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Out of Catchment Places

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It is recognised that in certain situations you may have valid reasons for requesting your child attends a school other than the one in the catchment area in which you live.

If you wish to request a placement in a school outside your catchment area, you will need to demonstrate why it would be detrimental to your child's education to attend the allocated catchment school. This is known as an OCAS (Out of Catchment Area School) request.

Out of Catchment Area School (OCAS) requests will only be granted where:

  • there is space available; and
  • the Department is satisfied that there are valid arguments for the child not to attend the catchment school on the basis that attending the allocated school would be detrimental to the child's education.

If a child has started at a primary or high school but then moves out of catchment, the child can remain at the original school until the end of that particular phase of education (primary or secondary) subject to the conditions that:

  • the parents take upon themselves the responsibility for transporting their child to and from school;
  • that they notify the Department of any change of address.

However, at the end of the primary phase, children who have been allowed an out of catchment place will be required to transfer to the High School of their actual catchment area, unless they have been awarded a place at the Grammar School or one of the Colleges.

For examples of reasons which may lead to an OCAS request being granted please read 'The Circumstances in which an OCAS request may be agreed' which is available to download below.

John de Carteret, Administration Manager

Address: Education Department,  PO Box 32,  St Peter Port,  Guernsey,  GY1 3AU

Tel: +44 01481 733000 Fax: +44 01481 714475 Email: jdecarteret@education.gov.gg