Make sure you know what your Council expects you to do.

If you want to send your child to a different school run by your Council there are certain things you will need to do.

• You must tell your Council. There may be a time limit for doing this - check whether the Council has asked you to contact them by a particular date. You can still ask after that date, but if the Council receives more requests for a particular school than there are places, your child is unlikely to get in if you did not ask in time. Most Councils have placing request application forms that you will be asked to complete.
• You must put your request in writing. All the law requires you to do is write your name and address, your child's name, and the name of the school you would prefer. It would be helpful to the Council, however, if you also give your child's age and (if already at school) the name of his or her present school and stage of education.

If you wish to apply for more than one school you must indicate your first choice. This is important because the Council is only obliged to consider your first preference.

You do not have to give reasons for your choice. However, Councils may give priority to requests made on certain specific grounds - for example, that your other children already attend the school you have chosen - and it may be helpful to give the Council relevant information.

The Council will consider your written request. It will provide a place for your child in the school of your choice unless all the places are already filled, or there are other special circumstances ( the circumstances in which a request can be refused are explained more fully later).

When to make your request

If your child is due to start primary school in August (normally he or she will be between 4 ¹/ ₂ and 5 ¹/ ₂ years of age by then) or due to transfer to secondary school, your Council will provide information in the previous December, January or February on choosing a particular school.

If you do not get a letter from them or see an advertisement about this by the end of February, then you should telephone or write to your Council. The headteacher of the local school, or of the school you are interested in, will also tell you whether there is a date by which your request must be in.

If you are already sure by February which school you would prefer your child to go to, then simply write to the Council's education office to tell them. You should do this as soon as possible to allow the Council to consider your request.

Choice of school for children under the age of 5

Some parents may wish their child to start primary school before they have reached school age. School age children are those who are 5 years old when they start school in August, or who will turn 5 before the following March.
If you would like your child to start school early, before they reach school age, you should contact your Council.
If the Council agrees that it would be appropriate to your child's ability and aptitude for them to start school early, they will provide a Primary 1 place for him or her in one of their schools. Parents do not have a statutory right to make a placing request for a child who will be under school age when they start primary school. However, if you have a particular school in mind, the Council may be able to give your child a place there - but you cannot appeal if they do not.

Changing schools

The right of parents to express a preference for a particular school applies at any time until the child reaches school leaving age. ( choice of school by young people over 16.) If for some reason you feel that your child should attend a school other than the one he or she is attending, you should discuss the matter with your child's present headteacher or class/guidance teacher. If you decide that the best course would be a change of school, then you can ask for a place in a different school. You can do this at any time. You do not have to wait until the beginning of the next school year. Changing schools can be unsettling for children and their education, so your decision requires careful thought. A Council can refuse a request if they think a child has already moved schools too much and another move would be seriously damaging.

Children's views

All parents naturally want the best for their children. That natural desire is underpinned by the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, which sets out parental responsibility to safeguard and promote their child's health, development and welfare, in their child's best interests. Like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (to which the United Kingdom is a signatory), it also recognises the rights of children to have their views taken into consideration when any major decisions are being made that affect their development and welfare. Choosing a school is clearly a very important decision, and children may have views that their parents should consider, taking into account their relative age and maturity.

Young people over 16

In addition to the rights described above, once a pupil has reached the school leaving age the pupil - not the pupil's parents - may choose which school to go to.

Everything in this booklet about the rights of parents also applies to the rights of school pupils who have reached the school leaving age and who are then considered to be old enough to decide for themselves which school they want to go to. If there is a difference of opinion between pupil and parent, the Council must act in accordance with the pupil's wishes, not his or her parents'.

The time at which pupils are old enough by law to leave school depends on when their 16th birthday falls in the year.

• Pupils who have their 16th birthday on or between 1 March and 30 September can leave school or decide for themselves whether they want to ask for another school from 31 May that year.
• Pupils who have their 16th birthday on or between 1 October and the last day of February can leave school or decide for themselves whether they want to ask for another school at Christmas in between those two dates.

If the pupil wants to change schools, then he or she should write to their local Council to say so.

Schools run by another Council

You can ask for a place for your child at a school run by another Council. You might want to do so, for example, if you live near the boundary of your Council's area and think that a school just across the boundary would be best for your child. In such a case you must write to the Council which manages that school, and not to your own Council.

