More information on these schools is available below. Education authorities normally offer school places to children on the basis of designated catchment areas. Education authorities determine the catchment areas for each of their schools and children living within a particular catchment area are normally provided with a place at the school serving that area. Entry to secondary school is based on the catchment area determined as above, or on the primary school attended where the education authority has linked particular primary schools to the secondary school. However, all secondary schools have associated primary schools with which they have good links, and they usually spend time helping children to make the transition.
Many secondary schools give primary pupils a 'taster' course in the term before they move.
Occasionally there may be too many children for the number of places at a school and when this is the case, an education authority will allocate places according to a clear set of criteria. They will do this by considering factors such as how far a child lives from the school and whether they already have a brother or sister at the school. Parents also have a right to request a place at a school other than their local catchment area school and can do this by submitting a 'placing request' to their education authority. More information on how to make a placing request is given below. Top Placing requests Parents have a right to request a place at a school other than their local catchment area school and education authorities have a duty to meet such requests if there is space at the requested school.