Admissions Policy

Darrara National School,

Cruary,

Clonakilty.

Roll Number: 13125R

School Patron: Bishop of Diocese of Cork and Ross

1. Introduction

This Admission Policy complies with the requirements of the Education Act 1998, the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 and the Equal Status Act 2000. In drafting this policy, the board of management of the school has consulted with school staff, the school patron and with parents of children attending the school.

The policy was approved by the school patron in December 2022. It is published on the school’s website and will be made available in hardcopy, on request, to any person who requests it.

The relevant dates and timelines for Darrara National School admission process are set out in the school’s annual admission notice which is published annually on the school’s website at least one week before the commencement of the admission process for the school year concerned.

This policy must be read in conjunction with the annual admission notice for the school year concerned.

The application form for admission is published on the school’s website and will be made available in hardcopy on request to any person who requests it.

2. Characteristic Spirit and General Objective of the School

This is a Catholic co-educational primary with a catholic ethos under the patronage of the Bishop of Cork and Ross

It is a school that welcomes all beliefs and none in the same open fashion. We aim to develop the whole child and on leaving us they will be self-confident and well prepared for second level.

This school strives to provide a type of schooling for each child, to enable him/her to reach their full potential intellectually, spiritually, socially, morally, culturally and physically. This is done in a secure, non-critical and positive environment.

The school endeavours that having completed their education at this school, all children would feel confident as human beings and comfortable with themselves and others, as they face the next stage of their education/schooling.

The school will encourage the involvement of parents/guardians in their children’s education through home/school contacts and through their involvement in the Parents’ Association.

The school will strive to promote, both individually and collectively, the professional and personal development of teachers through staff development programmes.

The school will endeavour to enhance the self-esteem of everyone in the school community, to imbue in the pupils’ respect for people and property and to encourage in them the idea of being responsible.

In setting up an ASD class in Darrara National School, the decision was taken with a view to providing an education in a mainstream setting for children who have an autism disorder and who fulfill the enrolment criteria. The decision was taken primarily to cater for children resident in the catchment area of the school.

The ASD class is for children who have been recommended for placement in an ASD class in a mainstream primary school and who have the potential to integrate into a mainstream age-appropriate class. The maximum class size is 6 pupils. The Board of Management reserves the right to enrol less than this if it is deemed in the best interests of the class, the children and the school.

The class serves to prepare pupils with ASD to re-integrate into the mainstream setting. Therefore, enrolment to this class will only be available to children with ASD who, with the supports available in Darrara National School, will have the capacity to, at least, partially integrate into a mainstream class.

3. Admission Statement

Darrara National School will cooperate with the NCSE in the performance by the Council of functions under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 in relation to the provision of education to children with special educational needs, including in particular by the provision and operation of a special class or classes when required to do so by the Council.

Darrara National School will comply with any direction served on the board or the patron under Section 37A and 67(4)(b) of the Education Act 1998

Darrara National School will not discriminate in its admission of a student to the school on any of the following:

(a) the gender ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,

(b) the civil status ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,

(d) the sexual orientation ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,

(e) the religion ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,

(f) the disability ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,

(g) the ground of race of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,

(h) the Traveller community ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned, or

(i) the ground that the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned has special educational needs

As per section 61 (3) of the Education Act 1998, ‘civil status ground’, ‘disability ground’, ‘discriminate’, ‘family status ground’, ‘gender ground’, ‘ground of race’, ‘religion ground’, ‘sexual orientation ground’ and ‘Traveller community ground’ shall be construed in accordance with section 3 of the Equal Status Act 2000.

Darrara National School is a school whose objective is to provide education in an environment which promotes certain religious values and does not discriminate in relation to the admission of a student who has applied for a place in the school in accordance with section 7A of the Equal Status Act 2000.

Darrara National School is a school whose objective is to provide education in an environment which promotes certain religious values and does not discriminate where it refuses to admit as a student a person who is not Roman Catholic and it is proved that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school.

4. Categories of Special Educational Needs Catered for in The School.

Darrara National School is an inclusive school and is educating children with special needs in mainstream. With the approval of the Minister for Education and Skills, we will also establish a class to provide an education exclusively for pupils with autism.

Please note that fulfilling the enrolment criteria does not necessarily ensure enrolment if sufficient places are not available and/or sufficient classroom space is not available.

5. Admission of Pupils

This school shall admit each student seeking admission except where –

a) the school is oversubscribed (please see section 6 below for further details)

b) a parent of a student, when required by the principal in accordance with section 23(4) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, fails to confirm in writing that the code of behaviour of the school is acceptable to him or her and that he or she shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such code by the student.

