Admission Policy

MARIAN COLLEGE: ENTRANCE POLICY FOR STUDENTS

Admission Policy of Marian College
School Address: Lansdowne Road, Ballsbridge D04 W268
Roll number: 60500J
School Patron/s: Marist Brothers

1. Introduction

This Admission 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 20th April 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 Marian College admission process are set out in the school’s annual admission notice which is published annually on the school’s website at least one week before the commencement of the admission process for the school year concerned.
This policy must be read in conjunction with the annual admission notice for the school year concerned.
The application form for admission 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

2.1 Marian College is a Voluntary Catholic secondary school for boys in the Marist tradition and under the trusteeship of the Marist Brothers. The Marist Brothers were founded in 1817 in France by St Marcellin Champagnat after his experience of meeting many young people who had no knowledge of God. Marcellin believed that the objective of education was to provide opportunities for young people to become Good Christians and Good Citizens. We belong to a global network of Marist schools and programmes which provide many formative experiences for students, staff and parents. Our core Marist values are Presence, Simplicity, Family Spirit, Love of Work, In the Way of Mary.

Faith development is a priority for Marian College where Marist educators and students seek to live out their response to the gospel of Jesus with the same faith, hope and love that Mary did.

2.2 Our school ethos and mission statement.
Our school mission statement is Optimum Optare – the pursuit of excellence and our mission is to promote the fullest realisation of each student in the light of Gospel values and to provide opportunities for excellence for all of our students – irrespective of background or means – through the provision of a holistic educational experience which aims at the highest standards of learning and behaviour.

2.3 The faith development of our students is given priority through an extensive and creative religious education programme. All students are expected to attend RE classes. Non- catholic students may attend appropriate religious education classes arranged by their faith communities during the timetabled RE times. Students of other faiths, who are not attending religious education classes during their timetabled RE classes will be required to remain in the RE classroom under the supervision of the RE teacher.

In accordance with S.15 (2) (b) of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management of Marian College shall uphold, and be accountable to the patron for so upholding, the characteristic spirit of the school as determined by the cultural, educational, moral, religious, social, linguistic and spiritual values and traditions which inform and are characteristic of the objectives and conduct of the school.

3. Admission Statement

Marian College 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.

Single gender schools
Marian College is an all-boys school and does not discriminate where it refuses to admit a girl applying for admission to this school.

Post-primary denominational schools
Marian College is a school whose objective is to provide education in an environment
which promotes certain religious values and does not discriminate where it admits a student of Catholic tradition in preference to others.

4. Admission of Students

This school shall admit each student seeking admission except where –
a) the school is oversubscribed (please see section 6 below for further details)
b) 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

Marian College provides education exclusively for boys and may refuse to admit as a student a person who is not of the gender provided for by this school.

5. Oversubscription

The board of management has decided that current enrolment for first year is 72 places. 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 admission notice:

First priority is given to brothers of present or former students who apply by the due date;

A parent or grandparent of the student having previously attended the school, provide the maximum number of places does not exceed 25%

Priority is given to boys from the following traditional feeder primary schools who have applied by the due date in the year prior to entry to the College:
• Star of the Sea Boys National School, Sandymount
• St Mary’s Boys National School, Haddington Road
• St Patrick’s Boys National School, Ringsend
• St Louis National School, Rathmines
• Scoil Caitríona, Baggot Street
• Harold Boys National School, Dalkey
• Harold Boys National School, Glasthule
• Booterstown Boys National School, Booterstown

After places have been allocated to these priority groups, places are allocated to the remaining applicants in the order of the date of application to the College.

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:

Students who reside in the Dublin 4 and Dublin 2 areas.
Applications by due date
By random selection
In the case of twins or multiple births, where 1 brother is offered a place, the sibling(s) will be offered the next available place.
Required documentation; photocopy of recent school report, copy of Irish exemption/ psychological report (if applicable), proof of address (if applicable)

6. 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:

There are limited exceptions to some of these (highlighted below) and schools must retain the exceptions that apply to them and delete those that do not:

a student’s prior attendance at a pre-school or pre-school service

the payment of fees or contributions (howsoever described) to the school;

a student’s academic ability, skills or aptitude other than in relation to;
admission to a special school or special class if applicable

the occupation, financial status, academic ability, skills or aptitude of a student’s parents;

a requirement that a student, or his or her parents, attend an interview, open day or other meeting as a condition of admission;

a student’s connection to the school by virtue of a member of his or her family attending or having previously attended the school;
(other than, in the case of the school wishing to include a selection criterion based on (1) siblings of a student attending or having attended the school and/or (2) parents or grandparents of a student having attended the school)

the date and time on which an application for admission was received by the school,

This is subject to the application being received at any time during the period specified for receiving applications set out in the annual admission notice of the school for the school year concerned.

7. Decisions on applications

All decisions on applications for admission to Marian College will be based on the following:

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

(Please see section 14 below in relation to applications received outside of the admissions period and section 15 below in relation to applications for places in years other than the intake group.)

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.

8. Notifying applicants of decisions

Applicants will be informed in writing 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 in writing 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).

