Glasgow City Council is seeking the views of parents, carers and stakeholders on proposed changes to school placing request criteria and secondary school catchment areas across the city.
Elected members at today’s (Thursday 3 May 2018) City Administration Committee agreed to progress both formal city-wide consultations that will begin on Monday 14 May and run until Monday 24 September.
Following the meeting, Councillor Chris Cunningham, City Convener for Education, Skills & Early Years said: “This is an opportunity for parents, carers and the local community to make their views known on the consultation proposals.
“The current placing request criteria have not been updated in more than 10 years.
“We have listened to the views of some parents and now we want a more extensive consultation to allow us to make the process clearer for parents and carers.
“The proposed changes aim to reflect the way life, schools and families in the city have evolved.
On the secondary school catchment consultation, he added: “Over the years secondary school catchment areas have developed as schools have closed, merged or new primary schools have opened in an area.
“The council is taking the opportunity now to look at all catchment areas so that there is a one key- criteria for each of our 30 secondary schools across the city.
“At the moment we have two systems – either a line on a map (delineated) or associated, feeder primary schools (non-delineated) and our proposals, if approved will bring clarity across all secondary schools.
“We have always been clear that a secondary school catchment review is a priority of the city government.
“A single system across all mainstream secondary schools in Glasgow will also make any future catchment area changes in both the primary or secondary sector more straightforward.”
Regardless of any changes, parents and families have been given reassurance within the report that they will have protection to their secondary school having made their choice of primary school until August 2025 – when a P1 in 2018/19 enters S1.
