Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions ministers have had with COSLA regarding redrawing school catchment areas.
Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, the statutory responsibility for the provision of education in Scotland rests with individual local authorities.
School catchment arrangements are a matter for individual local authorities, which have the responsibility to manage their own school estates in consultation with local communities.
Any proposal to redraw school catchment areas is subject to the requirements of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, which sets out clear procedures for public consultation to ensure that local communities have the opportunity to express their views.
There have been no discussions between Scottish Ministers and COSLA about the redrawing of school catchment areas – that is because a decision pertaining to changing catchment areas for Schools in Scotland is a matter for Local Authorities, not Scottish Ministers.