Right to send your child to your local designated school

Many parents will still prefer their child to go to the school their Council suggests. Some of them may be worried in case there is no longer room for him or her there. There should normally be no difficulty about children starting their local designated primary school or transferring to their designated secondary school.

If you move house in the middle of your child's schooling into an area where the local school is very popular, you may find that the school is already full. In those circumstances, you may have to wait until someone else moves out and there is a place for your child. The Council will arrange for him or her to attend a different school in the meantime.

So, if you know that you are going to be moving into a school's area you should let the Council responsible for the school know as soon as possible.

Councils can reserve places in schools in anticipation of children who may move into the catchment area of the school in-year. They must consider the overall demand for places at the school, and can only keep empty the number of places that they consider are reasonably required for pupils likely to move into the catchment area in the period up to and including the forthcoming year.

However, it is not always possible for a Council to keep places in a school empty for incomers.

Travelling to school

If the Council has suggested a school for your child, the Council must make arrangements to get them there IF :

• he or she is under 8 years of age and lives more than 3.2 kilometres (2 miles) from school; or
• he or she is 8 years of age or over and lives more than 4.8 kilometres (3 miles) from school.

If you decide that you do not want your child to go to the school suggested by the Council and instead ask that he or she goes to another school, the Council does not have to provide a school bus or any help with transport.

The Council may be willing to help with transport although they do not have to by law. It may be worth asking if you would get any help before you decide to ask for a place in the school you prefer.

If the Council decides not to help with transport, you will have to consider carefully how your child is going to get to the school you prefer. You will have to make sure that your child attends regularly.

Considering your request

When the Council receive your placing request letter, they must:

either let you know within a few days that there will be a place for your child in the school of your choice or must tell you who will decide whether there is a place for your child;

• tell you whether you will have a chance to talk about your wishes to the person who will make the decision, or whether you should write to them;
• give you the name of the person you should telephone or write to if you have any questions about how your request is being handled;
• give you a note of what the law says about the reasons why your request may have to be refused;
• tell you when your request will be treated as having been turned down; and
• tell you about your right to appeal against refusal.

How quickly does the Council have to reply?

If you want your child to start at the school of your choice at the beginning of the school year in August, and if your letter reaches the Council by 15 March that year, you must be given an answer by 30 April.

You can of course ask earlier if you wish, but the Council will probably not give you an answer any sooner.

If you do not get a written answer from the Council by 30 April your request is treated as if the Council had turned it down and you may appeal. ( How to appeal.)

Do not delay your request beyond 15 March if you can help it. If you do ask for a place after 15 March, the Council have two months from receipt of your letter of request in which to make a decision, but all the places at the school you want may have been filled.

If you want your child to go to a different school in the middle of a school year, the Council have two months to decide, but of course they may be able to give an answer much more quickly.

If your letter reaches the Council after 15 March, or if you want a place for your child mid-year, and you do not get a written answer from the Council within two months, your request is treated as if the Council had turned it down, and you may appeal. ( How to appeal.)

When can a Council refuse a place in a school?

Once you have told the Council, in writing, that you want your child to go to a particular school, the Council can only refuse your request for certain reasons set out by law.

The Council do not have to admit your child to the school of your choice if any of the following apply.

• If to do so they would have to employ an additional teacher or spend a lot of money, for example, where they would have to provide an additional classroom.
• If your child's education would suffer from a change of school.
• If education in the school you want would not be suitable to the age, ability or aptitude of your child. This might apply if parents want their child to be admitted to a stage of education for which the child is not yet ready, or to a school which cannot meet the child's needs.
• If they think that your child can only be provided for in the school you want at the expense of the other pupils' education.
• If the school you want has been provided specially for children with special needs, and the Council think that your child does not need the special equipment or specially trained staff they have provided in that school.
• If your child has been very troublesome at school.
  If a child is excluded from a school, the Council are not bound to re-admit him or her. If a child has been in constant trouble, and his or her parents ask for them to be moved to another school, the Council can refuse to provide a place if they think that he or she would be likely to disturb the order and discipline in that school, or the educational well-being of pupils attending the school. They may indeed suggest another school better able to cope with the child.
• If you want your daughter to go to a boys' school, or your son to a girls' school.
• If accepting the request would prevent the Council reserving a place at the school for a child likely to move into the area of the school in-year.
• If accepting the request would make it necessary for the Council to create an additional class or employ an additional teacher at a future stage of your child's primary education.

