When something has gone wrong
What do I do now?
12 situations, each with the first thing to do and a link straight to the section of the guide that owns the full answer — not the top of a 2,500-word page you then have to search. Nothing here is new advice: every first step is what the guide already says, pulled forward to where you need it.
Starting school
I missed P1 registration week. Has my child lost their place?
The first thing to do
No. The catchment right exists whether or not you registered on time — your address decides the school and the school is obliged to take your child. What you have lost is the school's knowledge that your child is coming, so phone the school this week and register; the later it gets, the more you miss of transition events and health screening.
We've moved and it's the middle of the school year. How do we get a place?
The first thing to do
Contact the school directly, or the council's education department. There is no registration window for a mid-year move — it is handled on a rolling basis, catchment children are almost always accommodated, and a child can usually start within a week or two of the paperwork. Nobody will chase you to make it happen; you have to drive it.
My child seems too young for P1. Can I defer, and how?
The first thing to do
Talk to the nursery key worker in the autumn term, before registration opens — their view of your child in a group setting carries real weight. A January or February birthday defers automatically: register at the catchment school and say so. Any other birthday is a discretionary request to the council, made during the registration window with nursery evidence attached.
P1 registration week: January 2027 (varies by council) (varies — check the official source)
Choosing a school
My placing request was refused. What now?
The first thing to do
The refusal letter states the reason and your right to appeal, and you have 28 days from it to lodge one with the council's Education Appeal Committee. Appeals are free and you can represent yourself; they succeed where the council made a procedural error, did not properly weigh what you told them, where new evidence has emerged, or where the capacity claim can be challenged.
The appeal committee refused too. Is that the end of it?
The first thing to do
Not quite — there is a final right of appeal to the Sheriff Court. It is rare, it usually needs legal advice, and the guide is honest about when it is worth it. Before that, check whether the school's capacity position changes over the summer: places do open up, and a refused request can be revisited with the council.
I missed the placing request deadline. Can I still apply?
The first thing to do
Yes — councils still accept late placing requests, but they are considered only after every on-time request has been processed, so your chances drop with every week. Submit it now rather than waiting for next year, and register at your catchment school in parallel so your child has a place either way.
Placing request deadline: 15 March 2027
At school
My child won't go to school. Where do I start?
The first thing to do
Book a GP appointment to rule out physical causes and get the pattern recorded. Email — not phone — the school asking for a meeting about attendance support, so there is a paper trail from day one. Start a two-minute daily log of dates, symptoms and what was tried. At the meeting, get a written plan with a named contact and a review date.
The school isn't doing anything about it. How do I escalate?
The first thing to do
In order: a formal meeting with the depute head or head of pupil support, outcome in writing; a written request to the council's ASN or inclusion team for an assessment; free independent mediation through Enquire, where most disputes resolve; the council's formal dispute resolution; and only then the Additional Support Needs Tribunal. The lower rungs work better when everyone knows you know the upper ones exist.
Exams and results
The Higher grade came back lower than expected. What are my options?
The first thing to do
Compare the grade to the evidence — prelim, estimate, coursework — before anything else; if the exam grade is broadly in line, a review is unlikely to help. If there is a gap of a grade band or more, contact the guidance or subject teacher on results day or the morning after. Be clear-eyed that a review can move a grade down as well as up, and the decision is final.
Qualifications Scotland Results Day 2027: Tuesday 10 August 2027
I didn't meet my university offer. Is there still a place somewhere?
The first thing to do
Check UCAS Hub first — you will see either that your firm or insurance choice has accepted you anyway, or that you are in Clearing with a Clearing number assigned. Then search the Clearing vacancies with your actual results in front of you, and phone the university's Clearing line directly: a verbal offer on the phone is what turns into a place once you add it in Hub.
Clearing 2026 closes: Late October 2026 (varies — check the official source)
University and funding
My SAAS award doesn't cover the year. What can I do?
The first thing to do
Every Scottish university runs a discretionary fund for students in unexpected difficulty — separate from SAAS, administered by the university, usually a grant rather than a loan, and confidential. Apply through student services or the funding team. A delayed SAAS payment, a change in family circumstances SAAS has not processed yet, and rent arrears are all reasons it exists for.
I missed the SAAS deadline. Will I get any funding?
The first thing to do
Apply now anyway. SAAS keeps accepting applications after the guarantee date; what the deadline guarantees is that a complete application will be assessed before term starts, so missing it means the first payment may not be there for the first week. Apply, then speak to the university's funding team about bridging the gap — that is exactly what the hardship fund above is for.
SAAS final deadline for 2026/27 funding: 31 March 2027 (varies — check the official source)
Not on this list?
For anything involving additional support needs, Enquire (enquire.org.uk) gives free, independent advice specific to Scotland. For a placing request, appeal or enrolment question your council’s education department is the authority; for exams, your school’s guidance teacher; for funding, the university’s own student services. Our site search covers every guide.
Before the next one
The deadlines that turn into these situations — by email, in time
Placing requests, P1 registration, SAAS, results and appeals. We say when each one is due, before it is.