St. Patrick’s B.N.S., Ringsend.

Enrolment Policy: December 2014

The Board of Management of St. Patrick’s B.N.S., hereby details the enrolment policy of the school as of December, 2014, revising the February, 2014 policy. This is in accordance with provisions of the Education Act 1998.

St. Patrick’s B.N.S. is a Catholic primary school, under the Patronage of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. It caters for boys only from Junior Infants to 6th Class.

As a Roman Catholic School, the school aims to promote the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the pupil; intellectual, physical, cultural, moral and spiritual, 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. The Catholic school provides religious education for the pupils in accordance with the doctrines, practices and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and promotes the formation of the pupils in the Catholic Faith.

Manager: Fr. Ivan Tonge Principal: Mr. Robin Booth.

Its Board of Management comprises representatives of parents, teachers, the trustee and the local community.

There are nine teachers in the school, including the principal. We have six mainstream teachers, one Resource Teacher and one Learning Support Teacher. We share a Home School Community Liaison Teacher with St. Patrick’s G.N.S. and Ringsend College.

The school operates under the Dept. of Education and Science (D.E.S.) from which grants and resources are received annually. Regulations are laid down by the D.E.S. The school curriculum followed is the Revised Curriculum for Primary Schools (1999) produced by the NCCA in conjunction with the D.E.S. This is subject to amendments by the D.E.S., in accordance with Section 9 and 30 of the Education Act (1998)

The school supports the principles of

• Inclusivity (particularly with reference to children with disabilities or special educational needs).

• Equality of access and participation in the school.

• Respect for the diversity of values, beliefs, traditions, languages and ways of life in society.

• Parental rights to enrol their children in the school of their choice; this in the context of the existing school community and the rights of the pupils already enrolled.

 

In the event of the number of children seeking to be enrolled exceeding the space and staffing available, the following priority listings will apply:

1. Catholic boys of the parish and siblings/step/half-siblings of children already enrolled in St. Patrick’s B.N.S. and St. Patrick’s G.N.S. – priority to eldest.

2. Catholic boys who live outside the parish and who do not have a Catholic school in their parish – priority to eldest.

3. All non-Catholic boys who live within the parish boundaries.

4. All other boys who apply to the school are entitled to a place in the school if there are vacancies in the school after the groups from (1) to (3) have been allocated places – priority to eldest;

*Explanatory Note on Residency Requirement

The Board of Management will not regard the residency requirement as satisfied unless the parents/guardians have provided proof as required by the Board of Management, of residence in the parish as at the closing date for applications and for a period of three months prior to that date, and intend to continue to reside in the parish up to and after the start of entry to Junior Infants.

The Board of Management reserve the right to withdraw an allocation of a place that has been allocated on the basis of residence in the parish at any time prior to the commencement of the relevant Junior Infant class in the school if the Board is satisfied that the applicant is no longer residing in the parish, regardless of whether the applicant was residing in the parish at any time before then.

Providing false or misleading information or withholding relevant information will invalidate an application.

The Board of Management reserves the right to amend any aspect of the above as may be deemed necessary.

Application procedure:

1. Junior Infants must be 4 years of age by September 1st in the year of entry.

2. Enrolment of children during the school year, who are 4 years of age after September 1st

is dependent on readiness and availability of places. This decision is at the discretion of the

BOM, which will be mindful of the following:

• The number of classrooms available

• The availability of space in each classroom

• The educational needs of children already enrolled

• Multigrade classes

• DES maximum class average directives

3. Parents wishing to enrol their children in this school should, in the first instance, make contact with the Principal. A completed Enrolment Application form must be received within the dates specified by the relevant application form. From January, 2015, a written acknowledgement of receipt of application will be given to each applicant and must be kept as proof of application.

4. All applications received by midday, January 15th of the year of entry, will be considered in accordance with the enrolment procedure outlined above and parents will be notified regarding places within 21 days of the closing date. Should the number of applications received exceed the number of places available, a waiting list will apply.

5. Applications received after the closing date (midday, January 15th) will be placed on either a Criteria 1 waiting list or a waiting list for Criteria 2-5 applicants. Places will be offered in order of age within these categories.

6. Parents will be required to provide details of their child’s name, age and address, previous education, special educational needs and any medical needs. Birth certificate and proof of address must be submitted. Baptismal certificates will be requested from Catholic pupils.

7. In the case of a child with specific special educational needs, the B.O.M. may request copies of medical and/or psychological reports in order to assess the school’s ability to appropriately provide for the education of the child. In such cases, a meeting will be held with the child’s parents and all personnel involved in the care of the child. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the needs of the child and to profile the support services required. Following this meeting and on receipt of all relevant reports, the B.O.M. will assess how the school can meet the needs identified. Application may be made to the Special Educational Needs Organiser for additional resources if appropriate.

8. Pupils may transfer to the school at any time, subject to the above, and in some cases, subject to the prior approval of the D.E.S. As a result of change of address, children will be accepted into the school at any time depending on availability of places.

Assuming that there are places available in the requested classes, an Application Form may be completed at this time. Application forms are available from the school office, by email or by post. Application forms may be completed and submitted at any time during the school year. Completion of an Application Form does not automatically entitle an applicant to a place.

9. If transferring from another school, it is school policy that the Principal of St. Patrick’s B.N.S. will make contact with the Principal of that school, prior to the offering of a place.

10. Refusal to Enrol: The BOM reserves the right to refuse enrolment in exceptional circumstances if, in the opinion of the BOM, there is evidence of an unacceptable risk to other pupils, school staff or school property.

11. Children enrolled in our school are required to co-operate with and support the school’s policies including policies on Code of Behaviour, Curriculum, Organisation and Management. The B.O.M. places responsibility with Parents/Guardians for ensuring that their child/children co-operate with said policies in an age-appropriate way.

12. Appeals: Where a Board of Management refuses to enrol a student in a school, the parents has a statutory entitlement under Section 29 of the Education Act to appeal that decision to the Secretary General of the Dept of Education & Skills.

In the event of any dispute, decisions regarding enrolment are the responsibility of the B.O.M. In this, the B.O.M. is bound by the Rules for National Schools (D.E.S.)

Amended and ratified by the Board of Management

December 2014