ENROLMENT
/ ADMISSIONS POLICY
A. GENERAL INFORMATION
General
introduction:
The Board of
Management of Scoil Eimhín Naofa, Monasterevin
is setting out its Enrolment/Admissions
Policy
in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998 Section 15(2). The
Board of Management trusts that by doing so,
parents/guardians
will be assisted in relation to enrolment matters. Mr.
Thomas Fitzgerald,
Chairperson of the Board of Management and . Declan Costello,
Principal, will
be happy to clarify any further matters arising from the policy.
Name of
School: Monasterevan Convent N.S.
(Scoil
Eimhín Naofa),
Drogheda Street,
Roll No: 15769C
Phone No:
045-525561
email: saintevin@gmail.com
Website:
www.kildare.ie/saintevins
Denomination:
Patron: Bishop
Denis Nulty, Kildare and Leighlin Diocese
Number of
14
Mainstream Classroom Teachers
3 Special Education Teachers
Type of School:
Vertical
Girls’
School with Infant Boys
Junior Infants – 6th
class
·
All classes from Junior
Infants to Sixth are taught in the school. In Junior and Senior Infant classes,
the school is co-educational. From 1st to 6th classes we enrol girls
only. All boys transfer after Senior Infants.
·
School
hours:
9.10 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. (Junior and Senior Infant classes)
9.10 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. (First to Sixth classes)
·
·
Morning Break: 10.50 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.
·
Lunch
Break: 12.30 p.m. – 1.10 p.m.
Scoil
Eimhín Naofa is a
Prior
to enrolment, parents/guardians
will be
made aware
of the Catholic ethos of the school. Although we are a
This
arrangement
is always discussed with the parents/guardians
of the
child. The parents/guardians
will also
be made aware that in order to promote
respect for pluralism in our community,
the school respects the
diversity
of values,
beliefs,
traditions, language and ways of life in our society.
The ethos of the
school is Catholic and in this atmosphere the spiritual, intellectual, social
and physical growth of the children is fostered in the spirit of St.
Evin, encouraging pupils and
staff
Ø
to care for
each other and the world around us
Ø to
pray and work for peace in our
school, parish
and world.
1. Rationale
This policy aims to ensure that the appropriate
procedures are in place to enable the school
 | to make decisions on
all enrolment
applications
in an open and transparent manner consistent with the Ethos, 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/guardians and teachers where a student is admitted to the
school. |
2. Legal Framework
Section 9 (j) of the
Education Act 1998 specifies that, “A recognised school shall …Subject to
this Act and particular section 15 (2) (d), establish and maintain an admissions
policy which provides for maximum accessibility to the school”.
Section 15 (2) (d) states that 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 parents’ choice are
respected.
Section 27 (1) states that, “A Board shall
establish and maintain procedures for the purposes 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 Schools 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))
Section 29, Education
Act
1.
Where a Board or a
person acting on behalf of the Board;
(a) permanently
excludes a student from a school, or
(b) suspends
a student from attendance at a school for a period to be prescribed for the
purpose
of this paragraph, or
(c) refuses
to enrol a student in a school, or
(d) makes
a decision of a class which the Minister, following consultation with patrons,
national associations of parents, recognised school management organisations,
recognised trade unions and staff associations representing teachers, may from
time to time determine may be appealed in accordance with this section.
The parent
of the student, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of eighteen
years, the student, may, within a reasonable time from the date that the parent
or student was informed of the decision and following the conclusion of any
appeal procedures provided by the school or the patron, in accordance with
section 28, appeal that decision to the Secretary General of the Department of Education
and Skills and that
appeal shall be heard by a committee appointed under subsection (2)
2. For the
purpose of the hearing and determination of an appeal under this section, the
Minister shall appoint one or more than one committee (in this section referred
to as an ‘appeals committee’) each of which shall include in its membership
an Inspector and such other persons as the Minister considers appropriate.
3. Where a
committee is appointed under subsection (2) the Minister shall
appoint one of its number to be the chairperson of that committee and who, in
the case of an equal division of votes, shall have a second or casting vote.
4. In
hearing and determining an appeal under this section, an appeals committee shall act in
accordance with such procedures as may be determined from time to time by the
Minister following consultation with patrons, national associations of parents,
recognised school management organisations and recognised trade unions and staff
associations representing teachers.
3.
Right of Appeal:
Parents/Guardians
who are dissatisfied with an enrolment decision, may appeal to the Board of
Management. It must be addressed, in writing, to the Secretary of the
Board, stating the grounds for the appeal, and lodged within ten days of
receiving the refusal. The Board will give a decision on this appeal within ten
school days.
