Enrolment Policy - St. Declan's National School - St. Declan's National School Ashbourne
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St. Declan’s National School
Bourne Avenue, Ashbourne, Co. Meath - A84KT02
School Roll Number: 19486K
Charity Number: 20201057
Phone: 01-8350594
www.decsash.scoilnet.ie
Email: principal@decsash.ie
Twitter: @decsash
Enrolment Policy
Contents
1. Introductory Statement
2. School Ethos
3. Application and Enrolment Procedures for Incoming Junior Infants
4. Application and Enrolment Procedures for Classes Other than Junior Infants
5. Children with Additional or Special Educational Needs
6. Appeals
7. Other Important Points
8. Exceptional Circumstances
9. Ratification and Review of Policy
10. Appendix A (Map of Parish Boundary)
Page 2 of 121. Introductory Statement
St. Declan’s National School is a co-educational primary school catering for
pupils from Junior Infants to 6th Class. The staff consists of 39 teachers, including
Principal, Deputy Principal, Class teachers and Special Education teachers, 4
Special Needs Assistants, Secretary, Caretaker and Housekeepers. The
Enrolment policy of St. Declan’s N.S. has been formulated in accordance with the
provisions of the Education Act 1998 and subsequent amendments, the
Education Welfare Act 2000, Epsen Act 2004, Equal Status Act 2000, Disabilities
Act 2002, Admission to Schools Bill 2015 (D.E.S. Website), Statement of
Strategy - Section 22 of Education Welfare Act 2000 and Education (Admission
to Schools) Act 2018. The aim of the policy is to set out the school’s policy and
procedures in relation to enrolment and also to assist Parents in relation to
enrolment matters.
2. School Ethos
St Declan’s N.S. is a Roman Catholic school (which is established in collaboration
with the Minister). Our school aims at promoting the full and harmonious
development of all aspects of the person of the pupil: intellectual, physical, cultural,
moral and spiritual, including a living relationship with God and with other people.
St Declan’s N.S. models and promotes a philosophy of life inspired by belief in God
and in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. St Declan’s N.S. 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.
Our ethos also permeates the school day through our actions, attitudes and
practices:
We provide opportunities for prayer, the celebration of liturgy and the
sacraments.
We strive to create a learning environment where every child is encouraged
and enabled to develop to their full and unique potential as human beings.
Page 3 of 12 We seek to form pupils who will unselfishly use their gifts for the common
good and are committed to work for a more just and caring society.
We provide a welcoming and inclusive community that is respectful and
tolerant of all religious traditions and beliefs.
While St. Declan’s N.S. promotes the doctrines and teachings of the Catholic Faith,
we also acknowledge and respect the diverse beliefs of a number of pupils in our
school. Similarly, all pupils and parents/guardians must respect the ethos of the
school.
3. Application and Enrolment Procedures for Junior Infants
Enrolment application for Junior Infants will be accepted from the 1st January to
the 3pm on the 21st January.
All applicants (including those who previously completed an expression of
interest form) will need to apply as per this policy. This is in order to comply with
recent legislation as waiting were to be phased out. This information will be
communicated in an Admissions Notice which will be posted on the school
website, via the Parish Newsletter and to parents/guardians of children currently
attending St. Declan’s N.S. Parents/Guardians who have children they seek to
enrol should check these locations regularly for updates.
Parents/guardians seeking to enrol their child/ren in St. Declan’s N.S. are
requested to complete an online enrolment application form. This form can be
accessed on the school website under the Parents Area tab -
www.decsash.scoilnet.ie/blog/parents-area/ (in the event that the form can’t be
accessed online, hard copies are available from the school office which is open
from 8:45am – 4:00pm Monday – Friday).
Offers of a school place will be posted to parents/guardians within 21 calendar
days of the closing date for acceptance of enrolment application forms.
Parents/guardians must accept the offer of a school place by returning the
registration form to the school within 10 calendar days from the date indicated
Page 4 of 12on the letter. In order to complete the registration process an original
Birth/Adoption certificate and proof of address (utility bill issued within the past
three months) must be brought into the school with the completed registration
form. Copies of the Birth/Adoption certificate and proof of address will retained by
the school. Failure to return the relevant documentation to the school within the
10 calendar days will result in the withdrawal of the offer and the place being
offered to the next eligible child. Please note it is the responsibility of
parents/guardians to update the school of any change to their personal details
(address, phone number, email etc. as necessary).
