School Enrolment in Scotland: When and How to Register

Every child in Scotland has a right to a place at their local catchment school. But that place does not materialise automatically — you need to register. Here is how the process works, when to do it, and what you need.

Registration week — when and why it matters

Scottish councils hold a registration week each January for children due to start Primary 1 the following August. Your child is eligible if they turn five on or before the last day of February in their start year (or if they are a deferred entry, turning five by the end of the following February).

The exact dates differ by council. Most fall in the second or third week of January, but some councils run theirs a week either side. Your council will announce the dates on its website, through nurseries, and in local press. Do not rely on word of mouth — check the council page directly.

How to find your catchment school

Your catchment school is determined by your home address. Every residential address in Scotland falls within the catchment area of one primary school and one secondary school.

To find yours:

• Check your council’s website — most have an online catchment checker where you type in your postcode or address
• Phone your council’s education department — they can confirm verbally and in writing
• Read our catchment area guide for a full explanation of how catchment boundaries work and what to do if you are near a border

You must register at your catchment school even if you plan to make a placing request for a different school. The catchment registration secures your fallback place.

How to register — step by step

1. 1

   Check the dates

   Find your council's registration week dates on their education page. Mark them. Set a reminder.
2. 2

   Confirm your catchment school

   Use the council's online catchment checker or phone their education team. Do this before registration week so there are no surprises.
3. 3

   Gather your documents

   You will need your child's birth certificate (or passport), proof of address (council tax bill or utility bill), and immunisation records. Some councils also ask for the child's CHI number.
4. 4

   Register online or in person

   Some councils run registration entirely online. Others ask you to visit the school during registration week. A few offer both. Follow your council's instructions — the method matters.
5. 5

   Get confirmation

   After registering, you should receive written confirmation from the council or school within a few weeks. If you don't hear back by mid-February, chase it.

What documents you need

The exact requirements vary slightly between councils, but you will almost always need:

• Child’s birth certificate (or passport if born outside the UK)
• Proof of address — a council tax bill, utility bill, or tenancy agreement dated within the last three months
• Immunisation records — your child’s record from the health visitor or GP, showing their pre-school vaccinations
• CHI number — the Community Health Index number assigned to your child at birth in Scotland; if you have moved from elsewhere in the UK, you may not have one yet, and the school health team will help arrange it

Online vs in-person enrolment

This is entirely council-dependent. Edinburgh, for example, runs its P1 registration online through the council website. Glasgow asks parents to visit their catchment school during registration week. Other councils fall somewhere in between.

The key point: do not assume you can do it online. Check your council’s specific process well before registration week. If you are required to attend in person and do not turn up, you have not registered — and you will need to contact the school afterwards to sort it out.

What happens after you register

Once your registration is processed:

1. Confirmation letter — the council or school confirms your child’s place, usually by late February or early March
2. Transition events — most schools run open afternoons, stay-and-play sessions, or induction days between March and June so your child can meet their teacher and future classmates
3. Health check — the school nurse team will contact you about a pre-school health review if one has not already happened
4. Uniform and practical information — the school will send details about uniform, lunch arrangements, and the first day of term

If you registered but have also submitted a placing request, you will hear back about both separately. The catchment place remains yours unless and until you accept a placing request offer.

Registering for secondary school (P7 to S1)

For the move from primary to secondary, you do not normally need to re-register. Your child’s primary school will arrange the transition to the associated secondary school automatically during P7. The primary passes your child’s records to the secondary, and the secondary sends you information about induction days and subject choices.

If you want your child to attend a different secondary school — one that is not the associated secondary for their primary — you will need to make a placing request by 15 March.

Mid-year enrolment

If your family moves during the school year or your child needs to start school outside the normal August intake, the process is different from registration week:

• Contact the school directly or phone your council’s education department
• There is no set registration period — mid-year enrolments are handled on a rolling basis
• The school will confirm whether there is space in the relevant year group (catchment children have priority and are almost always accommodated)
• Your child can usually start within a week or two of the paperwork being completed
• The school will arrange a settling-in plan, especially for younger children

Moving to Scotland from elsewhere in the UK or internationally

If you have recently arrived in Scotland, the enrolment process is the same in principle — you register at your catchment school — but there are a few extra considerations:

• You do not need to wait for registration week. Contact your council’s education department as soon as you have an address. They will identify your catchment school and arrange enrolment.
• Birth certificate or passport — either is accepted. If documents are in a language other than English, some councils ask for a certified translation, but many will proceed without one initially.
• Immunisation records — if your child was vaccinated outside Scotland, bring whatever records you have. The school health team will review them and arrange any catch-up vaccinations needed under the Scottish schedule.
• English as an additional language — if your child does not speak English as a first language, the school will assess their needs and provide EAL support. This does not delay enrolment.
• Read our full guide on moving to Scotland with school-age children for more detail on the practicalities.

The one thing people get wrong

The P1 registration process in Scotland is, in fairness, one of the more straightforward things you will deal with as a parent. You find your catchment school, you turn up or fill in a form during January, and your child has a place. There is no competitive admissions process, no entrance test, no lottery. Your address determines your school, and your school is legally obliged to take your child.

Where it gets messy is when parents do not realise they still need to register. The catchment right exists regardless, but if you do not register, the school does not know your child is coming. That means no place in transition events, no health screening, and a scramble in August. Register in January. It takes fifteen minutes.

The other common trip-up is assuming that registering at the catchment school means you cannot also explore other options. You can — and should, if you are interested. Register at the catchment school to secure your place, then make a placing request if you want to try for somewhere else. The two processes run in parallel, and you only give up the catchment place if you accept the placing request offer.

Mid-year enrolment is less tidy. Councils handle it, but there is no centralised system and no published timeline. If you move to a new area in October, expect to spend a morning on the phone. The child will get a place — but nobody is going to chase you to make it happen. You have to drive it.

Next steps

1. Check your catchment school — confirm which school your address falls under before registration week
2. Find your council’s registration dates — search “P1 registration [your council name]” for the exact January dates
3. Gather documents now — birth certificate, proof of address, and immunisation records, so you are not scrambling in January
4. Read the P1 starting age guide — make sure your child is eligible for the intake year you are targeting
5. Considering a different school? Read our placing request guide — but register at the catchment school first