You may wish to know the exact words used to describe the circumstances in which a Council may refuse your request. These are set out in the Annex.

What if there are more requests for a school than there are places?

A school may not have enough places to satisfy all the requests they have received. Each Council must produce guidelines to be followed in deciding who should be accepted in these circumstances. The guidelines should normally give the first places to children living within the catchment area of the school. Preference may be given to children who already have brothers or sisters at the school. Guidelines may also cover schools where a child can study a subject or take a course that is not available at his or her local school. Guidelines may apply to all the schools run by a Council, or only to certain schools.

You can ask for information about the guidelines your Council have drawn up for allocating places - telephone or write to the Council's education office for further information.

Councils must advertise any proposed changes in their guidelines so that parents and other interested people can let them know their views.

What if your request is turned down?

The Council may not be able to give your child a place in the school you want. If this happens, they must tell you (in writing) why they cannot do so. The reason they give must be one of those allowed by the law ( see later). If you do not accept or understand their reason, ask the person who wrote to you to tell you more.

If the Council tell you that your child cannot go to the school you want, you should consider the following.

• Did the Council suggest the school your child should go to instead? If they have not suggested a school before or after refusing your request ask them now.
• Do you agree that your child should go to the school the Council suggest? If so, tell them. If not, is there another school which would be your second choice?
  If there is, you can ask the Council to give your child a place there. Ask them in writing as you did with your first choice. (If you told the Council about your second choice earlier on they may be able to tell you straight away if there is room there.) If, however, you feel very strongly that the Council should have given you your first choice, you may want to appeal against their refusal.

How to appeal

Appeal committees

If you wish to challenge the Council's refusal of your placing request, you may appeal against it. In that case, your Council must set up an appeal committee to consider your request for a place in a school.

Each appeal committee is made up of no more than seven people. They may be Councillors or local people such as teachers and parents. Nobody who has considered your request before can be a member of the appeal committee. Nobody can be a member if he or she is a parent of a pupil at the school of your choice, or the school the Council have suggested, or if he or she is a teacher at either school.

The appeal committee must say:

• whether they agree that there is a good reason for refusing your choice of school (one of the reasons allowed by the law); AND
• whether it is right to refuse your request.

If they do not think one of the reasons applies, or think that even if it does your child should get a place in the school you want, they must tell the Council to give your child a place at that school, and the Council must do so.

Deciding whether to appeal

You may be very disappointed that your child cannot go to the school you want, but there is not much point in appealing simply because you are disappointed. You must have a good reason for asking the appeal committee to look at your request again. Before you decide to appeal, you should consider:

• whether you agree with what the Council have said;
• whether what the Council have said is allowable ( see reasons allowable in the law); and
• whether the Council's guidelines have been followed by whoever decided your child could not get a place in a school because there was no room. ( notes of guidelines . )

How often can parents appeal?

As a general rule, you can only appeal once each year for each of your children. So, if you have a second choice of school in mind, decide whether to appeal when your first choice is turned down, or whether you have a better chance of getting a place in your second choice of school. You may feel that it would be better to ask for your second choice of school.

Exceptionally, you may make a second appeal if a decision of an appeal committee, or of the Sheriff in another identical case, is inconsistent with the decision to refuse your child a place. In these circumstances, the Council must review the decision on your child and must tell you in writing the outcome of that review. If the Council decide not to reverse the decision concerning your child, you may appeal whether or not you appealed against the original decision.

Can any refusal be appealed?

You cannot appeal against a refusal of a place in a nursery school. If the Council have said they cannot give your child a place in a particular nursery school, their decision is final. This is also the case if you have asked for a place in a primary school for your child and they are under school age ( information on under age school entry).

If your child is recorded as having special educational needs, you have the same right of appeal on a placing request as any other parent. There are, however, certain differences in procedure. A separate guide for parents of children with special educational needs is available, and you should ask the education authority or The Scottish Executive Education Department for a copy. ( See contact details.)

When to appeal

If you want to appeal against a decision not to allow you the school of your choice, you must inform the appeal committee no later than 28 days from the date on which:

• your request is treated as if the Council had turned it down; or
• you receive the Council's letter of refusal (if the letter is received before the date on which your request would be treated as turned down).

It is important that you decide quickly whether you want to appeal or not. If you do not tell the appeal committee within the time allowed by the law, you may lose your chance to appeal.

How to appeal

The letter from the Council will explain your right to appeal and where to write if you decide to do so.

