1.    Introduction

This Admissions Policy complies with the requirements of the Education Act 1998, the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 and the Equal Status Act 2000. In drafting this policy, the board of management of the school has consulted with school staff, the school patron and with parents of children attending the school.

The policy was approved by the school patron on Wednesday 30^th September 2020.  It is published on the school’s website and will be made available in hardcopy, on request, to any person who requests it.

The relevant dates and timelines for admission process are set out in the school’s annual admissions notice which is published annually on the school’s website at least one week before the commencement of the admissions process for the school year concerned.

This policy must be read in conjunction with the annual admissions notice for the school year concerned.

The application form for admissions is published on the school’s website and will be made available in hardcopy on request to any person who requests it.

2.    Characteristic spirit and general objectives of the school

It is our wish to provide a learning environment, which is conducive to the academic, social, physical,psychological and moral development of the children under our care. To this end three general aims permeate our educational process:

• To enable the children to live full lives as children.
• To equip them to avail of further education.
• To prepare them to live full and objective lives as adults and citizens.

Underpinning our educational philosophy, and with particular reference to our pupils’ moral development, is theschool’s Catholic Ethos, of which we hold as central and integral to school life. We welcome enrolments from pupilsof other religious persuasions or no religion at all. We embrace and cherish all children equally and respect theirrights to whatever religious beliefs or lack of beliefs they have. We expect the same respect to be accorded to the children of the majority Catholic faith. It is our policy not to discriminate against prospective enrolees on the groundsof gender, family status, age, disability, race and the travelling community.

3.    Admissions Statement

Divine Mercy SNS  will not discriminate in its admission of a student to the school on any of the following:

• the gender ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
• the civil status ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
• the family status ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
• the sexual orientation ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
• the religion ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
• the disability ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
• the ground of race of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
• the Traveller community ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned, or
• the ground that the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned has special educational needs

As per section 61 (3) of the Education Act 1998, ‘civil status ground’, ‘disability ground’, ‘discriminate’, ‘family status ground’, ‘gender ground’, ‘ground of race’, ‘religion ground’,  ‘sexual orientation ground’ and ‘Traveller community ground’ shall be construed in accordance with section 3 of the Equal Status Act 2000.

Divine Mercy SNS  is a school whose objective is to provide education in an environment which promotes certain religious values and does not discriminate where it refuses to admit as a student a person who is not Catholic and it is proved that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school.

4.    Categories of Special Educational Needs catered for in the school/special class

Divine Mercy SNS  promotes the inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs and has successfully integrated many pupils with varying complex needs into mainstream education. The success of our inclusion programme is fully dependant on acquiring the services necessary for the child’s individual needs to be catered for and for there to be no significant negative impact on the educational opportunities of other children. Where there is a Special Educational Need identified, necessitating extra supports, all relevant information and reports will be forwarded to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) as part of our application for extra supports.

The Board of Management (BOM) of Divine Mercy SNS  upholds the constitutional right of children with Special Educational Needs to be provided with the supports and/or physical infrastructure necessary to integrate them appropriately into mainstream education. It also endorses the constitutional right of all of its children to an equal and appropriate education in a safe learning environment and free from serious disruption. Therefore, in cases where the Board feels that a child’s Special Educational Needs cannot be adequately met from the supports available from NCSE  and/or physical infrastructure available in the school or that other pupils’ educational opportunities will be severely compromised, it reserves the right not to proceed with an admission.

5.    Admission of Students

This school shall admit each student seeking admission except where –

1. the school is oversubscribed (please see section 6 below for further details)
2. a parent of a student, when required by the principal in accordance with section 23(4) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, fails to confirm in writing that the code of behaviour of the school is acceptable to him or her and that he or she shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such code by the student

Divine Mercy SNS  is a Catholic school and may refuse to admit as a student a person who is not Catholic where it is proved that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school.

6.    Oversubscription

In the event that the school is oversubscribed, the school will, when deciding on applications for admission, apply the following selection criteria in the order listed below to those applications that are received within the timeline for receipt of applications as set out in the school’s annual admissions notice:

In the event that there are two or more students tied for a place or places in any of the selection criteria categories above (the number of applicants exceeds the number of remaining places), the following arrangements will apply:

7.    What will not be considered or taken into account

In accordance with section 62(7)(e) of the Education Act, the school will not consider or take into account any of the following in deciding on applications for admission or when placing a student on a waiting list for admission to the school:

8.    Decisions on applications

 All decisions on applications for admission to Divine Mercy SNS  will be based on the following:

• Our school’s admissions policy
• The school’s annual admissions notice
• The information provided by the applicant in the school’s official application form received during the period specified in our annual admissions notice for receiving applications

Selection criteria that are not included in our school admission policy will not be used to make a decision on an application for a place in our school.