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

In accepting an offer of admission from Marian College, you must indicate—

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
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.

Applicants should be aware that failure to disclose this information on the acceptance of a place may lead to an offer being withdrawn by the school.

10. 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 Marian College 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 admission 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 above.
The board of management has a duty of care to ensure as far as practicable the health and safety of the students and staff of the school. In addition, the board of management is required under section 15(1) of the Education Act 1998 to provide, or cause to be provided, an appropriate education for each student at the school for which that board has responsibility.

“An application for admission may be refused, therefore, where the admission of the applicant would pose a significant risk to the health and safety of the applicant or students and staff of the school, or risk significantly interfering with the right of other students to an appropriate education.”

11. 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 data between schools in order to facilitate the efficient admission of students.

12. 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 Marian College 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 Marian College is in the order of priority assigned to the students’ applications after the school has applied the selection criteria in accordance with this admission 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.

13. Late Applications

All applications for admission received after the closing date as outlined in the annual admission 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.

Late applicants will be notified of the decision in respect of their application not later than three weeks after the date on which the school received the application. Late applicants will be offered a place if there is a place available. In the event that there is no place available, the name of the applicant will be added to the waiting list.

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

Where parents wish to make an application to a year group other than First Year or during the school year, they should in the first instance fill in an Application Form. An offer of a place can only be made if there is space in the year group in question and it is in agreement with the admission policy of the college.

Applications made for a place in Transition Year or Fifth Year in the forthcoming academic year will be refused until the Principal has established the number of available spaces in each of these year groups, which will depend, in turn, on the number of existing Third Year students who progress to either year group. Such applications will be placed on a waiting list in date order of receipt until the number of available places in the relevant year group has been established by the Principal.

Before accepting the offer of a place in the school the parents and their son are strongly advised to attend a meeting with the Principal and/or Deputy Principal to ascertain whether there is a place available in the particular subject classes. The fact that there may be a space in a year group would not automatically mean that there is a place available in a particular subject class at the level required by the student or that that subject is offered. This is because class size is limited in certain subjects.

The transfer must be of educational benefit to the student- transfer during an examination year is not recommended due to the disruptive nature of the move and demands on the student.

The following relevant information should be made available at time of application; copies of 2 most recent school reports, copies of state exams (where relevant), attendance record and behavioural record.

Acceptance of an offer of a place by an applicant to a year group other than First Year or during the school year:

The parents must confirm their acceptance in writing of an offer of a place within two weeks of the date of the offer of a place.
In accepting an offer of admission from Marian College, the parents must indicate—

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

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

Parents should be aware that failure to disclose this information on the acceptance of a place may lead to an offer being withdrawn by the school.

Circumstances in which offers of a place in a year group other than First Year or during the school year may not be made or may be withdrawn:

An offer of admission may not be made or may be withdrawn by Marian College 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 within two weeks of the date of the offer of a place;
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;
an applicant has failed to comply with the requirements of ‘acceptance of an offer’ as set out above;
the admission of the applicant would pose a significant risk to the health and safety of the applicant or students and staff of the school, or risk significantly interfering with the right of other students to an appropriate education. The Board of Management has a duty of care to ensure as far as practicable the health and safety of the students and staff of the school. In addition, the Board of Management is required under section 15(1) of the Education Act 1998 to provide, or cause to be provided, an appropriate education for each student at the school for which that board has responsibility; or
the application is made for a place in Transition Year or Fifth Year in the forthcoming academic year before the Principal has established the number of available spaces in each of these year groups, which will depend on the number of existing Third Year students who progress to either year.
Each student is expected to subscribe to the ethos of the College, to comply with the code of discipline, and to participate fully in the life of the school.

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

The board of Marian College or any persons acting on its behalf shall not, except in accordance with section 64 of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, charge fees for or seek payment or contributions (howsoever described) as a condition of-
(a) an application for admission of a student to the school, or
(b) the admission or continued enrolment of a student in the school.

16. Arrangements regarding students not attending religious instruction

This section must be completed by schools that provide religious instruction to students.

The following are the school’s arrangements for students, where the parents or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, who has requested that the student attend the school without attending religious instruction in the school. These arrangements will not result in a reduction in the school day of such students:

“A parent of a student or a student having reached 18 years, who wishes to attend Marian College without attending religious instruction should make a written request to the Principal. A meeting will then be arranged to meet with the parent or student, as the case may be, to discuss how the request may be accommodated by the school”

The school distinguishes between religious instruction and religious education-

The faith development of our students is given priority through an extensive and creative religious education programme. All students are expected to attend RE classes. Non- catholic students may attend appropriate religious education classes arranged by their faith communities during the timetabled RE times. Students of other faiths, who are not attending religious education classes during their timetabled RE classes will be required to remain in the RE classroom under the supervision of the RE teacher.

17. Reviews/ appeals

Review of decisions by the board of Management
The parent of the student, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, 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, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, 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.

This policy is subject to periodic review by the Board of Management

Policies



office@mariancollege.ie

Admission Policy