Admissions Policy

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Due to the new Admissions Act, there are incoming changes to the school’s enrolment policy. Below is a summary of these changes. We will post the new Admissions Policy for Belmayne Educate Together N.S. within the allocated time frame (May 1st).

Important Notice for Enrolments to BETNS after February 1st 2020.

From February 1st 2020 (after 11.59 pm Jan 31st)

You cannot enrol your child for Junior Infants during the year. We will operate annual enrolments for a three week period each January for children attending that following September. ‘First Come First Served’ will no longer apply to enrolments after February 1st 2020, instead a lottery will apply each year for places.  

Staff will not have any entitlement to places for their children. A sibling policy will still operate. Siblings will be allocated places first each year.

Deferring – it is not possible to defer a place. If a parent turns down an offer, the place is forfeited and they must reapply again the following year. 

Enrolment Lists

The school under the Admission Act will have to operate separate enrollment lists up to and including 2023. From 2024 there will only be an annual enrolment for Junior Infants in January with a lottery in place for allocating places after siblings.

List 1 – Pupils Enrolled prior to February 1st 2020

The school will offer places first from this list each year up to and including 2023, offering places to siblings first and then working down the list in order of first come first served. For us to proceed to List 2 we must work our way through the waiting lists.

2020 – places have been offered and a waiting list is in place

2021 – 221 on list

2022 – 176 on list

2023 – 139 on list

2024 – no list applies

List 2 – Pupils Seeking to Enrol after February 1st 2020.

Enrolments will open in January each year for three weeks. Should any places become available after going through List 1 up to and including 2023 which is unlikely, a lottery will occur.

List 3 – Enrolments Mid-Year

We will continue to take mid-year enrolments for classes Senior Infants and upwards. For pupils who have their child’s name down before February 1st 2020, they will be offered places first in order of ‘first come first served’ (see below). Once this list is exhausted any parents who apply after February 1st 2020, a lottery will apply should a place become available.

Current Waiting Lists

Junior Infants – 14

Senior Infants – 29

1st Class – 46

2nd Class – 45

3rd Class- 46

4th Class – 62

5th Class – 44

6th Class – 3

Q & A

Q. What happens to the list of pupils who had enrolled before February 1st 2020? I applied when my child was a baby?

A. Up to and including 2023 any pupil who was enrolled before February 1st 2020, (January 31st at 11.59 pm) and who have been allocated an enrolment number under the ‘first come first served policy’, this list will operate first each year up to and including 2023. Each child retains their enrollment number.

Q. My daughter is on the list for 2021. I have an enrollment number as I applied before February 1st 2020. What happens now with this new Admission Act?

A. Nothing changes for your child, you retain your enrollment number. We will go through this list first when offering places.

Q. My daughter is on the list for 2021. My enrollment number is 200 as I applied before February 1st 2020. Am I now guaranteed a place?

No. While you are on list one and we offer first from this list, as we only take in two classes, you would need over 144 pupils to refuse a place before you would be offered a place.

Q.  I applied to BETNS after February 1st 2020. I want my daughter to attend in 2021. What happens now?  

A. Your child’s enrollment will not be processed. Annual enrolments will open in January for three weeks. Offers for places will be given out first to those parents who applied before February 1st 2020 (List 1). If places not taken up, a lottery will take place for any parents who applied after Feb 1st, 2020 (List 2).

Q. You have waiting lists for the years 2021-2023. Why are you opening annual enrolments when it is unlikely that additional pupils will get a place?

A. Under the new  Admissions Act, we must operate an annual enrollment despite the fact we have waiting lists that we must go through first (List 1). Yes we agree. It is unlikely that pupils on List 2 will be offered a place.

QI want to enrol my child in 2024.

A. You apply in January the year your child will attend school. The office will operate a lottery whereby each student will be allocated a number and then placed in order. Siblings will firstly be offered a place and the remainder of places will be offered to the next placed pupils on the list until classes are filled.

Q. I want to work in your school. Should school staff /teachers not be allocated a place for their child? Will this not put teachers off staying/coming to your school?

A. We agree this is challenging. The Patron does not allow the school to operate a policy allowing preference for places for school staff.

Q. My child is one but I want to enrol her now for when she starts school.

A. After February 1st 2020 you can only enrol your child in January before they start school.

Q. My child is very bright and turns 4 on June 5th before she starts school. I want her to attend school when she is 4.

Your child must be 4 by June 1st the year that they start school, therefore your child will have to wait until the following year to apply to BETNS. Exceptions are not made.

Q. If I am offered a place and I am unsure if my child is ready, is it ok to defer the place until the following year?

A. No. If you refuse a place you must reapply again the following January. 

Q. I only want an Educate Together school. I am very limited in the amount of schools I can apply to. Why do you not prioritise pupils who only want Educate Together schools?

A. The school cannot make any exceptions based on ethos preference. We would suggest you contact your local TD if there are any queries regarding the choice of Educate Together schools near where you live.

Q. My child has additional needs. I only want her to attend Educate Together as I have heard that the school caters well for children with needs? Can you place my child higher?

A. All primary schools should cater equally for pupils with additional needs as the supports allocated are the same, irrelevant of the Patronage. Some additional needs are visible while other needs not so much.  The lottery system does not allow for any child to be placed higher/automatically get a place,  bar siblings.

Q. My eldest two children attended your school but have since graduated. Does my third child qualify as a sibling?

A. No. The sibling policy only applies when a sibling is still attending our school. 

Please note the full Admissions Policy has to be developed with stakeholders’ input and sanctioned within three months of the beginning of the new Act which is February 1st, 2020. It will be placed on the website.  

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