Section 29 of The Education Act, 1998, provides for a
Right of Appeal against a decision to refuse enrolment. Parents/Guardians,
if unhappy with the result of their appeal to Board of Management,
may appeal to the Department of Education and Skills
under Section 29 of the Education Act, which provides for a Right of Appeal against a decision to
refuse enrolment,
on the official form provided by the Department. This appeal must be lodged within 42 days of receipt of the
refusal from the school to enrol. Parents can take a Section 29 appeal without
first appealing to the Board of Management or waiting for the result of such an
appeal.
The School Principal, on behalf of the Board of
Management, will inform the parents/guardians, in writing, of their Right of Appeal to the Secretary General of the
Department of Education and Skills, when all “local discussions” following
the refusal to enrol, have concluded.
The Principal and Chairperson of the Board of Management will have
responsibility for preparing a response for the Appeals Committee, if and when
an appeal to the Secretary General of the Department of Education
and Skills is initiated.
4.
Parental Choice:
While
recognising the right of parents/guardians
to enrol
their child
in the school of their choice, the Board of Management of Scoil Eimhín
Naofa must
also respect
the rights of the existing school community and in particular, the
children
already enrolled. This requires balanced judgements
which are
guided by
the principles of natural justice and acting in the best interest of all children.
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
(a) size of /
available space in classrooms
(b) educational
needs of children of a particular age
(c) multi-grade
classes
(d) presence of
children with special educational/behavioural needs
(e)
Health and Safety concerns regarding children and staff members
(e) Department
of Education and Skills’
maximum class average directives (currently 26:1)
5.
School Curriculum:
In
keeping with the Primary School Curriculum (1999) the school follows a well-balanced,
broadly based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural,
intellectual and physical development of all the pupils. It is the policy of the
Board of Management that the school follows the curricular programmes prescribed
by the Department of Education & Skills, which may be amended from time to
time in accordance with Sections
9 and 30 of
the Education Act 1998.
The
Board of Management is bound by the Department of Education & Skills’
Rules for
National Schools which
provide that pupils may only be enrolled from the age of 4 years and upwards
though compulsory attendance does not apply until the age of 6 years.
A
child may not be allowed to attend or be enrolled in the school before his/her
fourth birthday (Rule 64.1)
6. Specific
Procedures for Enrolment
1.
Advertisements regarding enrolment are placed in the
Monasterevin
Parish
Newsletter, local
weekly
papers and in local creches/playschools, usually
towards
the end of
January each year.
2.
Parents/Guardians
are also
notified
regarding
enrolment
by
note, text, school website and advertising banner located at school gates.
3.
Web Pre-Enrolment: From 2020 onwards we will provide the
option of Web Pre-Enrolment which allows parents/guardians to enter their
applications on our website, www.kildare.ie/saintevins,
and have that information sent securely to Aladdin, our school database.
4.
There is a Registration Week in the school, usually
towards the end of January each year.
5.
Parents/Guardians
who wish to enrol pupils in
Scoil Eimhín Naofa will be
required to complete a
written
application
form. Requests for application forms may be made by parents and guardians in
the
following
ways:
Ø call in person to the school;
Ø telephone request;
Ø email
request;
Alternatively, application forms may be
downloaded from our school website –
www.kildare.ie/saintevins
All of the information sought in the Application Form must be furnished
accurately.
Applications will not be
treated as being complete until such time as all requested
information has
been received.
6.
Copies of the Child’s Birth Certificate and Roman Catholic
Baptismal Certificate (required for receipt of Sacraments only) should accompany
the completed application form. Also
required at this time is proof of address
i.e. documentation acceptable to an Irish financial institution for
the opening of a bank account. Any one of the following will suffice if no more than 12 months old
·
a current utility bill (such as a gas, electricity,
telephone or mobile phone bill)
·
a current car or home insurance policy that shows your
address
·
a document issued by a government department that
shows your address
·
a list of your tax credits
·
a current balancing statement from Revenue
·
a social insurance document (that shows your address)
·
a letter from your employer or licensed employment
agency stating that you have recently arrived in Ireland and have started work
but cannot yet provide evidence of your Irish address (you will have to provide
evidence of your address at a later date)
7.
A letter from the Principal, on behalf of the Board of Mangement,
will inform
parents/guardians of the
outcome of their application for enrolment of their child.
Junior
Infant Enrolment Procedure
8.