Your letter should include:

• your name and address;
• the name of your child;
• the name of the school of your choice;
• the date of the Council's letter of refusal; and
• a statement that you wish to refer the Council's decision to the appeal committee.

There is no need to say why the Council refused your request, unless you want to, because the Council will tell the appeal committee this.

Deciding how to make your case

The appeal committee will arrange a day, time and place at which they will consider your appeal. This is called a hearing. Before the hearing takes place, you have to decide how you want to tell them about your reasons for appealing.

• You can go to the hearing and speak to the appeal committee yourself.
• You can take up to three people with you and if you wish, you can ask one of those people to speak for you, instead of speaking yourself.
• If you cannot go yourself, you can ask somebody else to go in your place and speak for you.
• You can put your arguments in writing beforehand.
• You can put your arguments in writing even if you also want to go and speak, or ask someone else to speak for you.

It is not essential that you do any of these things. If the appeal committee does not get written arguments from you, and if no one goes to the hearing for you, the committee will consider the information given to them by the Council and reach their decision.

Making your case in writing

When deciding whether to put your arguments in writing, it is important to think about whether there is anything you want to say that you have not told the Council before. If there is, it is best to write it down for the committee and send a copy to the Council. If you say something to the committee that the Council have not heard before, they would have to give the Council time to think about the new information. This might delay the committee's decision.

It is best to start thinking about whether you should put your arguments in writing as soon as you have told the appeal committee that you want to refer the Council's decision to them. This is because you must send any written arguments to the appeal committee and to the Council at least ten days before the hearing. So do not wait until you know the date of the hearing before thinking about this.

Any written information the Council give to the committee must also be copied to you at least ten days before the hearing.

DO NOT FORGET

• to copy to the Council any letter or other paper you send to the appeal committee before the hearing; AND
• to do this at least ten days before the hearing.

The Council can complain to the committee if they do not get their copy or get it late and this could delay the committee's decision.

Arranging the hearing

You should get an acknowledgement of your appeal within about a week of sending your letter. It may take up to two weeks for the committee to inform you of the date, time and place of the hearing. The hearing itself should take place about two weeks after that.

You may be asked to agree to a hearing at less than two weeks' notice in order to fit in with the committee's arrangements for other hearings. You do not have to agree if you want a full two weeks to get ready.

If you want to go to the hearing yourself but the date is not convenient, you can ask the committee to fix another date. They do not, however, have to do so if the date fixed is convenient for other parents or for other committee members themselves. If the hearing has to be held on a date when you cannot go, then you may want to ask someone else to speak for you.

Hearing several appeals at once

A number of requests for places in a school may be refused for the same reason. If all these parents appeal, the appeal committee may want to hear them all together.

This may affect your hearing in two ways.

Normally your hearing must be held within 28 days after the committee receives your letter of appeal.
If they want to hear your appeal with other parents, it may be longer than 28 days.

If some parents appeal after the date of your hearing has been set, the committee may postpone your hearing and fix a later date to hear all the appeals together.

If the committee hears several appeals together, you have a right to ask the committee to let you speak to them without the other parents and their friends being there.

The chair of the appeal committee will ask you whether you want a chance to do this. If you do, he or she will ask the other parents to leave the room while you speak.

What happens at the hearing?

When the hearing starts, the chair of the appeal committee will say how the committee intends to conduct the proceedings. Normally the following will happen.

• The person speaking for the Council will say why they refused your request. Other people may be asked to speak in support of what the Council have said.
• You, or the person you have asked to speak for you, can ask them questions.
• You, or the person speaking for you, can tell the appeal committee why you think your child should get a place in the school you want, and why you think the Council should not have refused this. You can also ask people to speak in support of what you say. If you have written down your reasons, and sent them to the appeal committee and the Council beforehand, you can say, if you want, that you have nothing to add to your letter.
• The person speaking for the Council may ask questions of you and any of your witnesses.
• The person speaking for the Council will sum up their reasons.
• You, or the person speaking for you, may sum up your reasons.

If you want to give the committee any paper at the hearing, the chair can say that the person speaking for the Council should see it too, and be able to copy it. If the Council give the committee any new paper you can ask to see it too.

If the Council say anything to the committee at the hearing which you did not know about before and which you think is so important that you want time to think about it before you go on with your appeal, you can ask the committee to adjourn the hearing and fix a later date for carrying on with the rest of the proceedings.

