Primary school admissions
Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, children who are five years of age between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025, and whose parents wish them to attend school, should be registered for education during the week commencing Monday 8 January 2024 until Friday 12 January 2024.
How to register
You will require to have a Customer Account to complete your online School enrolment/Primary 1 registration form.
To complete the online registration you will require to upload:
- a copy of your child's birth certificate
- two proofs of your residency within the catchment area, for example, Council Tax Notice and utility bill, which should be no more than three months old.
Should you require a copy of your child’s birth certificate for registration, this can be obtained at Certificates.Scot.
You must register your child in only one school, either the denominational or non-denominational school for your catchment area.
If you are unable to register online then please phone your local school who will assist you to register your child.
School Enrolment Form
View contact details of all East Ayrshire primary schools
Secondary school admissions
Your child's Primary School will issue details during their final year, on when to complete their online P7 to S1 transfer forms. Information will then be passed to the appropriate secondary school who will arrange transition dates.
Please note that parents/carers who choose a school for their child which is not their catchment area school are not entitled to receive free transport to and from school.
Primary 7 Transfer to Secondary Form
View contact details of all East Ayrshire secondary schools
Gaelic medium education
We recognise that Gaelic is an integral part of Scotland's heritage, national identity and cultural life. The Council is committed to the objectives set out in the National Gaelic Language Plan and we have put in place the necessary structures and initiatives to assist in ensuring that Gaelic has a sustainable future in Scotland.
We recognise that the position of Gaelic is extremely fragile and, if Gaelic is to be revitalised as a living language in Scotland, a concerted effort on the part of government, the public and private sectors, community organisations and individual speakers is required to:
- enhance the status of Gaelic
- promote the acquisition and learning of Gaelic
- and encourage the increased use of Gaelic
Find out more about Gaelic medium education in East Ayrshire
Placing requests
It is customary for children to attend their local school assigned to that catchment area. However, occasionally parents or carers may wish to send their children to a school which is not in their school catchment area.
Interactive Catchment Lookup
If this is the case, a parent/carer may make a request to place their child in any other school under the management of the education authority, having enrolled them at their local catchment school (as above). This request is referred to as a Placing Request.
Placing requests for the session beginning August 2024, for both primary and secondary schools must be received by 31 January 2024. Please note that if you select a school which is not in your catchment area, your child will not be entitled to receive free school transport to and from school.
A Placing Request application can be completed and submitted online.
Appeals
If your placing request is refused by the Chief Education Officer and Head of Education, you can appeal in writing, within 28 days of receiving the refusal.
An appeals panel will then be arranged by the Appeals Committee. At this hearing, a panel which is made up of one elected member and two parent council representatives will make a decision on whether to uphold or reject the appeal. An officer from legal services will also attend the hearing to provide advice to the panel.
If you remain unhappy with the decision, you have the right to seek a final appeal at the Sheriff Court within 28 days of being advised of the appeals panel's decision.
Find out more about Education appeals.