Enrolment Policy – St. Colmcille’s S.N.S

General Introduction

This enrolment policy is set out in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998. The Board of Management (B.O.M.) trusts that by so doing, parents will be assisted in relation to enrolment matters. Furthermore the Chairperson of the B.O.M. and the Principal will be happy to clarify any matters arising from this policy.

Copies of this policy are available from the school office (phone 4942527) and it is also available on the school website www.stcolmcilles.org. St. Colmcille’s Senior National School is a Catholic Co-educational Primary School, catering for girls and boys from Third to Sixth Classes (inclusive). The school is under the Patronage of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. The catchment area of the school is the geographical boundary of the Catholic Parish of St. Colmcille, Knocklyon, Dublin 16.
As a Roman Catholic School, the school aims at promoting the full and harmonious development of the cognitive, intellectual, cultural, moral and spiritual potential of all pupils, including a living relationship with God and other people. The school models and promotes a philosophy of life inspired by belief in God and in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
St. Colmcille’s S.N.S. is a 29 classroom school with a current total of 43 Teachers – Principal Teacher and Administrative Deputy Principal.
The school is grant-aided by the Department of Education and Skills (D.E.S.) and operates under the Rules for National Schools as amended from time to time by the Minister for Education and Skills. The level of staffing and the policies followed by the school are dependent on the levels of funding and resources available to it.
Parents are invited to make an annual voluntary subscription to supplement the purchase of curriculum resources.
The Parish of Knocklyon provides a local contribution towards capital expenditure at the school as required.
The 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). The school follows the Religious Education programme as prescribed by the Education Secretariat of the Archdiocese of Dublin.
Within the context and parameters of D.E.S. regulations and programmes and the rights of the patron as set out in the Education Act and the funding and resources available to it, the school supports the principles of:

– Inclusiveness, particularly with reference to the enrolment of pupils with a disability or other special educational need;
– Equality of access and participation in the school; 1
– Parental choice in relation to enrolment;
– Respect for the diversity of values, beliefs, traditions, languages and ways of life in society.

9. The school year is operated within the regulations set down by the Department of Education and Skills and as decided from year to year by the B.O.M. A typical school year would be as follows:
Summer Holidays:   School closed for the months of July and August
Autumn Mid-term:   One week around the October Bank Holiday/Hallowe’en.
Christmas:   Approximately two weeks.
Spring Mid-term: Two to five days in Mid-February.
Easter: Two weeks-one either side of Easter Sunday.

10. The school opening hours are: 8.50 a.m. – 2.30 p.m.
11. The school participates in In-service Programmes provided by Department of Education and Skills and the Dublin Diocesan Secretariat. 12. A meeting of the parents of the reception classes (Third Classes) is normally held in May prior to enrolment in the school. Formal Parent/Teacher meetings normally take place in November. Parents are always welcome/encouraged to contact the school to arrange meetings with relevant teachers at any time throughout the year.
13. A wide range of extra-curricular activities is available to the pupils.
14. Certain information is required when children are being enrolled. The B.O.M. provides a specific enrolment application form for this purpose. A Primary Online Database (P.O.D.) form must also be completed. Such information will include:

a) Pupil’s name, sex, age and address.
- b) Names and address/es of pupil’s parents/guardians.
- c) Contact telephone numbers.
- d) Contact telephone numbers in case of emergency.
- e) Details of any medical condition of which the school should be aware.
- f) Religion for the purpose of sacramental preparation (6th Class).
- g) Previous schools attended (if any) and reasons for seeking transfer.
- h) Any other relevant information (including such other information as may be prescribed
  under the Education Welfare Act. 2000)
15. Children enrolled in our school are required to co-operate with and support the School’s Code for the Promotion of Positive Behaviour and Anti Bullying Policy as well as other policies on curriculum, organisation and management. The B.O.M. places on Parents/Guardians the responsibility for ensuring that child(ren) co-operate with these policies in an age-appropriate manner. These policies may be added to and revised from time-to-time.

Criteria for Enrolment

Equality of access is the key value that determines the enrolment of children in our school. No child is refused admission for reasons of ethnicity, religion, special educational needs, disability, language/accent, gender, membership of the Traveller Community, asylum seeker/refugee status, family or social circumstances.
While recognising the right of parents to enrol their child(ren) in the school of their choice, the B.O.M. of St. Colmcille’s S.N.S. also has a responsibility to 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. Therefore the B.O.M. reserves the right to determine the maximum number of children in each separate classroom bearing in mind:
– size of classrooms and available space in classrooms.
– presence of children with special educational/behavioural needs.
– the health and welfare of children.
– D.E.S. maximum class average directives (currently a maximum average of 26 children), as of October 2017.
The B.O.M. has determined that the maximum class size shall not exceed 28 pupils except: – if a larger class transfers from the Junior School.
– in circumstances deemed exceptional by the Board.