The committee do not, however, have to agree to this if they think the new information is not important.

The Council can also ask the committee to adjourn the hearing and fix a later date for resuming it if you say anything new which they did not know about before. To avoid delay, it is best to make sure that the Council know all your reasons at least ten days before the hearing.

Apart from the people speaking for you and for the Council, only a limited number of people may be at a hearing. These may, for example, be Councillors, or their officials in charge of schools, or people appointed to see that appeal committees operate fairly. Members of the public cannot attend.

How long will a decision take?

This depends upon whether the appeal committee decides that they will have to adjourn the hearing and carry on with it later because some new and important information has been produced or because they (the committee) want you or the Council to give them more information. The committee must give their decision within 14 days of the end of the hearing. They must give their decision in writing to you and the Council, and they must give their reasons for it. If the committee agree with the Council, they must tell you about your right of appeal to the Sheriff.

If the committee disagree with the Council and say that they should not have refused your request, the Council must let your child have a place in the school you asked for.

What happens if the committee do not give a decision or do not arrange a hearing?

If the appeal committee:

• do not hold a hearing within two months of receiving your letter saying you want to appeal;
• do not fix a date for the hearing to continue within 14 days of adjourning a hearing; OR
• do not give their decision and their reasons for it within 14 days of ending a hearing,

the Council's decision to refuse your request remains in force, but you can appeal to the Sheriff in the same way as if the appeal committee had agreed with the Council's refusal.

Appeal to the Sheriff

The appeal committee may tell you that they agree that the Council were right to refuse your child a place in the school you want. If you still feel very strongly that the Council should have given your child a place, you can appeal to the Sheriff against the appeal committee's decision.

If you want to appeal, you must lodge a summary application with the Sheriff Clerk. For cases covered by the previous section headed 'What happens if the committee do not give a decision or do not arrange a hearing?', the application must be lodged within 28 days of the relevant deadline as set out in that section. If the deadlines in that section are complied with, the application must be lodged within 28 days of receiving the appeal committee's decision. A summary application must be in the prescribed form of an initial writ for which a court fee would be payable. Normal court procedures would be observed. You may - particularly at this stage, but possibly also at any other stage in the process of making and following through a placing request - consider it desirable to seek legal advice on how the law affects your particular circumstances. A late appeal may be accepted if good reason is shown. The Sheriff Clerk's address and telephone number normally appear in the telephone directory under 'Sheriff Court'.

An appeal to the Sheriff will be dealt with in private. The Sheriff will decide first whether the Council refused your request for a reason that is allowed by the law. If not, he/she will overturn the Council's original decision and your child must be admitted to the school you asked for. However, even where he/she decides that the Council had good reason, the Sheriff will consider whether your request should still be accepted. The Sheriff's judgement may, in certain circumstances, be open to judicial review at the request of either the parents or the Council. If relevant, you may wish to seek legal advice to find out more about this.

ANNEX

You may want to know exactly what the law says about the circumstances in which an authority can refuse a placing request. This is in section 28A(3) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, as inserted by section 1 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1981, and section 28A(3A) to (3E) of the 1980 Act, as inserted by section 33 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1996, as inserted by section 44 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000. The circumstances set out in section 28A(3) are:

' (a) if placing the child in the specified school would -

(i) make it necessary for the authority to take an additional teacher into employment;
(ii) give rise to significant expenditure on extending or otherwise altering the accommodation at or facilities provided in connection with the school;
(iii) be seriously detrimental to the continuity of the child's education;
(iv) be likely to be seriously detrimental to order and discipline in the school; or
(v) be likely to be seriously detrimental to the educational well being of pupils attending the school; or
(vi) assuming that pupil numbers remain constant, make it necessary at the commencement of a future stage of the child's primary education, for the authority to elect to create an additional class (or an additional composite class) in the specified school or take an additional teacher into employment at the school.

(b) if the education normally provided at the specified school is not suited to the age, ability or aptitude of the child;

(c) if the education authority have already required the child to discontinue his attendance at the specified school;

(d) if, where the specified school is a special school, the child does not have special educational needs requiring the education or special facilities normally provided at that school; or

(e) if the specified school is a single sex school (within the meaning given to that expression by section 26 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975) and the child is not of the sex admitted or taken (under that section) to be admitted to the school.'

Section 28A(3) goes on, however, to say that:

'an education authority may place a child in the specified school notwithstanding paragraphs (a) to (e) above.'