The Department of Education and Skills stipulate that no child should begin
primary school unless they are four years of age on or before September 1 st
during the year they are supposed to start (A Guide to the Irish Education
System on DES website). However, any school may set a higher minimum age.
In St. Declan’s N.S., an application will only be considered for a child who has
reached their 4th birthday on or before the 31st March in the year of enrolment for
Junior Infants.
In the event of applications for enrolment exceeding the number of places
available the places will be allocated using the following criteria. If the number of
children in any category exceeds the number of places available children will be
prioritised in order of age, beginning with the eldest.
1. Siblings or step-siblings of children currently attending St. Declan’s N.S.
2. Children of staff members
3. Children who live within the Parish boundary (see map Appendix 2)
4. Children living outside the Parish Boundary
For the school year 2020/2021, Junior Infant classes will be limited to 27 pupils
and the school will aim to reduce all class sizes to this figure. Children who leave
the school will not be replaced in classes where this number is exceeded.
The completion or submission of an enrolment application form does not confer
any guarantee of a school place.
Page 5 of 12There is an annual information meeting for parents of Junior Infants in June. New
Junior Infants spend one informal period in school in June to familiarise
themselves with their new environment.
4. Application and Enrolment Procedures for Classes Other than Junior
Infants
Parents/guardians seeking to enrol their child/ren in St. Declan’s N.S. are
requested to complete an online enrolment application form. This form can be
accessed on the school website under the Parents’ Area tab -
www.decsash.scoilnet.ie/blog/parents-area/ (in the event that the form can’t be
accessed online, hard copies are available from the school office which is open
from 8:45am – 4:00pm Monday – Friday).
Applications will be accepted at any stage during the year. A response will be
given by the school within 21 days of receiving the application. Places, if
available, will be allocated by applying the criteria below and offers will be sent
by letter. If there are no school places available, the names of children for whom
an enrolment application form has been submitted will be placed on a class
waiting list.
When accepting an offer of a school place parents/guardians must accept by
returning the registration form to the school within 10 calendar days from the
date indicated on the letter. In order to complete the registration process an
original Birth/Adoption certificate and proof of address (utility bill issued within the
past three months) must be brought into the school with the completed
registration form. Copies of the Birth/Adoption certificate and proof of address will
retained by the school. Failure to return the relevant documentation to the school
within the 10 calendar days will result in the withdrawal of the offer and the place
being offered to the next eligible child. Please note it is the responsibility of
parents/guardians to update the school of any change to their personal details
(address, phone number, email etc.) as necessary.
Page 6 of 12Children’s names will not be kept on any waiting list past August 31st of any year.
Therefore a parent/guardian who was not offered a place must reapply if they
wish to seek a place for their child again in the following year i.e. waiting lists are
not carried over from year to year.
Equality of access is the key value that determines the enrolment of children to
our school.
While recognizing the right of parents to enrol their child in the school of their
choice, the Board of Management of St. Declan’s National School is also
responsible 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. Assisting the school in such circumstances, the Board of
Management, with due regard for the Patron’s wishes, reserves the right to
determine the maximum number of children in each separate classroom bearing
in mind:
i. Size of/available space in classrooms
ii. Availability of grants and teacher resources provided by the Department of
Education and Skills
iii. Educational needs of children of a particular age
iv. Presence of children with special educational/behavioural needs
v. Department of Education and Skills maximum class average directives
vi. Pupil-teacher ratio as determined by the Minister of Education and
published periodically in the staffing schedule.
In the event of there being more than one application on a waiting list for any
class other than Junior Infants the following will be the criteria, in order of
preference, for selection:
a) Siblings or step-siblings of children currently attending St. Declan’s N.S.
b) Children of staff members
c) Children who live within the Parish boundary (see map Appendix 2)
d) Children living outside the Parish Boundary
Page 7 of 12Children seeking to enrol in classes other than junior infants will be enrolled at
the same class level as the class they are transferring from. In exceptional
circumstances it may be necessary for a child to be enrolled in a class that is
either above or below the level at which they are currently in. This will be done in
consultation with parents/guardians and age appropriateness will be considered
for the class level in which the pupil is being placed in.
