Mainstream Schools - Background Information

West Lothian is divided into catchment areas for both primary and secondary schools.

• Each school is classified as either:
  • Denominational: Linked to a particular religion (in West Lothian, this means Roman Catholic)
  • Non-denominational: Not linked to any religion

Your Home Address and Catchment Schools

• Every home address in West Lothian has:

• A catchment denominational school (primary and secondary)
• A catchment non-denominational school (primary and secondary)

Admission Notes

• The Council aims to provide enough places for all children in their catchment schools.
• However, living in a catchment area does not guarantee a place at that school.

How to Find Catchment Information

• PDFs with Street lists and Catchment boundary maps
  • Available on the West Lothian Council website — select the school name to access these on the following pages
    • All Primary Schools
    • All Secondary Schools
• Or use the interactive map to find catchment schools for your home address: School catchment areas lookup (opens new window)

There are in West Lothian

• 10 non-denominational Secondary Schools
• 3 denominational Secondary Schools

Each secondary school is linked with several primary schools.  The catchment area of a secondary school includes the catchment areas of all its associated primary schools.

Admission Priority

• Priority Admission: Children attending an Associated primary school are given priority for admission to the secondary school.
• No Guarantee: Despite efforts to provide enough places, attendance at a primary school does not guarantee a place at the associated secondary school.

List of Secondary Schools and Associated Primaries (PDF, 111 KB)(opens new window)

All denominational schools in West Lothian are Roman Catholic.

There are three Roman Catholic secondary schools, each linked to several associated Roman Catholic primary schools.

Admission Priority

Priority is given to baptised Roman Catholic children for admission to Roman Catholic schools.

Parents should notify the Council if their child:

• Is baptised Roman Catholic
• Is being baptised
• Is being prepared for First Communion

Evidence required: Typically a certificate of baptism.

 Important Notes

• The Council aims to provide enough places for all baptised Roman Catholic children.
• However, baptism does not guarantee a place at a specific Roman Catholic primary school.
   

What Is a Placing Request?

• A placing request allows parents to apply for a school outside their catchment area.
• This applies to both primary and secondary schools.
• Requests can be made regardless of religious affiliation — meaning families can apply to denominational or non-denominational schools freely.

Council's Role

• The Council must approve placing requests unless there is a legal reason not to.
• Legal reasons may include:
  • Lack of space at the requested school
  • Impact on class sizes or resources

Important Considerations

• Submitting a placing request does not guarantee admission.
• Even if approved, transport to a non-catchment school is not provided by the Council.

Schools in West Lothian may be oversubscribed, including at the P1 or S1 stages.

That means these schools receive more applications than there are places available.

Places are limited by factors including the availability of accommodation, the cost of extending accommodation, and the cost of employing additional staff.

For this reason, it is not always possible to offer parents their first choice of school.

General Principle

• The Council can refuse non-catchment children in order to reserve places.
• The Council reserves places for children who move into a school's catchment area during the school year.
• These places are only available after all current catchment children have been admitted.

Primary Schools

• Schools with 8 classes or fewer:
  → 2 places reserved per year group.
• Schools with 9 classes or more:
  → 3 places reserved per year group.

Secondary Schools

• Reserved places vary based on total number of pupils at each stage

Special Circumstances

The Council may adjust reserved places if:

• A large number of new homes are planned or being built in a catchment area.
• There are other circumstances which means we would expect a higher number to move into the catchment area.