Sciennes Primary School: P7 to S1 and Nursery to P1 Transitions

Friday 8 November 2013

P7 to S1 and Nursery to P1 Transitions

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolplaces

Starting primary school and moving on to secondary school are two very important milestones both for children and their parents. City of Edinburgh Council realises this and has a range of policies and procedures in place to make each transition as smooth as possible for all concerned. See below or click on the ENROLLING tab on the school website.

P7 to S1 TRANSITION
Letters are issued via pupil post in mid November to parents of Primary Seven pupils to confirm the secondary school serving their home address. No further action is normally required if you want your child to attend your catchment secondary school. However, if you wish to request a place at another school you must complete and submit a Placing Request for a Non Catchment School AVAILABLE ONLINE at edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolplaces FROM 11th NOVEMBER 2013. All requests must be submitted by 24th December. Further information can be found on the school website in INFORMATION > P7 to S1 Transition.

IMPORTANT
N.B. If you do not intend keeping your child's place at his or her secondary catchment school, please notify the school as soon as possible, since that will free up the place for those children waiting to hear. You can inform the secondary directly or contact your primary school who will pass on that information.

(N.B. It is important to recognise that if you live outside the school catchment area, attending Sciennes does not entitle your child to a place at James Gillespie's High School and families will have to complete a Placing Request form if they are not in James Gillespie's catchment area.)

P1 REGISTRATION WEEK
You must register your child at your preferred catchment school during Registration Week 11th-15th November, even if they are attending the nursery class. It is important to recognise that if you live outside the school catchment area, attending the nursery class in a particular school does not entitle your child to a place in the primary school.

P1 REGISTRATION FOR CATCHMENT PUPILS
Register for a P1 place if your child is 4 years old by 28th February 2014 and due to start school in August 2014. Sciennes will be enrolling its new intake of P1s on THURSDAY 14th NOVEMBER 9.00am-11.30am or 1.30pm-4.00pm.

It is anticipated that in Session 2013-2014 there will be two P1 classes of 20 sharing one room and two P1 classes of 25 at Sciennes. Three classes of 30 will then be created when those pupils enter P2 the following year. In previous years Sciennes has been able to accommodate all of its catchment children. On occasion a few additional places have been available for out of catchment pupils. Please note that priority is always given to non catchment children who have siblings already at Sciennes and we operate a waiting list. School will contact you by the end of April to confirm places for catchment children and offer invitations to an Induction visit.

P1 REGISTRATION - NON CATCHMENT
If you are not within Sciennes' catchment and wish to register a child to begin P1 in August 2014 you should enrol at your catchment school. If you are planning to move to another address before your child is due to start school you must still register at one of the catchment schools serving your current address during Registration Week.

REQUESTING A DIFFERENT SCHOOL
Most parents/carers choose to send their children to one of their catchment schools. However, you have the right to express a preference for a different school and this is called a Placing Request. Should you wish to apply for a place at Sciennes or another school use the Placing Request form AVAILABLE ONLINE at edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolplaces FROM 11th NOVEMBER 2013. All requests must be submitted by 24th December.

The Council has agreed a policy for dealing with Placing Requests, and full details are in the Placing in Schools booklet. City of Edinburgh will grant Placing Requests if possible, however the highest priority is always given to children living within the catchment area of a school. It is important to note that due to rising birth rates it is likely that places for non-catchment children will be limited, even for those with an older brother or sister already attending.
You will be notified of the outcome of your Placing Request by 30 April.

Further information can be found on the school website in INFORMATION> Nursery to P1 Transition and INFORMATION> ENROLLING AT SCIENNES

IMPORTANT
N.B. If you do not intend keeping your child's place at his or her primary catchment school, or wish to delay entry, please notify the school as soon as possible, since that will free up the place for those children waiting to hear. You can inform the primary directly or contact your nursery who will pass on that information.

Gaelic Medium Education
If you wish your child to be taught in Gaelic, you can apply for a place at Edinburgh's Gaelic school, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pairce. The school has a citywide catchment area and no previous knowledge of the language is required. Travel assistance is provided for any pupils living two miles or more from the school. Please register at Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pairce during Registration Week 11th-15th November.

City of Edinburgh Council offers an Appeals Procedure
If your child has not been offered a place at the school of your preference you have the right to appeal against the decision. The Placing in Schools Appeal Committee will hold a hearing where you can present your case why you want your child to go to a particular school. You can find further details about the Committee on the Placing in Schools Appeal Committee remit and membership page. For information on who should attend the Appeal Committee, what happens at the Appeal Committee and what the Appeal Committee can do you should consult our Placing in Schools Appeal Frequently Asked Questions Guidance. You can read the Placing in Schools Appeal Statistics for 2010 to see how many requests were placed, granted and refused.

Further Information