Moving from primary to secondary school
Children in P7 are allocated a place at a secondary school if
- they attend a City of Edinburgh Council primary school, and
- they live in the City of Edinburgh Council area.
We also allocate places to children in P7 who live in the City of Edinburgh Council area, but attend schools in East Lothian, Midlothian or West Lothian.
We sent letters on 29 October 2024 to parents of children living in Edinburgh, and who are in P7, confirming the allocated high school based on the address held on the school record.
If your child is in P7 and attending an independent school in the City of Edinburgh Council area, you need to make a placing request.
About your child's high school place
The school we allocate is the same denomination as your child's primary school, so if your child attends
- a non-denominational primary school we allocate your catchment non-denominational high school
- an RC primary school we allocate your catchment Roman Catholic (RC) high school.
You can ask us to change the allocated catchment school if the other is your first preference.
Places at RC schools are not guaranteed, and we give priority to children who are baptised in the Roman Catholic faith. Where we cannot offer a place, most children are given a place in their non-denominational catchment school.
If you live outside the catchment area of your preferred school you need to make a placing request. You will only receive a place if one is available.
Section three of the Placing in Schools guide tells you more about the procedure for S1 places.
Section five of the Placing in Schools guide tells you more about how we allocate places in RC schools.
Download the Placing in Schools guide - PDF
Moving to a new address
If you are moving to a new address before 31 July 2025 you need to tell us.
Complete the Change of Address form as soon as you know your new address. You can fill in the form in advance of your move, provided you will be settled in your new address by 31 July 2025.
Please note that we cannot guarantee a place at one of your catchment schools if you apply after 24 December 2024. In these cases we may offer you the nearest school which has a place available.
Section nine of the Placing in Schools guide tells you more about moving address.
Download the Placing in Schools guide - PDF
Change your allocated catchment school or request a school outside your catchment area
You can ask us to change your allocated catchment school or you can make a request for a school in a different catchment area.
You can only make one placing request initially. If your request is turned down you can apply for an alternative school at that time.
A placing request is always treated as your first preference.
Section four of the Placing in Schools guide tells you more about the procedures for placing requests.
Download the Placing in Schools guide - PDF
Further reading
Read Choosing a School: A Guide for Parents on the Scottish Government website.
Download the S1 school places FAQ for parents - PDF
Download our admissions policy - PDF
Download our admissions procedure - PDF
Download the school placements privacy notice - PDF
Contact us
Please use our contact form for any enquiries you have.