If two or more children qualify under any of the above categories, selection will
be made by conducting a lottery. This lottery will be carried out in a fair and
transparent manner and will be observed and conducted by the principal, a
member of the Board of Management and an officer of the Parents’ Association.
Pupils may be enrolled during the school year where space allows. Pupils
wishing to transfer from another school are enrolled subject to the Rules
governing National Schools, as well as our own school’s enrolment policy. Under
the terms of The Education Welfare Act (2000) information concerning
attendance and the child’s educational progress are to be provided by the school
from which the child is transferring upon acceptance of a place in St. Declan’s
N.S.
5. Children with Additional or Special Educational Needs
While recognising the right of parents to enrol a child in the school of their choice,
the Board of Management is conscious of its duty to respect the rights of the
existing school community and, in particular, those children who are already
enrolled. Children with additional or special educational needs will be resourced
in accordance with the level of resources provided by the Department of Education
and Skills and/or National Council for Special Education. In the event that the
applicant has special educational needs, a copy of all available
medical/psychological reports and/or a professional assessment of the child’s
needs must be submitted upon acceptance of the place, so that provision can be
made for that child’s welfare and educational progress.
Page 8 of 12Parents of children with additional or special educational needs, already enrolled
in St. Declan’s, who are unhappy with the level of provision or resources, are
advised to consider educational settings which are specifically designed to cater
for children with special educational needs.
6. Appeals
The following decisions may be appealed:
i) Permanent exclusion from a school,
ii) Suspension for a period which would bring the cumulative period of
suspension to 20 school days in any one school year, or
iii) Refusal to enrol.
Parents who are unhappy with an enrolment decision may appeal to the Board of
Management of St. Declan’s N.S. This appeal must be addressed, in writing, to
the Chairperson of the Board, stating the grounds for the appeal and lodged within
10 calendar days of the date indicated on the initial refusal letter. A Board of
Management meeting will be convened upon receipt of the appeal and a decision
will be communicated in writing within 21 calendar days of receipt of appeal.
If unhappy with the outcome of this appeal, an appeal may be made to the
Department of Education and Skills under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998
on the official form provided by this Department (see www.education.ie). This
appeal must be lodged within 42 calendar days of receipt of the Board of
Management’s decision to refuse enrolment.
7. Other Important Points
a) For the purpose of this policy the term siblings includes children who are step-
siblings, half-siblings and children who are being fostered by a family of
current pupils of St. Declan’s N.S.
b) For the purpose of this policy staff members include people who have a
permanent/ contract of indefinite employment with the school.
c) Children enrolled in our school are required to respect, co-operate with and
support St. Declan’s N.S. Code of Behaviour as well as all other policies on
curriculum, organization and management. The Board of Management
Page 9 of 12places Parents/Guardians responsible for ensuring that their child/ren co-
operate with said policies in an age-appropriate way. These policies may be
added to and revised from time-to-time.
d) While acknowledging the right of families to opt out of religious instruction,
parents/guardians are advised that there is no alternative supervision or
lessons available for pupils outside of the classroom.
8. Exceptional Circumstances
a. The school reserves the right to refuse enrolment to any child in
exceptional cases. For example such an exceptional case could arise
where either:
i. The child has special educational needs such that, even with additional
resources made available from the Department of Education and Skills
or National Council for Special Education, the school cannot meet such
needs and/or provide the pupil with an appropriate education, or
ii. In the opinion of the Board of Management, the pupil poses an
unacceptable risk to other pupils, to school staff or to school property.
b. In cases where a child who is currently enrolled in the school and on foot of
a psychological assessment which recommends they attend a special
school or a school with a special class for a short-term* placement, then
the child can be re-admitted after re-applying to the school if they are
deemed suitable by the school and other appropriate professionals to
return to an age-appropriate mainstream class.
* short-term placement is considered to be up to three years
Page 10 of 129. Ratification and Review of Policy
The Board of Management have the right to review and propose amendments to
this policy. Amendments proposed require the Patron’s approval before they
become operative. This policy was devised by St. Declan’s National School and
was ratified by the Board of Management on 15th October 2019. A review will
take place not later than November 2020.
Chairperson of BOM
Mr. Noel Curtin
Date 15/10/2019
Principal
Mr. Cian Kearins
Date 15/10/2019
Page 11 of 1210. Appendix A (Map of Parish Boundary)
Page 12 of 12You can also read
