St Olaf’s National School

Roll No: 19319 O

 

Enrolment Policy (amended November 2007)

 

Introduction.

The Board of Management (BOM) of St. Olaf’s N.S., Balally is setting out this Enrolment policy in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act, 1998, and trusts that by so doing, parents will be assistd in relation to enrolment matters and that furthermore, the Chairperson of the Board of Management, Mr. Dónal Rochford, 14, Balally Park, and the Principal, Mr. Gerard Murphy, will be happy to clarify any further matters arising from the policy.

 

A: General Information:

  • St. Olaf’s National School is situated at Balally Drive, Dundrum, D. 16.

 

  • Our school is a mixed Catholic Primary school under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin;

 

  • The school currently has 19 teachers including the Principal, two Learning Support Teachers and 3 Resource Teachers for children with Special Needs.

 

  • We cater for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 13 ( Junior Infants – 6th Class) with a current enrolment of 353 pupils;

 

  • St. Olaf’s N.S. depends on the grants and teacher resources provided by the Dept. of Education and Science and operates within the regulations laid down, from time to time, by the Department. Consequently, our school policy must have regard to the resources and funding available to us at any given time;

 

  • We follow the curricular programmes prescribed by the Dept. of Education and Science, which may be amended from time to time in accordance with Sections 9 and 30 of the Education Act (1998);

 

 

  • Within the context and parameters of Department regulations and programmes, the rights of the Patron as set out in the Education Act, and the funding and resources available, the school supports the principles of:
    • Inclusiveness, particularly with reference to the enrolment of children with a disability or other special educational need;
    • Equality of access and participation in the school
    • Parental choice in relation to enrolment
    • Respect for the diversity of values, beliefs, traditions, languages and ways of life in society;

 

·      School opens to receive children at 8.50 am each schoolday morning. Children in Infant classes go home at 1.30 pm and all other classes go home at 2.30 pm.

 

B: Procedures for Enrolment

 

     1.  Application Procedures

Parents who wish to enrol pupils in St. Olaf’s should complete a specific written application form before the end of January in the year of enrolment. Only children who have reached the age of 4 years on or before the first school day in September will be considered for enrolment in any given academic year. The Board will communicate generally to the school community via school newsletter, Parish Newsletter and Panorama, outlining the application for enrolment procedures.

 

  1. The following Key information will be required when children are being enrolled:
  • Pupil’s name, age, address and PPS number;
  • Names and addresses of pupil’s parents / guardians;
  • Contact telephone numbers;
  • Contact telephone numbers in case of emergency;
  • Details of any medical/ psychological /learning needs which the school should be aware of;
  • Religion;
  • Date and Place of Baptism, if applicable;
  • Previous schools attended if any; and reasons for transfer if applicable;

 

3.  Decision-Making

As a general principle and in so far as is practicable having regard to the school’s enrolment policy, children will be enrolled on application, provided that there is space available and with regard for any relevant DES guidelines in relation to class size or staffing provisions and/or any other relevant requirements concerning accommodation, such as physical space or the health & welfare of children.

 

In the event that applications for enrolment exceeds / is expected to exceed the number of places available, the following criteria will be used in the first instance to determine which children will be invited to enrol in St. Olaf’s:

 

(a) Catholic children living in the Parish of Balally and brothers and  sisters of children already attending our school

(b) Catholic children who live outside the parish and who do not have a Catholic school in their own parish.

(c) Children of current Staff members at St. Olaf’s.

(d) Children whose parents or siblings are past pupils of St. Olaf’s

(e) Children of other faiths living in the Parish of Balally

(f) Catholic children who live outside the Parish of Balally

          (g) All other children who apply

 

Note:

Children’s ages could also be a factor in the event that applications for enrolment exceeds / is expected to exceed the number of places available within the confines of any of the above criteria. In this event, places will be offered in the first instance to all the children in Category (a) after which we would move on to Category (b), Category (c) etc. If the number of applicants in any particular category exceeds the no. of remaining places then the applicants from that category will be offered places in order of age until all places are filled. The remaining applicants in that category will be  placed on a Provisional List in order of age and will be offered places if and when they become available due to cancellation or otherwise.

 

Decisions in relation to applications for enrolment are made by the Board of Management of the school in accordance with school policy. Parents will be notified of this decision within 14 days of receiving such information as will be prescribed by the Minister for Education under the Education Welfare Act / 2000 and following the written offer of a place to parents at a time specified by the BOM. If all places are filled at this time, any subsequent applications will also be placed on the Provisional List and the above criteria will apply in determining the allocation of any further places which may arise.

An introductory meeting for Parents / guardians will usually be held in January / February each year.