The registration process is initiated on receipt by the
school of a completed application form. This
form must be signed and dated by one or both parents/guardians.
The form will be date stamped
on receipt by the school. Copies of the Child’s Birth Certificate and Roman Catholic Baptismal
Certificate
(required for receipt of Sacraments only) should accompany the completed
application form. Also required at this time is
proof of address – see above.
9.
Date of application, child's date of birth, address and telephone contact number
are recorded in the
School Record of
Applications.
10.
Entry in the School Record of Applications means that an application will be
considered early in the
relevant enrolment year, and will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria
outlined in this policy.
11.
Following this evaluation, the Principal will make a recommendation to the
Board, listing proposed
enrolments for the forthcoming year. Once an enrolment list is approved
by the Board, all
applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome, which may include
an offer of a place or a
notice that a child has been placed on a waiting list. If a child has
not received a place, the school
will notify the parents/guardians
of their entitlement to appeal, in writing, to
the Board of
Management or under
Section 29 of the Education Act
1998.
12.
Those who are offered places are required
to accept within a 2-week period.
Provision
of key information by parents:
The
Board of Management
will require the following information when children are being enrolled.
Ø
Student’s
name, age, address;
Ø
Country of
origin;
Ø
Year of
arrival in
Ø
Name and
address of pupil’s parents/guardians;
Ø
Contact
telephone numbers;
Ø
Details of
any medical condition the school should be aware of;
Ø
Religion;
Ø
Proof of
address;
Ø
Previous
schools attended, if any, and reasons for transfer, if applicable;
Ø
Any other
relevant information as may be prescribed under the Education Welfare Act 2000.
13.
The names
of children for whom Enrolment Application Forms, State
Birth
Certificates, Baptismal
Certificates
(required
for receipt of Sacraments only) and proof of
address (see above) have
been returned, will be placed on a class waiting list.
14.
ln the
event of the number of children seeking enrolment in any given
class
exceeding the number
of
places available preceding or during the school
year (due to the Board of Management being
unable
to provide
suitable
accommodation or recruit the required teaching staff), the
following
criteria
will be used to prioritise children for enrolment.
(a) Siblings of pupils currently or previously enrolled in our school.
NEXT
(b)
Children living within the
school’s catchment area – see Appendix 1 – and children of
current teaching and ancillary staff.
NEXT
(c)
Children
living outside
the
school’s catchment area – see Appendix 1.
15.
In the
event that there are more applicants within any category than there are
available places,
priority
will be given to children within the particular category in order of age,
starting with the
oldest.
16.
Children who are four years of age before September 1st
of the school
year of the
proposed
enrolment
may be enrolled. However, it may be necessary in
some years to have an age cut-off
date for school starters because
of the
demand
for school
places in Scoil Eimhin Naofa. Such a
cut-off date will be published in advance of the
enrolment process each year.
17.
Parents/Guardians
will be notified in writing of the availability of a place within
21 working
days of
the closing date
for the receipt of applications.
18.
The Letter
of Offer
shall include an Acceptance Form. Parents/Guardians are required
to
accept/reject
the available place in
writing
within a two-week period (date stated on letter).
19.
New Junior lnfants spend one informal afternoon
in school with
their
parents/guardians in
June, to
familiarise themselves with their
new
environment. Parents are given a copy of:
-
An
Information Welcome Pack
-
The Child's Booklist
-
Healthy Lunch Policy
-
Substance Use Policy
-
Our Code of
Behaviour and Discipline including Friendship and Inclusion Policy (Anti-Bullying)
-
R.S.E. (Relationships
and Sexuality Education) Policy
-
School Hours for Infants
7.
Late Applications
The
Board of Management will only accept Applications up to the day before the date of the first Board
of Management Meeting, which follows the official enrolment dates.
Applications received after
the relevant Board of Management meeting will not be considered until the
following year, unless there are available places.
If
the school’s admission and enrolment numbers have not been reached, the school
will admit all children of the appropriate age whose parents/guardians
wish them to attend the school until the maximum quota is reached.
All
such Applications will be considered on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis. The
same priority criteria will apply to the filling of any vacancies that may arise
for applications for any particular class.
Note:
(i)
‘Application for Enrolment’
refers to a written enrolment request on an official application form.
It does not constitute an offer of a place in the school.
(ii)
‘Official enrolment’ refers to the placing of a child on the official school
roll on the first day of the school year, providing the appropriate enrolment
criteria have
been satisfied and verified.
(iii)
‘Siblings’ refers to children who share a common parent, foster parent or
guardian.