This means that a Council may agree to a request even if they would have to employ an additional teacher, or spend money on accommodation, or even if they thought the move would not be very good for the child. They do not have to refuse a request just because one of the reasons set out in the law applies.

Section 28A(3A) to (3D) is worded as follows:

'(3A) The duty imposed by subsection (1) above does not apply where the acceptance of a placing request in respect of a child who is resident outside the catchment area of the specified school would prevent the education authority from retaining reserved places at the specified school or in relation to any particular stage of education at the school; but nothing in this subsection shall prevent an education authority from placing a child in the specified school.'

(Subsection 3(B) was removed by section 44 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000.)

'(3C) In subsection (3A) above, "reserved places" means such number of places (not exceeding such number or, as the case may be, such percentage of places at the school or relating to the particular stage of education as may be prescribed by regulations) as are in the opinion of the education authority reasonably required to accommodate pupils likely to become resident in the catchment area of the school in the period from the time of consideration of the placing request up to and during the year from 1 August to which the placing request relates; and different numbers or, as the case may be, percentages may be prescribed under this subsection for the purpose of different cases or circumstances.

(3D) In subsections (3A) and (3C) above, "catchment area" means the area from which pupils resident therein will be admitted to the school in terms of any priority based on residence in accordance with the guidelines formulated by the authority under section 28B(1)(c) of this Act.'

Further information

Further general information and additional copies of this booklet are available from:

The Scottish Executive Education Department
Victoria Quay
EDINBURGH
EH6 6QQ
telephone 0131 244 4485

If your child has been recorded as having special educational needs you will find advice including information about choosing a school and your appeal rights in "A Parents' Guide to Special Educational Needs" published by The Scottish Executive Education Department. A copy of the Guide can be obtained from your education authority or from:

The Scottish Executive Education Department
Victoria Quay
EDINBURGH
EH6 6QQ
telephone 0845 123 2303

Your local Council

Here are the addresses of the Councils' offices which deal with schools.

Aberdeen City Council
Learning and Leisure Services
Summerhill Centre
Stronsay Drive
ABERDEEN
AB15 6JA
Telephone - 01224 522 000

Aberdeenshire Council
Aberdeenshire Education & Recreation
Woodhill House
Westburn Road
ABERDEEN
AB16-5GB
Telephone - 01224 664 630

Buchan Education Office
Aberdeenshire Education & Recreation
Old Infant Building
Prince Street
PETERHEAD
AB42 1PL
Telephone - 01779 473 269

Banff & Buchan Education Office
Aberdeenshire Education and Recreation
Second Floor, St Leonard's
Sandyhill Road
BANFF
AB45 1BH
Telephone - 01261 813 340

Formartine Education Office
Aberdeenshire Education & Recreation
Towie House
Manse Road
TURRIF
AB53 4AY
Telephone - 01888 562 427

Garioch Education Office
Aberdeenshire Education and Recreation
Gordon House
Blackhall Road
INVERURIE
AB51 3AW
Telephone - 01467 620 981

Kincardine & Mearns and Marr Education Office
Aberdeenshire Education and Recreation
Queens Road
STONEHAVEN
AB39 2DQ
Telephone 01569 766 960

Angus Council
Education Department
County Buildings
Market Street
FORFAR
DD8 3WE
Telephone - 01307 473 212

Argyll & Bute Council
Communities Services Education
Argyll House
91 Alexandra Parade
DUNOON
PA23 8AJ
Telephone - 01369 704 000

Clackmannanshire Council
Clackmannanshire Council
Services to People
Education and Lifelong Learning
Lime Tree House
ALLOA FK10 1EX
Telephone - 01259 450 000

Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar
Department of Education
Sandwick Road
STORNOWAY
Isle of Lewis
EH1 2BW
Telephone - 01851 703 773

Dumfries & Galloway Council
Department of Education and Community Services
Woodbank
30 Edinburgh Road
DUMFRIES
DG1 1NW
Telephone - 01387 260 427

Dundee City Council
Education Department
Floor 8
Tayside House
Crichton Street
DUNDEE
DD1 3RJ
Telephone - 01382 433 111

East Ayrshire Council
Department of Education
Council Headquarters
London Road
KILMARNOCK
KA3 7BU
Telephone - 01563 576 121

