Meánscoil Iognáid Rís
ADMISSIONS POLICY
Meánscoil Iognáid Rís is a Catholic All-Boys voluntary secondary school under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, formerly the Irish Christian Brothers. The school accepts pupils from a very wide catchment area and values the resulting mix of town and country. It is the policy of the Board of Management to maintain this balance of town and country.
Each year a maximum of 150 boys are accepted into each Year Group with the exception of fourth Year (Transition Year) where a maximum of 72 applies. The school welcomes all boys who apply including pupils with special educational needs.
Application Process
1. How to Apply for places in First Year:
(a) Boys intending to transfer from St Corban’s Primary School, Naas: Declaration of Interest Forms will be distributed to these pupils when they are in Fourth Class. Boys’ names will be entered on the Application List for the relevant school year when these forms are returned.
(b) All other boys: Declaration of Interest Forms are available from the school. On return of the completed Declaration of Interest Form your son’s name will be recorded on the Application List for the relevant school-year by date of its receipt by the school. It will be noted that placement on the Application List is not a guarantee of a place.
2. Final Date for placement on Application List each year: 1 October
In order to be eligible under the criteria published below, the closing date for placing a boy’s name on the Application List for a particular school-year is the 1 October of the preceding school-year, when the pupil would normally be in Sixth Class. (For example, 1 October 2005 for admission in September 2006). All those who apply after this date are placed at the bottom of the Application List in Category 5 (see below) irrespective of the criteria published below.
3. Enrolment Process
On 15 October each year, formal Application Forms will be sent out to all those on the Application List for the following school year. The final date for return of these Application Forms will be 30 October each year. Parents will be notified not later than 20 November each year as to whether their son has secured a place or whether their son’s name is on the Waiting List for a place.
4. Enrolment Criteria
In the event of the school receiving more applications for places than are available, places will be allocated according to the following criteria and in the following order (with those in Category One getting first priority):
1. (a) Sixth Class boys of St. Corban’s Primary School, Naas, who have attended that school for the previous three years i.e. 4, 5 & 6 Class
and
(b) Boys of St Corban’s Primary School, who were registered pupils in that school in Third Class but transferred to a recognised Special School while in Fourth, Fifth or Sixth Class
and
(c) Boys formerly of Scoil an Linbh Iosa, Ballycane, Naas (a Junior school), who were entitled to transfer to St Corban’s Primary School but transferred to a recognised Special School instead.
2. Brothers of past or present pupils of Meánscoil Iognáid Ris;
3. Sons of serving staff of Meánscoil Iognáid Ris;
4. Sons of past-pupils of Meánscoil Iognáid Ris
5. All other boys who have applied irrespective of the primary school attended by them - by date of inclusion on the Application List for the relevant school year (i.e. first come, first served)
5. Applications for places in other Year Groups or during the school year
(a) In the case of First Year, those still on the Waiting List at the beginning of the new school year will be offered places as they become available during the course of that year and in the same order as on the original First Year Waiting List
(b) At the end of first year, parents of boys still on the Waiting List will be requested to indicate in writing whether they wish their sons’ names to remain on the List. Those who request to stay on the Waiting List will be offered places during second & third year as they come available in the same order as on the original First Year waiting list.
(c) In the case of new applicants to any year in Junior Cycle, their names will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list for the relevant school-year and will be dealt with on a first come, first served basis in the event of a place coming available.
(d) All waiting lists for Junior Cycle expire at the end of Third Year. However, parents of boys on the waiting list who wish to be considered for Senior Cycle must apply formally and separately for a senior cycle place.
(e) Applications to 4 Year (Transition Year) will be dealt with in the following manner. The maximum number in Transition Year will be 72 boys. Existing students of the school will have first call on places in 4 Year (pending successful interview and school record) and all new applicants will be dealt with on a first come, first served basis but also pending success at interview.
(f) The maximum number in 5 & 6 Year will be 150 boys in each year-group. The maximum number in a subject-group in 5 & 6 year will be 28 but 24 for practical subjects. Existing students coming into 5 Year will have first call on places in the various subject-groups and it will be only after existing pupils are facilitated that new applicants will be considered. Applications to 5 & 6 Year will be dealt with on a first come, first served basis.
(g) In all cases of students applying to any year-group under this section, the school will require to see a copy of recent school reports and a reference from the former school.
6. Students with Special Needs:
1. Meánscoil Iognáid Rís welcomes all students including those with special needs and will use the resources, both financial and personnel, provided by the Department of Education and Science to make reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities or special educational needs so that these students are free to participate in the life of the school in so far as is reasonably practicable.
2. While recognising and fully supporting parents’ rights to have a school of their choice for their children, the ability of Meánscoil Iognáid Rís to accept students with particular needs is dependent on the supply of resources, suitable to the needs of the individual student, being supplied by the Department of Education and Science.
3. Meánscoil Iognáid Rís welcomes applications from students with special educational needs unless the nature and degree of those needs is such that to enrol the student concerned would be inconsistent with both the best interests of the student concerned and the effective provision of education for the other students with whom the student concerned is to be educated. Only in very exceptional circumstances will the Board refuse an application. However, all applications for places are subject to the Enrolment Criteria as outlined in Section 4 and Section 5 of the Admissions Policy.
4. The Board of Management must be made aware of any special needs as early as possible, so that these needs can be assessed and addressed where possible.
5. Parents are requested to outline the details of a child’s special educational needs on the Application Form which is sent out to parents during October of the previous school year. However, parents are welcome to consult with the school at any time before the formal enrolment procedures commence.
6. The Board of Management, having gathered all relevant information and professional documentation, will assess how the needs of the student can be met. Contact will be made with the National Council for Special Educational Needs (NCSE) regarding special needs resources to which the student may be entitled.
7. The Principal may request a meeting with the parents of the student to discuss the application and the student’s needs. Equally, the parents of the student are most welcome to meet with the Principal to discuss the student’s educational or other needs.
8. As it may take some time for the NCSE to process applications, parents are strongly advised to inform the school as early as possible and discuss their particular situation well in advance of making application.
9. As soon as is practicable after a parent/guardian has provided all the relevant information, the principal shall take a decision either to accept the student or in the case where the principal has grave concern, refer the application to the Board of Management for determination. In such cases, the parents of the student will be invited to attend the meeting of the Board.
10. In the case of a refusal by the Board, the matter may be appealed to the Secretary General of the Department of Education & Science under Section 29 of the Education Act (1998).
11. This policy on pupils with Special Needs was adopted by the Board of Management on 2 April 2009 and will be subject to review by the Board as deemed necessary.
7. Appeal Process: Parents whose son is refused a place have a right of appeal to the Board of Management and if refused a place by the Board have a right of appeal to the Department of Education & Science under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998
8. Review of Admissions Policy: This policy is subject to review by the Board of Management. The up-to-date Admissions Policy is available at the school and is published on the school web-site at naascbs.ie
This Admissions Policy was adopted by the Board of Management on 18 October 2004 and further amended on 2 April 2009. It applies to enrolment after 2 April 2009, to enrolment for 2009 and subsequent years or until further amended by the Board.
Declaration of interest Form (ms word format)