School Policies

BLAKESTOWN COMMUNITY SCHOOL ADMISSION POLICY

A. MISSION STATEMENT

Blakestown Community School is totally committed to improving the future of the community
by fostering academic and personal development in a caring and challenging environment through
enhancing the quality of teaching and learning.

B. OPERATING CONTEXT

Blakestown Community School operates under the control of a Board of Management which consists
of representatives of the Trustees (The St. Louis Order, the Servite Order and the County Dublin V.E.C.),of parents and of teachers.

The school has a policy of inclusiveness, that it welcomes children regardless of gender, race,
religion, intellectual or physical disabilities.

The Department of Education & Science provides financial and teaching resources to the Board of
Management. Additional financial resources are obtained through voluntary subscriptions and fundraising.

The school operates within the regulations laid down from time to time by the Department of
Education & Science and also follows the curricular programmes prescribed by the Department
of Education & Science.

The implementation of the school plan and school policy will take place in the context of
available resources and funding.
C. AUTOMATIC RIGHT OF ADMISSION – NEW 1ST YEAR ENTRANTS

Those children whose addresses are part of the designated Roman Catholic parishes of
St. Mary’s Blakestown and St. Philip’s, Mountview provided that Blakestown Community School
is the school chosen by their parents on transfer from primary to post-primary education. This
automatic right of admission applies to all students provided that –

  1. Application for admission is made in sufficient time to facilitate the formation of classes for the next academic year.* After classes have been formed, it may not be possible to provide further places;
  2. A student with special educational needs that these needs can be met by the SENO (Special    Educational Needs Officer). In order to ensure this Blakestown Community School will access the student records from primary school in sufficient time to apply to the SENO for resources necessary to support the student. If sufficient records do not exist or if deemed necessary the school will seek an assessment of the student’s needs for submission to the SENO.

D. OTHER APPLICATIONS

  1. Late applications for 1st Year and applications for 2nd and 5th Year, or for transfers from other schools, after the start of the school’s academic year, from students whose addresses are either within or outside the catchment area as designated above , will be considered by the Board of Management
  2. Applications for 3rd and 6th Year. Places in 3rd Year will only be offered to students who have completed 1st and 2nd years of the Junior Certificate programme OR in 6th Year to students who have completed the first year of the Leaving Certificate Programme. It must be noted that the Board of Management will only accept applications for places in 3rd Year Junior Certificate and 6th Year Leaving Certificate from students already following these courses at the same stage in other schools, given the requirements for project work, etc. for the State Examinations.
  3. It is important to note that students who apply late or transfer from other schools after the start of the school’s academic year, that while every effort will be made, subject choices can obviously not be guaranteed.
  4. In order to reserve a place in Senior Cycle, third year students already in the school must have returned Senior Cycle Programme choice forms before the start of the February mid-term break.
  5. Applications for Leaving Certificate Applied Programme (LCAP)
    (a) The Board of Management will only accept applications for LCAP from students already following the same specialisms and modules at the same stage in other schools;
    (b) Due to the continuous assessment-based nature of the LCAP and the fact that attendance Receives Credits, the closing date for late applications for LCAP – Year 1 – 5th Year And LCAP – Year 2 – 6thYear, will be 30th September of the academic year.

In the case of all other applications as outlined above (who do not fit the criteria for the automatic
right of admission), places may be allocated by the Board of Management, subject to a number of
criteria as outlined below –

  1. The availability of suitable places;
  2. The Board of Management being satisfied with the reasons given for transfer;
  3. A proven record of satisfactory behaviour, attendance and application in the previous school;
  4. The provision of documentation which may be required by the Board of Management, such as
    (a) previous school reports;
    (b) attendance records;
    (c) a reference from the previous school;
    (d) a birth certificate or other acceptable proof of identity;
    (e) a PPSN number;
    (f) any other disclosures as may be considered necessary by the Board of Management;

In the event that the school places are full, late and other applications will be placed on a waiting list.

E. THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT’S RIGHT TO REFUSE TO ENROL A STUDENT

The Board of Management reserves the right to refuse to enrol a student in exceptional circumstances. Such exceptional circumstances include –

  1. A situation where a student has special educational needs such that, even with additional resources approved by the Department of Education & Science, the school is not in a position to provide the student with an appropriate education; and where the enrolment of a student would post an unacceptable risk to other students, to staff and/or to school property.
  2. The right to postpone a decision in relation to an enrolment application, pending receipt of all necessary information and in particular full details from the previous school, including details in relation to special needs, previous discipline record, etc.
  3. The Board of Management, on the advice of the Principal, will cap the number of students in a particular class having considered the level of attainment and the behavioural profile of the class.
  4. The Board of Management, will on the advice of the Principal, set the capacity for any year group at a meeting in early January/February, following receipt of applications.
  5. The Board of Management may also refuse admission to an applicant on the grounds that there are no age-appropriate places for the applicant in terms of that applicant’s prior attainment and actual age.

Enrolment at Blakestown Community School is conditional upon acceptance by Parents/Guardians and students of the School Rules and Code of Behaviour, which includes the school policy in relation to
suspension and expulsion. (In the Application for Enrolment Form, there is a section whereby the
Parent/Guardian acknowledges that they have read the school rules and signs to accept them.

Parents/Guardians may appeal the decision of the Board of Management to refuse to enrol a student
to – The Secretary General of the Department of Education & Science (Section 29 Education Welfare Act, 1998). Appeal forms may be obtained from –

Section 29 Appeals Administration Unit,
c/o Department of Education & Science,
Cornamaddy,
Athlone,
Co. Westmeath.
The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) can be contacted at 01-8738700

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This function has been disabled for Blakestown Community School.