Admissions

Enrolment Number: 232                                                                                                                                               Admissions Number: 30

Actual enrolment in September 2015: 211 pupils aged 4-11 years (Boys/Girls)

Expected enrolment in September 2016: 208 pupils aged 4-11 years (Boys/Girls)

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RESPECTIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND THE PRINCIPAL IN RELATION TO ADMISSIONS TO THE SCHOOL

The Board of Governors draws up the admissions criteria & delegates to the Admissions Sub-Committee, which includes the Principal, the responsibility for applying these criteria. Any reference herein to the term the Board of Governors for the purposes of applying the admissions criteria set out herein.

ADMISSION

The Board of Governors is conscious of its responsibility to meet the legal requirements placed upon it by The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 in relation to the curriculum. It has therefore been decided that only children of compulsory school age will be admitted. If the school's admission and enrolment numbers have not been reached the school will admit all children of compulsory school age whose parents wish them to attend and who subscribe to and support the Catholic ethos of the school and accept its Policies. Any child who reaches his/her fourth birthday on or before 1 July 2016 is of compulsory school age and must receive education from September 2016.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA The Admissions Sub-Committee, who has been delegated authority to act on behalf of the Board of Governors in this matter, will apply the following criteria in the order set down to identify which children should be admitted at initial admission to education (P 1) or on transfer from another primary school. In selecting children for admission children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the school will be selected for admission to the school before any child not so resident.

Full responsibility rests with Parents/Guardians to provide sufficient details at the time of application on the form provided or attached to it, to enable the Governors to reach a decision.

If the school’s admission and enrolment numbers have not been reached the school will admit all children of the appropriate age whose parents wish them to attend the school. These children are:

i               those of compulsory school age

In the event where there are more applicants than places the following criteria will be applied in order:

1   Children who will have brothers and sisters (half-brothers/sisters, step brothers/sisters, including those fostered or adopted) in

      attendance during the 2016/2017 school year.

2  Children for whom the school is the Catholic Maintained primary school nearest to their home

3   Children whose brothers and sisters (half-brothers/sisters, step brothers/sisters, including those fostered or adopted) previously

      attended the school.

4   Children who are the eldest child, first child to attend mainstream education or an only child in a family.

5   Children with special circumstances (social, medical or security). The special circumstances must be made known at the time of

      application. Any application to be considered under this criterion must be clearly identified using the term ‘special  

      circumstances’. The Board of Governors reserves the right to seek confirmation of the special circumstances from a statutory

       body.

If after application of a particular criterion there are still places to be filled then the next criterion will be applied to select

applicants for places, in the order set down through to criterion number 5.  If in that order of allocation there are more

applicants than places final selection will be on the basis of the distance from the child’s home to St. Patrick’s PS. This will be

determined by the shortest route by public highway from the nearest pedestrian or vehicular entrance to the child’s home, to

the entrance gate of St. Patrick’s Primary School.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADMISSION

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA (P2-P7)

Admission to P2 to P7 is subject to the enrolment number not being exceeded and to any admission not being prejudicial to the efficient use of resources.