Schools transactions update 4 January 2023
Happy New Year from the transactions team! Read to find out the latest update on P1/S1 school places.
Primary 1 registration update
Please download the phase 2 P1 registration process for details on the process from January 2023 onwards.
The deadline for P1 registrations was 24 December, however we have left the registration form open over the Christmas period, so there will be some more registrations to enter on SEEMiS. In addition, there are several pupils from previous registrations not registered yet. An email will be going out containing all the details and we ask that you check you have received these registration forms and input as soon as possible.
If you have not entered registrations because there is an issue, i.e., address proofs not sufficient or not provided yet, please let us know using the contact form. Please don't leave them as they risk not being included in your total.
We have also been checking registration discrepancies - these are children who have not been matched to their existing nursery record and a duplicate enrolment has been created. This causes issues at Turnaround, so it is vital we sort these out now.
Discrepancies can be down to just one letter mis-spelled, or a date of birth entered incorrectly - often it’s the nursery record which is wrong! It is important to always check if the parent has stated the child attends one of our early years settings. Please note that if the nursery was not listed as it is a private non-partner nursery or one in another authority area, you will not find a current match, and in these cases, you would be expected to create a new enrolment.
For any discrepancies we’ve identified, you will receive an email with the details, and you will be asked to re-register these children.
The P1 registration screen will be locked on 16 January so please ensure you deal with the remaining registrations and discrepancies before then.
Admission to Roman Catholic schools
Priority will be given to children baptised in the Roman Catholic faith.
There are several P1 registrations with RC status 'certificate not provided yet' - please review these and chase up parents, if necessary. Otherwise, they will be counted as non-baptised and will not be guaranteed a place.
To update the RC Requirement status on a registration, just search for the child name in the Intake Registration Details screen, select the correct status received and click on 'Update Proofs':
You can also do this if updating the Address proofs and DOB Proof boxes.
Pupils not registered for P1
Every year there are many children who are never registered for P1 but still require a place in P1. Due to the rising rolls, it is important we get as many children registered as possible as we are less likely to be able to accommodate these pupils later after we have allocated all available places.
In these cases when a parent has not completed a registration form, and therefore not provided the child's birth certificate or proof of address - we will simply carry out an address check against Council Tax / Benefits records. We will be registering these children over the coming weeks so you may notice additional children appearing on your registration details report.
S1 school places update
P7 address changes up to the end of term in December 2022 have been actioned, and letters have been issued to the parents confirming the allocated place. We’ve also allocated places to children who enrolled into P7 from outside Edinburgh between November and December 2022.
We check a weekly report for P7 pupils detailing any new starts or changes, i.e., new addresses. You don't need to tell us about these separately as we'll pick them up automatically. In most cases we'll check against Council Tax records to confirm the address and then change the allocated school. However, we may contact you if we need some more information.
Free school meals for 2023-2024 session
In past years we’ve seen parents start to apply for their children starting P1 in August. It is too early to apply as applications do not open for the next session until June. If you do provide info to the parents of your registered children, please advise not to apply yet.
Next update
We’ll post our next update in-mid February with information on intake limits, plus details of the February FSM payment.