Applying for a place at James Gillespie’s High School
📖 Contents
Overview
James Gillespie’s High School serves a catchment area in the centre and south of Edinburgh. Our feeder primary schools are James Gillespie’s Primary School, Preston Street Primary School, Royal Mile Primary School, Sciennes Primary School and Tollcross Primary School, together with Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce, our Gaelic Medium feeder primary.
School places in Edinburgh are managed by The City of Edinburgh Council. This page explains how places are allocated and how to apply, with links to the Council’s own information and forms. How you apply depends on the year group your child is joining.
At a Glance
📌 Check your catchment school
Use the Council’s catchment checker to find out which school serves your address.
Find your catchment school📌 Starting S1 (P7 pupils)
S1 places are allocated by the Council. Parents of P7 pupils in Edinburgh are emailed their child’s allocated school in November.
Starting secondary school📌 Other year groups
To apply for S2–S6, or if you are moving to Edinburgh, complete the request form and email it to the school.
How to apply📌 Gaelic Medium Education
Pupils who complete P7 at Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce automatically have a place at JGHS.
Gaelic Medium EducationQuestions? Email admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk and our office will be happy to help.
Our Catchment Area
Every address in Edinburgh has a catchment school. The quickest way to check yours is the City of Edinburgh Council’s catchment checker, which is kept up to date by the Council.
Our feeder primary schools
Our catchment area includes the following primary schools:
- James Gillespie’s Primary School
- Preston Street Primary School
- Royal Mile Primary School
- Sciennes Primary School
- Tollcross Primary School
- Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce (Gaelic Medium Education, see below)
Catchment maps are only indicative. If you are unsure whether your address is in our catchment area, please use the Council’s catchment checker above or contact the school office.
Gaelic Medium Education
James Gillespie’s High School is the only secondary school in Edinburgh offering Gaelic Medium Education (GME).
Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce is Edinburgh’s Gaelic Medium primary school. All children who progress through P1 to P7 at Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce transition automatically to S1 at James Gillespie’s High School, so no separate application is needed for these pupils. All GME pupils join the Darach community when they arrive.
Starting S1
Admissions for children starting S1 for the first time are managed by the Council’s Schools Transactions team, not by the school.
- Children in P7 who attend a City of Edinburgh Council primary school and live in the City of Edinburgh Council area are allocated a secondary school place automatically, based on the address held on the school record.
- The Council emails parents of P7 children in November confirming the allocated school.
- If your child is in P7 at an independent school in the Edinburgh area, you need to make a placing request in November.
- If you would like a different school to the one allocated, you can make a placing request (see below).
Applying for Another Year Group
If you would like a place in S2–S6, or you are moving to Edinburgh or changing school, you apply directly to the school.
- Check your catchment school. Use the Council’s catchment checker.
- Check which year group to apply for. Download the Council’s year group checker (PDF).
- Download and complete the form. Use the request for school place form (Word document), giving as much information as you can.
- Email it to the school. Send the completed form to admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk with “Request for School Place” in the subject line.
Once you have applied
- The school Administrative Officer will contact you to make you aware if a space is available. Please allow extra time during school holidays.
- If your request cannot be offered a place, your child will be placed on a waiting list. Waiting lists are prioritised by the date your request was received.
- If your catchment school is full, you should contact other nearby schools to find a place.
Moving into the area? Please check whether a place is available before you move. Schools may reserve some places for children moving into the catchment area, but a place is not guaranteed.
Placing Requests (Outside Catchment)
You can ask for a place at James Gillespie’s High School if you live outside our catchment area. This is called a placing request.
- A placing request for a mainstream school is only granted after places have been given to children living in the catchment area. A place is only offered if one is available.
- Starting S1: placing requests for S1 are made through the Council (see Starting S1).
- Other year groups: apply directly to the school using the request form in Applying for Another Year Group.
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Use the Council’s catchment checker and enter your address. It shows the primary and secondary school that serve it.
No. All children who progress through P1 to P7 at Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce transition automatically to S1 at James Gillespie’s High School.
S1 places for P7 pupils are managed by the Council’s Schools Transactions team. Please use the Council’s contact form. For anything about the school itself, email admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk.
Not necessarily. Schools can reserve some places for children moving into the catchment area, but there is no guarantee of a place. Please check whether a place is available before you move.
The school Administrative Officer will contact you to make you aware if a space is available. Please allow extra time during school holidays.
Your child will be placed on a waiting list, prioritised by the date your request was received. If your catchment school is full, you should also contact other nearby schools to find a place.
Contact Us
If you have a question that isn’t answered here, parents and carers can email our school office: