Published: Thursday, 7th January 2021
Enrolment week will take place from 18-22 January 2021 for children due to start school or early learning and childcare from August 2021
As part of our ongoing COVID-19 response and to minimise the number of face to face contacts in education settings, parents and carers will be asked to enrol using a new online form which will be available throughout the week.
The form also replaces the separate processes which have previously been used for early learning and childcare, primary and secondary enrolments and aims to make them more streamlined and straightforward.
Online form available 18-22 January 2020
During enrolment week, parents and carers of any child who is five years of age before the end of February 2022 are asked to enrol their child for primary school.
Anyone with children born between 1 March 2017 and 28 February 2019 is asked to enrol for both three and four year old early learning and childcare. All three and four year old children in Scotland are entitled to up to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare each year. These hours are allocated on a pro-rata basis depending on when children start throughout the year.
In both cases, parents and carers will be required to complete the online form and follow the guidance that accompanies it. They will also need to have electronic copies of their child’s birth certificate and proof of address available to upload along with their application.
NB: parents and carers will be required to have a MyScotBorders account if they do not have one already. Registering for an account is quick and easy, all you need is an email address and to provide some basic personal details. You are also advised to be logged into your MyScotBorders account before starting to complete the online form.
Enrolment can be done at any time during the week. Registrations will be accepted after 22 January but may be subject to the availability of places.
Deferring for another year
Parents and carers of a child whose fifth birthday falls between the school commencement date in August 2021 and 28 February 2022 who defer school entry are automatically entitled to another year of funded early learning and childcare. This is part of new legislation that came in on 7 December 2020 which means that from August 2023, all children whose school start is deferred will have access to funded early learning and childcare in their deferred year. We have been selected by the Scottish Government and COSLA as one of five Council’s in Scotland to pilot a phased implementation of the new legislation.
Making a placement request
Parents and carers intending to make a placement request for their child at a primary or secondary school other than their local catchment school should still enrol at their local school. This will ensure a place is reserved at the local catchment school in the event that the placement request is unsuccessful.
Councillor Carol Hamilton, Executive Member for Children and Young People
“Parents and carers of any child due to start school or attend an early learning and childcare setting are asked to complete the online form that will be available during enrolment week. While the new process has been introduced as part of our response to the pandemic, we hope that they will find it helpful and straightforward.
“Staff remain committed to making the experience of starting school or nursery as positive and safe as it can be, and I wish our young learners all the very best when they join their new settings in August.”
More information
- More information is available on our school enrolment and early learning and childcare pages which includes a link to the form. Parents can also contact Children and Young People’s Services by phone 01835 825108 or email hqoperations@scotborders.gov.uk
- To find out more about individual procedures for enrolling children, making placement requests and deferred entry, parents should contact their local primary school
- Parents or carers may also download the leaflet ‘Choosing a School’ from the Education Scotland website.