Apply for primary 1

You can apply for a P1 school catchment place for your child if you currently live within East Renfrewshire Council or will be living within the authority by the start of the new session in August 2023.

Read our school admissions policy (PDF) [384KB] (opens new window) .

How to apply

Parents and carers of children who will be five-years-old between March 2023 and February 2024 should apply to register in either the local denominational or non-denominational school at this time. It is important that an application is made for residents' preferred local catchment area school in the first instance, even if you plan to make a placing request for your child to attend another school or seek to defer your child's start to school.  We would ask you to apply for the local catchment school, even if you intend to educate your child privately or at home.

Applications for P1 school catchment places should be made before 20 January 2023.

Applications can be made after 20 January 2023, however, it is advisable to make your application by this date as this provides you with the optimum chance of securing a place in your preferred school.

If you wish to attend a school that is not within your catchment area or you will not be residing in East Renfrewshire in August 2023 you should complete a placing request application.

Apply online

Deferring entry

If a child is not yet 5 years old on 1 August in the year which they are supposed to commence their primary education, parents/carers may choose to defer entry until the following academic year. Such children will be entitled to an additional year of funded early learning and childcare.

Parents of children who reach the age of five before 1 August, can still decide to defer, however education authorities are required to exercise discretion as to whether an additional free year of early learning and childcare will be funded.