Entry Age
Your child will be eligible to attend their catchment primary school in August if their fifth birthday falls between 1 March of that year and the last day of February of the following year. You can, however, make a request for early entry to school for a child whose fifth birthday falls after the above period.
Registering your child for Primary 1
Register your child for Primary 1 - online application
To register your child for Primary 1 starting in August 2024, please complete our online form. This form will also allow you to:
- inform us of your decision to home educate;
- request an additional year of ELC;
- apply for a placing request;
- inform us of your intention to register with an independent school or a school outwith Argyll & Bute Council, and
- apply for school transport.
From August 2024 children who will turn 5 between 2nd day of the school year in August and the end of February, are entitled to funded childcare if their parent/carer wants. Parent/carers can request an additional year of funded ELC during Primary One registration in January 2024.
Transfer from Primary 7 to S1
A group of primary schools in an area is normally associated with a single secondary school. Pupils normally transfer from the primary school to its associated secondary school between the ages of 11½ and 12½ years.
Your local primary school will be able to tell you the name of the secondary school to which your child would normally transfer after the Primary 7 stage.
Secondary School Registration Form
When you should register at your local school
You should contact your local school if any of the following apply:
- when online registration is closed;
- you are looking to change your child's school (primary or secondary), and
- if you are moving in to the area and registering for a year stage other than Primary 1 and S1.
Requesting a different (non-catchment) school
Your child will normally attend the local primary school and transfer from it, after the Primary 7 stage, to its associated secondary school. However, as a parent, you have the right to make a placing request for your child(ren) to be educated in a school other than the local school.
There are sound educational reasons for trying to ensure that the transfer or admission of children to a school takes place at the start of a school session. We therefore, advise all parents who would like a placing request (other than those who are moving home, to a new area) to ask for this to take effect only at the start of the next school session.
Should you wish to make placing requests in respect of more than one school for your child, the duty of the authority applies only to the first named school. Every effort, however, will be made to try to meet parental wishes, but you should note that it is not always possible to grant every placing request to a particular school.
How to make a request for Gaelic Medium Education
Parents/carers of children who are under school age, and who have not yet started primary school, have a right to request an assessment of the need for Gaelic Medium Primary Education within their locality. You can find out more about this and make a request here.
How to apply for a placing request
If you would like apply for a placing request you must complete the online application form for each child involved, complete our online placing request form. (Please note that children starting P1 whose parent/carer wants to make a placing request that this is done during completion of the online P1 Registration Form).
You do not have to give a reason for making a placing request. If, however, there are more requests than places available, your case may well be strengthened if your reasons are known.
Please send the completed form(s) to the education office responsible for the school you would like your child to attend and inform the head teacher of your local school that you are making a placing request.
You should receive an acknowledgement within 5 working days of receipt of your application.
Placing requests for session beginning August 2024 should be submitted by 15th March 2024 for primary and secondary schools and every effort will be made to meet parents’ requests within the limits of the accommodation and places available in schools. Your placing requests will be considered against a set of guidelines which set out the council’s priorities for admission. As soon as a decision has been made you will be notified of the result. If your placing request is successful, you will be asked to contact the school to establish arrangements for enrolment.
Find out more about how decisions are made on placing requests here
Pupil Travel and Accommodation
Apart from certain rural and island areas in Argyll & Bute, (and for some pupils attending specialist schools), pupils travel to school daily. Where, in exceptional cases, this is not possible, hostel accommodation or lodgings are provided. (Further information on hostel provision may be obtained from the Head of Children and Families based in Kilmory, Lochgilphead).
Argyll & Bute Council provides free transport for all primary pupils who live more than two miles from their catchment area school (by the recognised shortest safe walking route) and for all secondary pupils who live more than three miles from their local school (by the recognised shortest safe walking route) in line with school transport policy. This policy is more generous than that prescribed by statute and therefore may be reviewed at any time. Arrangements for free transport may be made for children with additional support needs.
The education authority does not provide transport for those pupils in receipt of a placing request so this must be taken into consideration when making a placing request.
If spare seats exist on dedicated school transport vehicles, a child who does not meet the walking distance criteria, or a placing request (who would not normally qualify for transport) may be granted a privilege ride seat at a charge determined by the Council. It should be noted that these privileged places may be withdrawn at very short notice in the event of a change in circumstances.
Privilege rides are not available on journeys which operate as registered local bus services. In such cases non-entitled pupils must pay the appropriate fare
If your request is refused
In the case of an Early Entry Request there is no opportunity for appeal.
If your placing request is refused, or if you are not advised by the authority of its decision on your request by 30 April (or within 2 months for requests made at other times of the year), you may lodge an appeal with an appeal committee. Information on how to appeal may be obtained from the education office, Argyll House.
The appeal should be sent to the address below.
You will, by the time of the appeal, know the reasons why your placing request was refused and you will be given the opportunity to present your case in person or through a representative, whichever you prefer.
If the appeal committee refuses your request, you have the right of further appeal to the Sheriff.
Contact Details:
Head of Education
Argyll House
Alexandra Parade
Dunoon, PA23 8AJ
Tel: 01369 704000