COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
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Confey College Admissions Policy
Adopted by the Board on 21st October 2015
Introduction
The Board of Management of Confey College publishes this document as the official Admissions Policy of Confey College. This policy has been approved as a working document by the school Patron, Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB).
Copies of the Admissions Policy are available from the school office or from the school website www.confeycollege.org. The Admissions Policy is also contained in the Parents’ Handbook.
Confey College welcomes all eligible students who apply, including those with special educational needs. The school is aware, in regard to admissions, of the principles and requirements of a democratic society and will promote respect for social diversity as regards values, beliefs, traditions and languages. In particular the Board is aware of its obligations under relevant equality legislation.
School Details
Name: Confey College
Address: Leixlip, Co. Kildare
Phone: 01-624 5322
Fax: 01-624 5478
Patron: Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board, Naas, Co Kildare
Programmes: Junior Certificate, Transition Year (Optional), Leaving Cert Established,
Leaving Cert Applied, Leaving Cert Vocational Programme
Enrolment to First Year
Please note that the minimum age requirement for attendance at second-level school is that a child must be aged 12 on 1st January of First Year.
A parent wishing to enrol their child in First Year in Confey College must:
· Complete an Application Form and return it to the school office.
· Application Forms must be returned to Confey College before the deadline for receipt of Application forms. This deadline will be publicised each year and will normally fall in November of the year preceding entry to the school.
· Students with special educational needs require support systems so that the school can provide an education appropriate to the students’ needs. It is a requirement that resources to address these special needs be in place prior to a student with special educational needs being admitted to the school. Parents of children with special educational needs should contact the Principal as early as possible so as to allow the KWETB to source these resources and have them in place. Parents are advised that the attendance of their child may need to be deferred if the school does not have sufficient advance notice.
· It is a condition of admission that parents accept and sign the Code of Discipline.
Allocation of Places in First Year
The procedures that apply to the allocation of places in First Year are as follows:
· There will be 140 places available to incoming First Year Students.
· Places will be allocated on the basis of the following bands:
Ø Band 1: students enrolled on or before 14th September 2011, (students
enrolled in accordance with the Admissions Policy of the time)
Ø Band 2: students from San Carlo NS and/or
students whose family residence is in the Confey area
Ø Band 3: siblings of students currently attending Confey College and/or
children of members of staff of Confey College
Ø Band 4: students from Scoil Ui Dhalaigh, Lucan Educate Together School
and Griffeen Valley Educate Together School
Ø Band 5: all other students
Completed applications forms with deposit must be submitted before the published deadline. Where the number of applicants in a particular band exceeds the number of places remaining, the remaining places will be allocated within that band based on a lottery. The lottery will be conducted in the school by the Principal, the Chair of the Board of Management and a member of the Parents’ Council.
Subsequent places that become available as a result of cancelations will be allocated in the same manner.
Parents will be notified of the outcome of the allocation of places in December of the year preceding entry to the school.
Sruth – Rang Lan Gaeilge
The Sruth will offer students instruction for core subjects through the medium of Irish, according to the school’s capacity. Students from 6th class in a Gaelscoil can apply for a place in the ‘Sruth’.
The class size will be a maximum of 24 and be in addition to the 140 places. A minimum of 15 students will be required to run the Sruth.
Students applying for the Sruth may also apply for one of the 140 places in 1st year in the non-sruth. If a student is allocated places Lan Gaeilge and English class they will have nominate one in January (after the Sruth is confirmed). Under the enrollment terms if a student is only eligible for a place in the Sruth they cannot nominate to transfer into an English class group.
If there is an over subscription for the Sruth places will be allocated by means of a lottery. The lottery will be conducted in the school by the Principal, the Chair of the Board of Management and a member of the Parents’ Council.
Enrolment and Assessment Procedures
In November prior to the forthcoming academic year, contact is made with parents of prospective First Year students. Contact is made through the primary schools, through advertisements and by letter. Parents and students are invited to attend the Open Night held in mid-November. Parents are also invited to an information meeting held shortly after the Open Night. Shortly after this meeting parents and prospective students attend for enrolment in the school.
Early in February, students attend for Assessment tests in English, Maths and Irish. These tests normally take place on the morning of the first Saturday in February.
In May/June members of staff will contact the Primary schools to consult with the teachers of incoming students.
In June parents will receive a copy of the Parents’ Handbook.
Enrolment to all other years
The following procedures apply to applications to enrol in years other than First Year:
· Parents should apply in writing to the school
· The two most recent school reports should be provided to the school
· The closing date for receipt of applications for the academic year commencing in August is 21st June of that same calendar year. Students moving into Confey after this date may be accommodated subject to a place being available.
· Enrolments to all years or courses are subject, in the first instance, to a place being available
· Applications for enrolment from students transferring from another school must be accompanied by a satisfactory and positive reference from their previous school(s). This reference will be one of the factors taken into account in deciding whether or not to accept an application for admission.
· The student and parent(s) will attend an interview the purpose of which is to establish the following: (i) that, in the professional judgement of the School Authority, the student is deemed suitable for admission; (ii) that, in the professional judgement of the School Authority, the student, because of previous education, training or experience is considered likely to benefit from attendance; (iii) that the participation of the student will contribute positively to the school and will not infringe upon the opportunities or rights of other students or staff.
· Students with special educational needs require support systems so that the school can provide an education appropriate to the students’ needs. It is a requirement that resources to address these special needs be in place prior to a student with special educational needs being admitted to the school. Parents of children with special educational needs should contact the Principal as early as possible so as to allow the KWETB to source these resources and have them in place. Parents are advised that the attendance of their child may need to be deferred if the school does not have sufficient advance notice.
· It is a condition of admission that parents accept and sign the Code of Discipline
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Appeals
· All disputes in relation to admission to 1st Year should be made to the Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). They relevant forms and details at the time will be furnished from the school.
· Appeals in relation to transfers to all other year groups should be addressed in the first instance to the Board of Management by writing to the Secretary to the Board of Management, Confey College.
· A parent, or a student aged over eighteen years, may appeal a decision of the Board of Management to refuse to enrol to Kildare Wicklow ETB.
· Where an appeal to the Kildare Wicklow ETB has been concluded, parents, or a student aged over eighteen years, may subsequently appeal to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, section 29.