6. Oversubscription

In the event that the school is oversubscribed, the school will, when deciding on applications for admission, apply the following selection criteria in the order listed below to those applications that are received within the timeline for receipt of applications as set out in the school’s annual admission notice:

Criterion in order of priority:

As far as possible, and in keeping with school policy, pupils will be enrolled on application

provided there is adequate space in the school. Where space is limited or class sizes too

large, the Board will make its decision keeping in mind the following:

1 Brothers and sisters of children already in the school or who have attended the school in the past. If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

2 Families whose primary residence is in the immediate areas of the school, starting closest to the school and radiating outwards from the school within a 3-mile distance by road from the school (reference to google maps will be used to ascertain such distance). If the class is oversubscribed within the application of this particular criterion, then the furthest from the school will be eliminated first.

3 Children of parents who are past pupils of the school. If the class is oversubscribed within the application of this particular criterion, then those whose primary residence is furthest from the school will be eliminated first. (Darrara National School may only apply this criterion to a maximum of 25% of the available spaces as set out in the school’s annual admission notice).

In the event that there are two or more students tied for a place or places in any of the selection criteria categories above, a draw will be conducted by an independent party to decide on the successful applicant.

7. Special Classes (A.S.D.) Enrolment Process and Criteria

Parents wishing to enrol their child in the Special Class (A.S.D.) must present a

psychological report to the school. This report must include:

1. A diagnosis of Autism that meets D.S.M. IV & V or I.C.D. 10 criteria by a multidisciplinary team and must be recent.

2. A report stating that the minimum level of cognitive functioning is a mild learning

disability range.

3. A recommendation for a placement in an A.S.D. class attached to a mainstream

school by the diagnosing professional.

Once reports have been forwarded to the Principal, parents will be asked to make an

application to enroll their child in the Special Class. The Board of Management will then

consider the application and notify the parents accordingly.

Points to note:

• The child must be toilet trained

• A child shall not be admitted if behaviour is such that she/he is a danger to

herself/himself and/or others.

• All relevant reports and assessments must accompany application to enrol

form including O.T. or Speech & Language report, if relevant. Where there is

insufficient information provided about a child, the Board of Management

may not be able to make a decision.

• Parents/Guardians of prospective candidates must meet the Admissions Team prior to enrolment.

The Board of Management is responsible for and must respect the rights of the existing school community and in particular, the children already enrolled. The Board of Management reserves the right to refuse enrolment if they believe that the school cannot meet the needs of a particular child.

The Special Class operates a maximum class size of six pupils. One teacher and two

S.N.A.’s will work in the Special Class. Should the number of applicants exceed the

number of places a waiting list is put in place. The following non-exhaustive list of criteria

will apply in priority order:

1. Pupils already enrolled in the school

2. Siblings of present and past pupils of the school – priority to eldest.

3. Children living within a 3- mile distance by road from the school – priority to eldest. (Google maps will be used to calculate distance)

4. Children of staff members – priority to eldest.

5. Children in the wider catchment area.

6. If spaces are still available, places will be allocated as per waiting list, once an

assessment has been made by the Board of Management.

A note on Behaviour:

It is accepted that children with special educational needs may display difficult, defiant or oppositional behaviours. All efforts will be made by the school to manage such behaviour using various strategies and through the implementation of the child’s School Support Plan. All pupils are subject to the School Code of Behaviour and Health and Safety Statement.

Where a child’s behaviour impacts in a negative way on the other children in the ASD class or another mainstream class to the extent that their constitutional right to an education is being interfered with, as judged by the Board of Management of the school, the school reserves the right to advise parents/guardians that a more suitable setting should be found for the child. The Board of Management reserves the right to suspend or expel a child if they contravene the Code of Behaviour.

8. What Will Not Be Considered or Taken Into Account

In accordance with section 62(7)(e) of the Education Act, the school will not consider or take into account any of the following in deciding on applications for admission or when placing a student on a waiting list for admission to the school:

A student’s prior attendance at a pre-school or pre-school service, including naíonraí,

other than in relation to a student’s prior attendance at—

(I) an early intervention class, or

(II) an early start pre-school, specified in a list published by the Minister from time to time;

the payment of fees or contributions (howsoever described) to the school;

a student’s academic ability, skills or aptitude;

the occupation, financial status, academic ability, skills or aptitude of a student’s parents;

a requirement that a student, or his or her parents, attend an interview, open day or other meeting as a condition of admission;

a student’s connection to the school by virtue of a member of his or her family attending or having previously attended the school;

(Other than, in the case of a selection criteria based on pupil currently enrolled in the mainstream school, or siblings of a student attending or having attended the school)

the date and time on which an application for admission was received by the school,

This is subject to the application being received at any time during the period specified for receiving applications set out in the annual admission notice of the school for the school year concerned.

This is also subject to the school making offers based on existing waiting lists (up until 31^st January 2025 only).

9. Decisions on Applications

All decisions on applications for admission to Darrara National School will be based on the following:

Our school’s admission policy
The school’s annual admission notice (where applicable)
The information provided by the applicant in the school’s official application form received during the period specified in our annual admission notice for receiving applications

(Please see section 15 below in relation to applications received outside of the admissions period and section 16 below in relation to applications for places in years other than the intake group.)

