Placing requests

Asking for a particular school

You can make a placing request for any school, including specialist provision. The authority must normally comply unless specific statutory exceptions apply.

Your rights: Refusals can only be made on specific, defined grounds — not general preference (Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and the 2004 Act).

Common pitfall: A placing request and a CSP are separate processes — don't assume one guarantees the other.

Your voice: A specific, well-evidenced account from you of why a particular school suits your child is exactly the kind of detail that can outweigh a generic refusal.

• Submit a placing request in writing, naming the specific school

• Ask the authority which exception it intends to rely on if it refuses

• Keep evidence of why the named school meets your child's needs