Admissions Criteria

RESPECTIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND PRINCIPAL IN RELATION TO ADMISSIONS

The Board of Governors draws up the admissions criteria and will have the responsibility for applying these criteria.

OPEN DAY:

Parents wishing to view the school’s facilities or find out additional information about the school are most welcome to contact Mr O’Neill (Principal).

A guided tour of St John’s can be arranged, at a time and date that suits parents.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA

When considering which children should be selected for admission, the Board of Governors will only take into account information which is detailed on the application or provided directly to the school.

Parents should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the school’s admissions criteria is stated on the application or provided directly to the school.

Examples of such information include names of brothers and sisters in attendance.

During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria punctual applications will be considered before late applications are considered. 

The application procedure opens in January each year. An application submitted by the closing date will be treated as a punctual application.  An application received after the closing date will be treated as a late application.

Priority will be given to children who will have attained compulsory school age at the time of their proposed admission, including those children whose parents deferred their admission to primary school in the previous year, as defined by the new School Age (NI) Act (both groups to be treated equally).

Priority will be given to children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the school before those who are not so resident.

In the event of the school receiving more applications than can be accommodated within the admissions numbers, determined by the Department of Education, the following criteria will be applied by the Board of Governors;

1. Children whose application nominates St John’s Primary School as their first preference school, at the time of application.

2. Children, who at the date of application, have a child of the family currently enrolled at the school (e.g. brothers and sisters, half-brothers/sisters, step brothers/sisters, including those fostered or adopted).

3. Children whose parent/guardian, at the date of application, is a permanent member of the teaching/ancillary/auxiliary staff.

4. Children whose brothers and sisters previously attended St John’s Primary School, for at least one full academic year. Please provide names and dates attended on the application.

5. Children who are the eldest child in their family.

6. The remaining places will be allocated on the basis of the proximity from the main entrance of the child’s home, at the time of application, (‘Home’ is defined as the child’s permanent place of residence, not the child-minder or other relative’s address), to the gates of St John’s Primary School, with priority being given to those living nearest to the school as measured by Google Maps UK Measure Distance Tool.

[This criterion will also be used to discriminate within any oversubscribed criterion (except criterion 1)].

DUTY TO VERIFY

The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any application.

If the requested evidence is not provided to the Board of Governors by the deadline given, this will result in the withdrawal of an offer of a place.  Similarly, if information is supplied which appears to be false or misleading in any material way, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.

WAITING LIST POLICY

If there are more applications than places available, the school will operate a 'Waiting List Policy'.

Parents of children who are unsuccessful in gaining a place at St John's, are advised to contact the school directly, to request that their child's name be added to the 'Waiting List'.

Should a vacancy arise, all applications on the 'Waiting List' will be treated equally and the published criteria applied.  This waiting list will be in place until the end of the academic year.

The school will contact parents if a child gains a place in the school by this method.  

ADMISSION TO P2 – P7

Pupils will be admitted to P2-P7 in accordance with the preference of their parents provided their admission does not lead to the enrolment number being exceeded.  In the event of over subscription the same admissions criteria will be applied as for admission to P1.