8.
Admission/day date:
Admission
of Junior Infants normally takes place on the first day of the academic year.
Any child who has not reached his/her fourth birthday
will not be
enrolled at any time.
9.
Enrolment of Pupils with Special Needs:
In relation to enrolment of pupils with special needs,
all applications should be accompanied by
whichever
of the following may be appropriate:
Ø
a
psychological report;
Ø
a report
from a speech and language therapist where appropriate;
Ø
a medical
history/report in so far as it relates to the special needs of the student;
Ø indication
of the existence of other reports, assessments of information where a child has
been
seen by
another agency or professional e.g. social worker, neurologist, occupational
therapist,
etc.
§ Where
such reports are not available
or
are more than two years old, the Board will request that
the child be
assessed
immediately.
§ The
purpose of the assessment report is to assist the school in establishing the
educational needs
of the child
relevant to his/her disability or special needs and to profile the support
services
required.
§ Where
further resources are required, the Board requests the Department of Education
& Skills,
through the
SENO,
to provide the resources required to meet the needs of the child as outlined in
the
psychological, medical or other report.
§ The
Principal will meet with the parents/guardians of the child before the child’s official enrolment
to discuss
the
child’s needs. If necessary, a full case conference involving all parties will
be held –
Parent(s)/Guardians,
Principal, Psychologist, Speech Therapist, OT
or SEN
co-ordinator.
Existing school,
psychological, medical, speech/language, occupational therapy and any other
reports will be
considered.
10.
Pupils transferring
Pupils
may transfer to the school at any time, subject to the
policy of the school
and available space.
11.
Exceptional Circumstances
The
school reserves the right to refuse enrolment to any pupil in exceptional cases.
Such an exceptional case could arise where either:
·
The student has special needs such that, even with additional
resources available from the Department of Education and Skills, the school
cannot meet such needs and/or provide the student with an appropriate education or;
·
In the opinion of the Board of Management, the student poses
an unacceptable risk to other students, to school staff or to school property.
12.
Code of Behaviour and Discipline
All
pupils who are enrolled in
13.
Evaluation
The Board of
Management will monitor the implementation of all aspects of the Policy and
review and amend the Policy as required, with particular emphasis placed upon
| effective management
of application
process |
| clarity and
transparency relating to the process |
14.
Monitoring Procedures
The
implementation of this policy will be monitored by the Board of Management at
the appropriate time. It will also be referred by the Principal for
consideration by the full staff at the same time. The principal will report to
the Board of Management regarding the process of enrolment until enrolment is
complete. Where the Principal refuses admission to an applicant, by the
authority delegated to him by the
Board in line with this policy, any such refusal shall be communicated to the
Board at the earliest opportunity.
15. Review Procedure
The policy
will be reviewed regularly in the light of experience.
Ratified by the Board of Management on 16/12/2019.
Signed:
Chairperson
Board of Management.
Dated:
Addendum:
The following are the maximum
class numbers which the Board of Management will enrol for
2019/2020.
Each of 3 Junior Infant
Classes (26 pupils + 26 pupils + 26 pupils) 78
3 Senior Infant Classes (24
pupils + 24 pupils + 12 pupils,
as part of a combined class)
60
First Class (28 pupils +
14 pupils,
as part of a combined class)
42
Second Class (28 pupils) 28
Third Class (29 pupils
+ 9 pupils, as part of a combined class) 38
Fourth Class (30 pupils +
15 pupils,
as part of a combined class)
45
Fifth Class (26 pupils +
8 pupils,
as part of a combined class)
34
Sixth Class (26 pupils
+ 12 pupils, as part of a combined class) 38
Overall enrolment is capped
at 362 pupils.
Appendix 1, , December 16th, 2019.
Catchment Area
Monasterevin Townlands
Parish Map
|
Ballagh |
Coolnefearagh |
Lughil |
Passlands |
|
Ballyfarsoon |
Coolsickin/Quinsborough |
Mayfield/Ballynagalliagh |
Skirteen |
|
Ballykelly |
Cowpasture |
Monasterevin |
Stramillian |
|
Barraderra |
Derrylea |
Monasterevin Bog |
|
|
Clogheen |
Gorteenoona |
Mooreabbey Demesne |
|
|
Cloncarlin |
Hybla/Ballyneage |
Mountrice |
|
|
Clonegath |
Inchacooley |
Mountrice Bog |
|
|
Coolatogher |
Kill |
Oghil |
|
|
Coole |
Larch Hill |
Oldgrange |
|