Wednesday 2 January 2019

Enrolment Policy

A         General Introduction:

The Board of Management of St. Patrick’s J.N.S. Corduff is setting out the above policy in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998. The B.O.M. trusts that parents will be assisted in relation to enrolment issues and that the Principal will be willing to clarify any matters arising from this policy.

Decisions in relation to applications for enrolment are made by the Board of Management of the school.

(1)        St. Patrick’s Corduff is a Catholic Co-educational Junior Primary School under the patronage of his Grace the Archbishop of Dublin.

            (2)        It currently has nineteen teachers comprising administrative Principal.  There are           additional Support Teachers catering for Early Start, Learning Support, Learning Disability, Foreign-Nationals and Home/School/Community Liaison.

                  (3)        Classes range from Junior Infants to Second with a half unit of Early Start-i.e.
                        30 pupils.

(4)        Our school is staffed and resourced by the Department of Education and Skills and we operate within the regulations laid down by the Department with due regard to the resources and funding available.

(5)        Our school follows the curricular programmes prescribed by the D.E.S. which may be amended from time to time in accordance with Section 9 and 30 of the Education Act 1998.

            (6)        Within the context and parameters of Department regulations and programmes, the rights of the Patron and the funding and resources available, our school supports the principles of:
                        (a)        Inclusiveness to include the enrolment of children with a disability or other specific educational needs
                        (b)        Equality of access and participation to the school
                        (c)        Parental choice in relation to enrolment
                        (d)       Respect for the diversity of values, beliefs, traditions, languages,
                                    Culture and ways of life in society.

            (7)        Our school opens at 9.00a.m. and closes at 2.40p.m.               
           
            (8)        Our breakfast club is available to all pupils from 8.30a.m. Daily.
                       
            (9)        A list of school closures for the year is drafted, sanctioned by the Board of 
                        Management and distributed to parents by September 30th yearly.

Rationale:

This policy aims to ensure that the appropriate procedures are in place to enable the school

  • To make decisions on all applications in an open and transparent manner, the mission statement of the school and legislative requirements.
  • To make an accurate and appropriate assessment of the capacity of the school to cater for the needs of applicants in the light of the resources available to it and
  • To put in place a framework which will ensure effective and productive relations between students, parents and teachers where a student is admitted to the school.

Legal Framework:

Education (Admission to school) Act 2018

Section 9 (j) of the Education Act 1998 specifies, that “ A recognized school shall … Subject to this Act and in particular section 15 (2) (d), establish and maintain an admissions policy which provides for maximum accessibility to the school”.

Section 15 (2) (d) states the Board of Management shall “publish …. The policy of the school concerning admission to and participation in the school and ensure that policy principles of equality and the right of parents to send their children to a school of the parents’ choice are respected”.

Section 27 (1) states that “ A board shall establish and maintain procedures for the purpose of informing students in a school of the activities of the school” and (2) that “the procedures established and maintained under subsection (1) shall facilitate the involvement of the students in the operation of the School having regard to the age and experience of the students, in association with their parents and teachers”.

The Education Welfare Act, 2000 [Section 19 (1)] requires that a Board of Management shall not refuse to admit a child except where such refusal is in accordance with the school’s Admission Policy.  Section 19 (2) requires that parents must provide relevant information to the school while Section 19 (3) requires that the Board of Management, shall as soon as possible (but no later than 21 days) after receiving such information “make a decision in respect of the application concerned and inform the parent in writing thereof”

The Equal Status Act, 2000 [Sections 5 & 7 (2)] prohibits discrimination on the grounds of “gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Travelling Community” regarding admission, access to programmes, participation in the school or regarding expulsion or any other sanction.  There are limited exceptions regarding single-sex schools and schools promoting particular religious values [Section 7 (3)]

Goals:

The school shall have in place appropriate channels of communication and procedures

  • To inform parents about the school, it’s programmes, activities and procedures.
  • To enable applications for admission to the school to be handled in an open, transparent manner.
  • To put in place criteria under which applications shall be considered
  • To ensure that these criteria are informed by our ethos, our mission statement and current legislation.
  • To specify what information is required by the school at the time of application.
B.        Procedures:

The school’s procedures for enrolment which are subject to regular review are as follows:

1.         Application:
           
Parents/Guardians who wish to enrol pupils in Junior Infants will be required to come to the school in January of the year of commencement and fill out an application form.  A copy of the pupil’s birth cert, ppsn and a utility bill is required for those who reside in the parish/catchment.

Enrolment dates are communicated through the School, Parish Newsletter,   Home/School/Community Liaison Co-coordinator and other parents.

Information on the Enrolment Form may include:

Pupils’ name, age and address. Name and address of pupil’s parents/guardians

Contact telephone numbers

Contact telephone numbers in case of emergency

Details of any medical conditions which the school should be aware of

Religion

Previous schools attended if any, and reasons for transfer (if applicable)

Any other relevant information (including any such further information as may be prescribed under the Education Welfare Act (2000) or Education for persons with Special Education Needs Act (2004)

It is the responsibility of parents/guardians of any child to inform the school of any particular needs on the enrolment application form for the child’s own welfare.  In this context the school authorities will have equal regard for the welfare of all the students and their right to an education in an atmosphere that is not detrimental to their physical, emotional, moral, social or intellectual development. Failure to fully complete the application form, failure to supply any relevant information requested by the school or failure to make reasonable arrangements to meet with the school authorities to discuss the application may result in a child being refused admission to the school.

