If your child is 5 years of age before the end of February 2008, they can start school in August 2007 and should be registered in their local school before 8 December 2006.

The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 gives parents the right to choose the school that their child will attend and places a duty on education authorities to grant requests, wherever possible. Although most children attend their local school, parents may make an application for any other school under the management of East Lothian Council. This is known as a non-district placing request.

Information is detailed below and non-district placing request application forms are enclosed to the right. Otherwise, further information and application forms are available from:

Inclusion & Equality
Department of Education and Children's Services
East Lothian Council
John Muir House
HADDINGTON
EH41 3HA
Tel. No: 01620 827415/827587

Catholic Education
In some areas there are separate Catholic schools available for parents wishing their children to be educated in this type of school.

Catchment Areas
Every school has a catchment area around it. Each catchment area has clear boundaries. Children living in this area are given priority for places in the local school, which is known as the district school.

School Preference
The law allows parents to express a preference for a different school (such a school is often referred to as a non district school). This is done through a placing request. The local authority must grant these requests wherever possible.

Information about Schools
All schools have up-to-date handbooks available giving information about themselves. The Head Teacher will be pleased to send you a copy. The telephone number of each school can be found in the telephone directory under "East Lothian Council".

Children with Special Needs
East Lothian has an inclusion policy, with the expectation that children with additional support needs will be educated wherever possible in their local school.

School Transport
If your child is attending the district primary or secondary school and lives more than two miles away, East Lothian Council will provide or arrange for transport free of charge. Transport arrangements will not be made if you have chosen to send your child to a non district school.

Placing Requests
East Lothian Council will always try to grant a placing request, wherever possible it is obliged to do so by law. However, the law does allow the Council to refuse a request under certain circumstances. These include the following:

• Where another teacher would have to be provided
• Where money would have to be spent on building work
• Where the child's education would be affected because the education would be unsuitable
• Where pupils already in the school would suffer in some way where places are reserved for district pupils

If a placing request is refused parents have the right of appeal to an Appeals Tribunal.