Procedures for Enrolment
All applicants (except those transferring from 2nd class in the Junior School) must submit:

a) An application form
b) Satisfactory proof of address (e.g. two utility bills in the Parents/Guardians name).
c) A Birth or Baptismal Certificate, as appropriate.

Where a pupil is offered a place, an Enrolment Form and a P.O.D. Form (if applicable) must be completed and returned.
Applications will be processed when vacancies arise or after Easter each year for the following year’sclasses.
A copy of the most recent report from the pupil’s previous school will also be required.
In the event of pupils not being offered a place, their names will be placed on a waiting list.

Entry into Third Class
Places in St. Colmcille’s SNS will be allocated in accordance with the following criteria in the orderlisted below (except in exceptional circumstances).

Pupils who have completed Second Class in St. Colmcille’s Junior National School and for whom completed enrolment forms and P.O.D. forms have been returned shall, except in exceptional circumstances (see below), normally have the right to transfer automatically to Third Class in the Senior School, though not necessarily with the same class group.
Pupils who previously attended St. Colmcille’s J.N.S. or S.N.S., who left for particular reasons andnotified the Principals that they would be returning.
Brothers and sisters of pupils attending St. Colmcille’s J.N.S. or St. Colmcille’s S.N.S.
Children of a current staff member in St. Colmcille’s J.N.S. or St. Colmcille’s S.N.S.
Children resident within the geographical boundaries of the Catholic parish of Knocklyon (as of the date of starting in the school) who wish to transfer from another school.
Children living outside the boundaries of the Catholic Parish of Knocklyon.

If there are more applicants than available places in any criterion above, places will be allocated by date of application and, if there are still excess applicants, by lottery.

Entry into a Year other than Third Class
Pupils may transfer into St. Colmcille’s S.N.S. subject to:

a) The school’s admission policy as listed from 2 to 6 above.
b) The school being satisfied with the reason for the transfer. Information will be requested from thestudent’s former school concerning attendance, educational progress, school reports, disabilitiesand special needs, etc.
c) The school regarding the move in the best interest of the student.
d) Available space.
e) Pupil Teacher Ratio.

The Enrolment of Children with Special Needs

Children with special needs will be resourced in accordance with the level of resources provided by the Department of Education and Skills to the Board of Management. Their parents/guardians will beexpected to provide the school with a medical report or an educational psychologist’s report, andwhere such reports are not available, the Board may request that the child be assessed immediately. The purpose of the report is to assist the school in establishing the educational needs of the child relevant to his/her educational needs and to apply for support services required.
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 those resources. Such resources may include visiting teacher service, resource teacher for special needs, special needs assistant, specialised equipment or furniture.
The school will meet the parents to discuss the child’s needs and the school’s suitability/capability inmeeting those needs. If necessary a meeting involving all parties supporting the child will be held.
The Board will endeavour to have the resources granted by the National Council for Special Education in place the day the pupil with SEN commences in the school. However, in the event that parents fail to provide relevant documentation by the spring deadline the NCSE may delay processing applications until the following October.

Pupils Transferring from or to St. Colmcille’s Senior National School

Pupils may transfer to the school at any time (but normally on the first school day of each term –September, January, April), subject to the school policy on enrolment, available space and in some cases, the approval of the Department of Education and Skills.
Pupils transferring for the beginning of a school year should normally apply before the previous May31st.
The following documentation must be provided before enrolment:
– Up to date reports from previous school(s), including reports on attendance and the child’s
educational progress.
The school requires that parents of children transferring from St. Colmcille’s to another school give one month’s notice in writing to the Principal.

Children of Other Faiths or No Faith
Bearing in mind the Catholic ethos of the school, every effort will be made so that the school is as inclusive as possible. While Catholic education and the ethos of the Catholic school permeates the day, children of other faiths or none, where a request is made in writing, will be excused from attendance at Catholic liturgies in the Church. As far as is possible, in consultation with parents, suitable alternative arrangements will be made to facilitate this. These pupils will not be expected to participate in religious instruction in class. It will not be possible to provide religious instruction in other faiths.

Exceptional Circumstances
The school reserves the right to refuse enrolment to a pupil in exceptional cases. Such an exceptional case could arise where either:

The pupil 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 pupil with an appropriate education.
In the opinion of the Board of Management, the pupil poses an unacceptable risk, to other pupils, to school staff or to school property.

Appeals
The Board of Management of St. Colmcille’s Senior School recognises and upholds a parent’s right to appeala refusal to enrol through the Appeal Procedures under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998. Uponreceiving the Board of Management’s decision parents/guardians will be informed by the Board ofManagement of the procedure and timeframe involved for an appeal. The procedures under Section 29 cannot be invoked until all procedures at local level have been exhausted.