Application for immediate admission in the current school year

·         Application forms are available from the school secretary
·         Failure to fully complete forms will result in refusal to admit the applicant




2.         Decision Making:
Decisions in relation to applications for enrolment are made on behalf of the Board of Management in accordance with our school policy.  Parents will be informed of decision within 21 days of a written application. (Education Welfare Act 2000)

In general the Board of Management, in so far as practicable, having regard for our enrolment policy will enrol children on application provided that there is a place available.  The Board of Management reserves the right to determine the number of classes at each level and the maximum number of children in each class. The number will vary across class levels as factors such as the following will be taken into consideration. Size of/available space in classrooms
Ø  Educational needs of children of a particular age
Ø  Multigrade classes
Ø  Presence of children with special educational/behavioural needs
Ø  DES class average directives
Ø  Teaching resources provided to the school

The maximum number of children accepted into our classes will be reviewed by the BOM annually.


Right of Refusal
The Board of Management reserves the right to refuse an application for admission in exceptional cases - e.g.
1.  In the opinion of the Board of Management, the child poses an unacceptable health and safety risk to other students, to school staff or to school property.
Or 
2.  A child has special needs such that, even with additional non-teaching resources available from DES/NCSE, the school cannot meet such needs and/or provide the child with an appropriate education

The Board of Management is bound by the Department of Education and Skills Rules for National Schools which provides that pupils may only be enrolled from the age of four years.

Criteria for enrolment for schools under the Patronage of His Grace the Archbishop of Dublin.

1.         Siblings of pupils in St. Patrick’s JNS and St. Patrick’s SNS
           
2.         Children who attend the Early Start Unit of St. Patrick’s J.N.S.      

3.         All children who live within the catchment/ parish boundaries applying for a placement are entitled to a place if there are vacancies after the groups from (1) and (2) have been allocated places.

4.         All children who apply to the school are entitled to a place in the school if there are vacancies in the school after groups from (1) to (3) have allocated places.




Criteria for enrolment for Early Start:

In accordance with the Department of Education and Skills revised guidelines (March 2012) the following criteria apply for enrolment in Early Start. As applications greatly exceed current intake of 30 pupils, the following criteria is used:
           
            1.                     Children must be more than 3 years and less than 4 years and     
                        7 months on the 1st September of the year of enrolment.

2.                    Needs of Family/Child.

            3.                     Recommendation of other agencies.

            The Board of Management extends these criteria to include:

            4.                     Siblings of children currently attending St. Patrick’s JNS.

5.                     Siblings of children currently attending St. Patrick’s SNS.

             6.                    Children of the parish/catchment.




In the event that there are more applications than places available, priority will be given to
(a)        Department of Education & Skills guidelines.
(b)       To children in the fourth category in order of age, starting with the    oldest.
(c)        All other categories.

           
On application all parents will be informed that having a child’s name on the waiting list does not guarantee a place in Early Start.  This is also stated on the Early Start Application Form.

C.

1.         Enrolment of Children with Special Needs:
           
            The Board of Management may request a copy of the child’s medical and/or
Psychological report or request that a child be assessed immediately in order to establish the educational and training needs of the child relevant to his/her disability or special needs and to profile the support service required.  Following the receipt of the report the Board will assess how the school could meet the needs specified in the report.  Where the Board deems that further resources are required, it will, prior to enrolment, request the Department of Education and Skills to provide the resources needed to meet the needs of the child as outlined in the medical or psychological report.

            The resources necessary may include any or a combination of the following:-
            Visiting teacher service, resource teacher hours, special needs assistant and
specialized equipment or furniture, transport or other.  The Principal will meet the parents of the child to discuss the child’s needs.

Appeals

Details on appealing decisions on enrolment under section 29 of the Education Act (as amended by Section 4 of the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 2007) are available on the Department’s website at www.education.ie.

2.         Pupils Transferring:

Pupils may transfer to St. Patrick’s J.N.S. at any time subject to the school policy and available space and in some cases the approval of the Department of Education and Skills.  A notice of enrolment will be issued and relevant information concerning attendance and the child’s educational progress will be requested. (Education Welfare Act).

3.         Parents who accept a place for their child in St. Patrick’s JNS will be required to sign an undertaking to uphold the school’s policies including its Code of Behaviour. Parents must also accept the Catholic Ethos of the school as a condition of Enrolment.

4.         This policy will be reviewed by the Board of Management in 2020.

           
Ratification and Communication

This policy was ratified by the Board of Management of St. Patrick’s J.N.S. at its meeting on ______________________.  Parents may view this policy on the school website or by appointment with the Principal.


_____________________________                          Date:________________________
Dr. Pat O’Connor
Chairperson of the Board of Management