UPDATE September 2020:

Please download The Enrolment Application Form for submission

 

ENROLMENT POLICY

This policy was reviewed by the Board of Management in September 2016 and will be reviewed annually thereafter.

The following policy is in accordance with the Education Act 1998 and the Board of Management trusts that it will assist parents in relation to enrolment matters. Furthermore the Chairperson of the school and the Principal teacher of the school will be happy to clarify matters arising from the policy.

Application procedure 

Parents/guardians wishing to enrol their child must complete an Enrolment Application Form (available from the school office) by November 1st prior to the year the child is due to start. This does not guarantee that your child will get a place

The Board of Management will process the Applications in accordance with the following criteria and the date of application.

  1. To Catholic children from the immediate Glencullen area.
  2. To brothers and Sisters of children already enrolled.
  3. To Catholic children from Sandyford parish.
  4. To children of other faiths from the immediate Glencullen area.
  5. To all children of other faiths who live within the parish boundaries, applying for a placement, after (1-4) above have been allocated places.
  6. To Catholic children who live outside the parish
  7. To all other children applying for a placement, once (1-6) above have been allocated places.

Decision Making

The Board will notify applicants of their decision from November of the year before the child is due to start. There is a meeting in the third term for the parents of new applicants.

While recognising the right of parents to enrol their child in the school of their choice, the Board of Management is also responsible to respect the rights of the existing school community and in particular, the children already enrolled. Assisting the school in such circumstances, the Board of Management reserves the right to determine the maximum number of children in each separate classroom bearing in mind:

  • Size of available space in classrooms
  • Educational needs of children of a particular age
  • Multi-grade classes
  • Presence of children with special educational/behavioural needs

DES maximum class average directives Admission Date 

The Board of Management at St. Patrick’s NS recommends that children be 4 years of age by the 31st of May prior to starting school.

Children with Special Needs 

The Board of Management will request a copy of a child’s medical and/or psychological report or where such a report is not available, may request that the child be assessed immediately.

Where the Board deems that further resources are required, it may, prior to admission, request the DES to provide the resources required to meet the needs of the child as outlined in the Psychological and/or medical report.

These resources may include for example, access to, or the provision of, any of a combination of the following:

Visiting teacher service, Resource teacher for special needs, Special Needs Assistant, Specialised Equipment or furniture, Transport Services or other.

It may be necessary for the BOM to defer admission of a particular child pending:

  • The receipt of an Assessment Report; and/or
  • The provision of appropriate resources by the DES to meet the needs specified in the psychological’ and/or medical report

Pupils Transferring 

Enrolment of pupils transferring from another school will be deferred until September 1st. where possible. Parents may apply in writing to the BOM for a special concession.

It is a requirement of the· BOM that information concerning attendance and the child’s educational progress be communicated between schools.