9.    Notifying applicants of decisions

Applicants will be informed in writing or by email, as to the decision of the school, within the timeline outlined in the annual admissions notice.

If a student is not offered a place in our school, the reasons why they were not offered a place will be communicated by email to the applicant, including, where applicable, details of the student’s ranking against the selection criteria and details of the student’s place on the waiting list for the school year concerned.  

Applicants will be informed of the right to seek a review/right of appeal of the school’s decision (see section 18 below for further details).

10.  Acceptance of an offer of a place by an applicant

In accepting an offer of admission from Divine Mercy SNS ], you must indicate—

(i) whether or not you have accepted an offer of admission for another school or schools. If you have accepted such an offer, you must also provide details of the offer or offers concerned and

(ii) whether or not you have applied for and awaiting confirmation of an offer of admission from another school or schools, and if so, you must provide details of the other school or schools concerned.

11. Circumstances in which offers may not be made or may be withdrawn

An offer of admission may not be made or may be withdrawn by Divine Mercy SNS  where—

• it is established that information contained in the application is false or misleading.
• an applicant fails to confirm acceptance of an offer of admission on or before the date set out in the annual admissions notice of the school.
• the parent of a student, when required by the principal in accordance with section 23(4) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, fails to confirm in writing that the code of behaviour of the school is acceptable to him or her and that he or she shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such code by the student; or
• an applicant has failed to comply with the requirements of ‘acceptance of an offer’ as set out in section 10

12. Sharing of Data with other schools

Applicants should be aware that section 66(6) of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 allows for the sharing of certain information between schools in order to facilitate the efficient admission of students.

13. Waiting list in the event of oversubscription

In the event of there being more applications to the school year concerned than places available, a waiting list of students whose applications for admission to Divine Mercy SNS  were unsuccessful due to the school being oversubscribed will be compiled and will remain valid for the school year in which admission is being sought.

Placement on the waiting list of Divine Mercy SNS  is in the order of priority assigned to the students’ applications after the school has applied the selection criteria in accordance with this admissions policy. 

Offers of any subsequent places that become available for and during the school year in relation to which admission is being sought will be made to those students on the waiting list, in accordance with the order of priority in relation to which the students have been placed on the list.

14. Late Applications

All applications for admission received after the closing date as outlined in the annual admissions notice will be considered and decided upon in accordance with our school’s admissions policy, the Education Admissions to School Act 2018 and any regulations made under that Act.

15. Procedures for admission of students to other years and during the school year

16. Declaration in relation to the non-charging of fees

The board of Divine Mercy SNS  or any persons acting on its behalf will not charge fees for or seek payment or contributions (howsoever described) as a condition of-

• an application for admission of a student to the school, or
• the admission or continued enrolment of a student in the school. 

17.  Arrangements regarding students not attending religious instruction

18.  Reviews/appeals

Review of decisions by the Board of Management

The parent of the student may request the board to review a decision to refuse admission. Such requests must be made in accordance with Section 29C of the Education Act 1998.   

The timeline within which such a review must be requested and the other requirements applicable to such reviews are set out in the procedures determined by the Minister under section 29B of the Education Act 1998 which are published on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.

The board will conduct such reviews in accordance with the requirements of the procedures determined under Section 29B and with section 29C of the Education Act 1998.

Note:  Where an applicant has been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, the applicant must request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998.

Where an applicant has been refused admission due to a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, the applicant may request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998.  

Right of appeal

Under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, the parent of the student may appeal a decision of this school to refuse admission. 

An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1)(c)(i) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due to the school being oversubscribed.

An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1)(c)(ii) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due a reason other than the school being oversubscribed.

Where an applicant has been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, the applicant must request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998. (see Review of decisions by the Board of Management)

Where an applicant has been refused admission due to a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, the applicant may request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998. (see Review of decisions by the Board of Management)

Appeals under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 will be considered and determined by an independent appeals committee appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills.    

The timeline within which such an appeal must be made and the other requirements applicable to such appeals are set out in the procedures determined by the Minister under section 29B of the Education Act 1998 which are published on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.

19.  Ratification & Communication