East Dunbartonshire Council
Community Directorate
Boclair House
100 Milngavie Road
Bearsden
GLASGOW
G61 2TQ
Telephone - 0141 578 8000

East Lothian Council
Department of Education & Community Services
John Muir House
HADDINGTON
EH41 3HA
Telephone - 01620 827 631

East Renfrewshire Council
Education Department
Eastwood Park
Rouken Glen Road
GIFFNOCK
G46 6UG
Telephone - 0141 577 3430

City of Edinburgh Council
Education Department
Wellington Court
10 Waterloo Place
EDINBURGH
EH1 3EG
Telephone - 0131 469 3000

Falkirk Council
Education Services
McLaren House
Marchmont Avenue
POLMONT
FK2 0NZ
Telephone - 01324 506 600

Fife Council
Education Service
Rothesay House
Rothesay Place
GLENROTHES
Fife
KY7 5PQ
Telephone - 01592 414 141

Glasgow City Council
Education Department
Nye Bevan House
20 India Street
GLASGOW
G2 4PF
Telephone - 0141 287 6826

Highland Council
Education, Culture and Sport Service
HQ
Glenurquhart Road
INVERNESS
IV3 5NX
Telephone - 01463 702 000

Caithness Area Education Office
Rhind House
West Banks Avenue
WICK
KW1 5LZ
Telephone - 01955 602 362

Sutherland Area Education Office
Johnstone Place
BRORA
KW9 6PG
Telephone - 01408 621 382

Ross & Cromarty Area Education Office
The Education Centre
Castle Street
DINGWALL
IV15 9HU
Telephone - 01349 863 441

Inverness Area Education Office
13 Ardross Street
INVERNESS
IV3 5NS
Telephone - 01463 663 800

Nairn/Badenoch & Strathspey
Area Education Office
King Street
Kingussie
INVERNESS-SHIRE
PH21 1HP
Telephone - 01540 661 009

Skye & Lochalsh Area Education Office
Elgin Hostel
PORTREE
Isle of Skye
IV51 9EE
Telephone - 01478 613 697

Lochaber Area Education Office
Montrose Avenue
Inverlochy
FORT WILLIAM
PH33 6NA
Telephone - 01397 702 466

Inverclyde Council
Education Services
105 Dalrymple Street
GREENOCK
PA15 1HT
Telephone - 01475 712 837

Midlothian Council
Education Division
Fairfield House
8 Lothian Road
DALKEITH
Midlothian
EH22 3ZG
Telephone - 0131 271 3733

Moray Council
Education Services
High Street
ELGIN
IV30 1BX
Telephone - 01343 563 267

North Ayrshire Council
Department of Education
Cunninghame House
Friars Croft
IRVINE
KA12 8EE
Telephone - 01294 324 400

North Lanarkshire Council
Department of Education
Municipal Buildings
Kildonan Street
COATBRIDGE
ML5 3BT
Telephone - 01236 812 222

Orkney Islands Council
Education Department
Council Offices
KIRKWALL
KW15 1NY
Telephone - 01856 873 535

Perth & Kinross Council
Education & Children's Services
Pullar House
35 Kinnoull Street
PERTH
PH1 5GD
Telephone - 01738 476 211

Renfrewshire Council
Education and Leisure Services
Council Headquarters
South Building
Cotton Street
PAISLEY
PA1 1LE
Telephone - 0141 842 5637

Scottish Borders Council
Education Department
Council Headquarters
Newtown St Boswells
MELROSE
TD6 0SA
Telephone - 01835 824 000

Shetland Islands Council
Community Services Department
Education Service
Hayfield House
Hayfield Lane
LERWICK
ZE1 0QD
Telephone - 01595 744 000

South Ayrshire Council
Education, Culture & Lifelong Learning
County Buildings
Wellington Square
AYR
KA7 1DR
Telephone - 01292 612 285

South Lanarkshire Council
Education Resources
Council Offices
Almada Street
HAMILTON
ML3 0AE
Telephone - 01698 454 458

Stirling Council
Children's Services
Viewforth
STIRLING
FK8 2ET
Lo-call - 0845 274 3322

West Dunbartonshire Council
Education & Cultural Services Department
Council Offices
Garshake Road
DUMBARTON
G82 3PU
Telephone - 01389 737 000

West Lothian Council
Education and Cultural Services
Lindsay House
South Bridge Street
BATHGATE
West Lothian
EH48 1TS
Telephone - 01506 776 000