Is my Edinburgh catchment school any good ?
What makes a good school?
Deciding what makes a ‘good’ school for your child, or more generally,
whether your local Edinburgh catchment school is a ‘good’ school - isn’t straightforward.
If you know the criteria, calling the school office and asking direct questions is often the quickest way to gather facts. Beyond meeting your child’s needs, what other indicators show a school is well run?
Key indicators of a good school
Strong leadership, with an ethos that promotes a positive, safe, supportive school community with high expectations, high standards of behaviour, and disciplined learning. Feedback is consistent and purposeful.
Targeted support involves excellent provision for Additional Support Needs and tailored approaches to help pupils from diverse backgrounds.
Look for a school with robust attainment, consistently strong in Numeracy, Reading, Writing, and Listening and Talking at P1–S2, and SQA qualifications in the senior phase (S4–S6).
The health and well-being focus includes meeting and exceeding targets for physical education (two hours per week), strong departments in art, design, dance, drama, and music, and access to mental health support and programmes that promote healthy eating.
Extracurricular activities offer a wide range of opportunities in sport, the arts, and clubs catering to all pupils.
Community engagement involves active involvement with parents, carers, and the local community.
Facilities include well-maintained, safe, and up-to-date buildings and resources.
Parent research tools and methods
Parents and pupils
Speak with current parents and pupils, and attend a school open day to see how well the school meets the criteria above. Many catchment schools host an open day in early November.
The school website
Examine whether the site clearly states the school’s values on its home page and whether those values emphasise high expectations of pupils and kindness. If the site is clear and easy to navigate, this can reflect how the school engages with pupils and parents. The headteacher’s welcome letter, usually on the home page, can convey the school ethos and indicate the headteacher’s communication style. Check whether the site posts extracurricular activities, news pages, bulletins, headteacher reports, or a school chronicle, as these show how well the school communicates and celebrates pupil and school life. For primary schools, check for a link to an active PTA or Parent Council page.
Social media
Not many state schools have a social-media presence, but if they do, it can be a useful source of information. Posts are often niche (for example, recent sporting successes or upcoming events) and can give a feel for school life. You may also find a PTA or Parent Council page, particularly at primary schools. A strong, active Parent Council is a good sign.
Inspection reports
HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) provides independent inspection reports for nurseries and schools in Scotland. Reports for each provider can be found on their website. In practice, some schools may have no recent report, or the last inspection may be many years old, but it’s always worth checking, as recent inspections are thorough. You can also search for inspection reports for independent schools and private nurseries here. If a school is inspected, you will typically find a brief summary, followed by the full report and supporting evidence from inspectors’ observations and feedback from pupils, parents, and staff. They assess leadership, achievement, attainment, health and well-being, and the wider education system.
The HMIE uses a six-point scale: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Weak, Unsatisfactory. The HMIE website also links to the school's latest Dashboard data. This is where you can find pupil and teacher numbers, demographic information (e.g., ethnic groups), the proportion of pupils requiring additional learning support, and those qualifying for free school meals. It also shows the percentage of unauthorised absences and a school’s year-group reading, writing, maths, and speaking attainment results.
