Up here we have to send our kids to the school in which our houses fall into catchment areas. Some are the most bizarre catchment area, passing 1 or 2 schools to get to the catchment school Ella's catchment school is Blacklaw - which will be a 1 mile walk over the main expressway twice, when there are another 2 school (Maxwellton where she goes to nursery and the building in which I work and Hunter) which are closer, and not over Expressways.
At the time of registering our kids we can request to send the children to a different school.

I was reading in our local paper that over 100 placing requests have been refused this year in East Kilbride alone, with the rest of SLC refusing only another 97! Yes EK is the biggest town, but all the other towns together is about double the number of schools of Ek. In the papers over the last few weeks, there have been several parents complaining about placing requests. One mum was facing having her 3 children in a different town for school next year - one in East Kilbride, one at an Autism placement High School in Hamilton, and another in a Sen placement in Rutherglen. She lives in East Kilbride!!! Another, also with a Autistic child, is facing having her Autistic child in the Murray Base - leaving in a taxi between 8.15 and 8.45 and another child going to a mainstream school almost 3 miles away at the other end of East Kilbride - also having to be picked up at the same time in a taxi!

Seriously do the idiots who work in SLC think this is appropriate for children. It now has me dreading this time next year. Ella's catchment school is completely unsuitable for me to take her, or get her collected while I am at work. Plus I refuse to let my 4 year old cross over a double Expressway with no crossing patrols to get to school, when I am driving to a school that is closer to her home anyway. Gonna have to cross everything for the next year to hope she gets into Maxi. Right no more competitions for me - have to keep all my luck for this time next year just in case

xx

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That sounds totally crazy! I thought it was silly down here, I had already got Jennifer and Liam in Ashley school, our catchment school, but had a rough time getting Adeles september starting place, even though she has 2 siblings in the school, attends the nursery and lives in the catchment. I had to take proof of our address to the town hall! I hope Ella does get in the school you want. We have the option to appeal if turned down and they have to hold 3-4 appeal places for each school.

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Fingers crossed! Shame you need proof of residency when you register or I'd have been registering her under your mum's house!! If the safest walking distance is more than a mile she should get transport. SLC threatened to put the 2 mile rule for primaries into place, but nothing's happened so far. Fingers crossed she gets a place at Maxwellton. Quite glad I live in Strathaven! Mind you when we moved up here and were in EK Elijah spent 3 months at Our Lady of Lourdes because St Louise's didn't have a place for her, we were in Whitehills!! Nightmare!
Mind you I'd rather have our system than he one they have down south, that is waaaaaaay to stressful!!

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I agree Yvonne our system is better than down south, but everyone in EK seems to be getting their placing request turned down this year.
Still keeping the mile to school before transport so far - but believe it or not Yvonne it is 0.99 miles from my house to Blacklaw!!! Just under free transport - but then again not prepared to let a wee 4 year old go on her own in a taxi.
Seriously thinking of moving into my mums before Christmas just to ensure she gets in.

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That's like us, we are 0.98 miles from the school. Sure we have a lollipop lady on the main roads, but kids have to cross other roads first and they can be busier at times, especially when diversions are in place! Needless to say Jaidyn won't be walking on her own until she's at least P5!

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Sounds like a nightmare! And totally backwards too? We're quite lucky here, we have catchment areas and luckily the nursery/school I want Lewis in is within it. So we've been lucky to get him into the nursery. Although unlike years ago when once you attended the nursery you were pretty much guaranteed a place in the school - surprise surprise it doesn't work like that now.
We've been told in September (probably the first week Lewis attends nursery actually) we need to get his name in and on the waiting list for schools. Hope to keep him in the same one, as it's within walking distance (about 20 minutes) and can always jump in the car if ever running late.

They change everything and sometimes to be honest I think it's all a flipping nightmare

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