Selection criteria that are not included in our school admission policy will not be used to make a decision on an application for a place in our school.

10. Notifying applicants of decisions

Applicants will be informed in writing as to the decision of the school, within the timeline outlined in the annual admissions notice.

If a student is not offered a place in our school, the reasons why they were not offered a place will be communicated in writing to the applicant, including, where applicable, details of the student’s ranking against the selection criteria and details of the student’s place on the waiting list for the school year concerned.

Applicants will be informed of the right to seek a review/right of appeal of the school’s decision (see section 19 below for further details).

11. Acceptance of an Offer of a place by an applicant

In accepting an offer of admission from Darrara National School, you must indicate—

(i) whether or not you have accepted an offer of admission for another school or schools. If you have accepted such an offer, you must also provide details of the offer or offers concerned and

(ii) whether or not you have applied for and awaiting confirmation of an offer of admission from another school or schools, and if so, you must provide details of the other school or schools concerned.

12. Circumstances in which offers may not be made or be withdrawn

An offer of admission may not be made or may be withdrawn by Darrara National School where—

it is established that information contained in the application is false or misleading.
an applicant fails to confirm acceptance of an offer of admission on or before the date set out in the annual admission notice of the school.
the parent of a student, when required by the principal in accordance with section 23(4) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, fails to confirm in writing that the code of behaviour of the school is acceptable to him or her and that he or she shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such code by the student; or
an applicant has failed to comply with the requirements of ‘acceptance of an offer’ as set out in section 10 above.

13. Sharing of Data with other schools

Applicants should be aware that section 66(6) of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 allows for the sharing of certain information between schools in order to facilitate the efficient admission of students.

14. Waiting list in the event of oversubscription

In the event of there being more applications to the school year concerned than places available, a waiting list of students whose applications for admission to Darrara National School were unsuccessful due to the school being oversubscribed will be compiled and will remain valid for the school year in which admission is being sought.

Placement on the waiting list of Darrara National School is in the order of priority assigned to the students’ applications after the school has applied the selection criteria in accordance with this admission policy.

Offers of any subsequent places that become available for and during the school year in relation to which admission is being sought will be made to those students on the waiting list, in accordance with the order of priority in relation to which the students have been placed on the list.

15. Late Applications

All applications for admission received after the closing date as outlined in the annual admission notice will be considered and decided upon in accordance with our school’s admissions policy, the Education Admissions to School Act 2018 and any regulations made under that Act.

16. Procedures for admission of students to other years and during the school year

The procedures of the school n relation to the admission of students who are not already admitted to the school to classes or years other than the school’s intake group are as follows

-parents/guardians complete the Application for Enrolment Form

-The Board of Management make a decision as to whether the school can cater for the child

-The parents/guardians are informed in writing no later than three weeks after date in which school received the application.

17. Declaration in relation to the non-charging of fees

The board of Darrara National School or any persons acting on its behalf will not charge fees for or seek payment or contributions (howsoever described) as a condition of-

an application for admission of a student to the school, or
the admission or continued enrolment of a student in the school.

18. Arrangements regarding students not attending religious instruction

The following are the school’s arrangements for students, where the parents have requested that the student attend the school without attending religious instruction in the school. These arrangements will not result in a reduction in the school day of such students:

1. Students will be provided with school work to complete during religious education lessons.

2. During visits to the church, students will be permitted to stay in school and join another class for the duration of the visit.

19. Reviews/Appeals

Review of decisions by the board of Management

The parent of the student, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, may request the board to review a decision to refuse admission. Such requests must be made in accordance with Section 29C of the Education Act 1998.

The timeline within which such a review must be requested and the other requirements applicable to such reviews are set out in the procedures determined by the Minister under section 29B of the Education Act 1998 which are published on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.

The board will conduct such reviews in accordance with the requirements of the procedures determined under Section 29B and with section 29C of the Education Act 1998.

Note: Where an applicant has been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, the applicant must request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998.

Where an applicant has been refused admission due to a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, the applicant may request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998.

Right of appeal

Under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, the parent of the student, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, may appeal a decision of this school to refuse admission.

An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1)(c)(i) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due to the school being oversubscribed.

An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1)(c)(ii) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due a reason other than the school being oversubscribed.

Where an applicant has been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, the applicant must request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998. (see Review of decisions by the Board of Management)

Appeals under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 will be considered and determined by an independent appeals committee appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills.

The timeline within which such an appeal must be made and the other requirements applicable to such appeals are set out in the procedures determined by the Minister under section 29B of the Education Act 1998 which are published on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.

20. Discharge Policy in relation to ASD Class

It is school policy to facilitate the discharge of pupils from the ASD Class once they have completed 6^th class in Darrara National School or any other primary setting.

Discharge may also be recommended after the first year if the school, after consultation with the Parents/Guardians, feel that placement is not appropriate.

Discharge from the ASD Class may also happen if a pupil is fully integrated into the mainstream school.

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Signature of Chairperson of Board of Management

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Date