Enrolment Overview

The Secondary School has a consistently high demand for places. Therefore it is advisable for parents to return an application form and an application form fee to us at the earliest opportunity. The Secondary School has a Catholic ethos but also welcomes students of other denominations and faiths. The school also embraces diversity in the cultural background and in the academic and physical ability of our students.

There are no academic procedures in place to determine entry. The school is a medium sized one of over 450 pupils which allows for three class groups in each year. There are average class sizes in Junior Cycle years and smaller grouping in the main during Transition Year and Senior Cycle years. The catchment area for the Secondary school is a wide one, embracing the South Dublin and Wicklow areas.

The school enrolment policy of St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School, Killiney will reflect at all times the educational philosophy and aims of the Trustees of the Order of St. Joseph of Cluny and on behalf of the Trustees, the Board of Management of the Secondary School. The enrolment policy will also, at all times, reflect the school's mission and the ethos upon which the Secondary School has been founded. This includes respect for the individual, justice, fairness and co-operation with the wider community among other principles.

The Application Process

Application for entry to First Year and in subsequent years in the Secondary School must be in writing and signed by both parents or guardians (as the case may be). The enrolment policy is an all inclusive one where no student will be discriminated against in regard to their entry to the school on the grounds of religion, race, colour, socio-economic background or primary school origin. As the Secondary School shares a similar educational philosophy and ethos with the St. Joseph of Cluny Junior School, parents of pupils from the Junior School can expect priority offer of places to go to students in the Junior School. The offer of places in any given year therefore will take the following order.

• 1. Students in the Junior School
• 2. Siblings of students who are already in the Secondary School. The deadline for Applications from siblings will be the summer before Fifth class
• 3. Children of past pupils. The deadlines for Applications from past pupils will be the summer before Fifth Class.
• 4. Others

Waiting List

Following the priority offer of places admission will be on a first-come-first-served basis until the quota of students for the year is complete. All remaining students in the file will then constitute a Waiting List. The secondary school will endeavour where possible to accommodate all students on the Waiting List but cannot guarantee a place for all students in the file. Parents must be aware therefore that the acceptance of an Application Form does not in any way guarantee a place in the school although it does secure a position in the file for the year of application.

The Board of Management of the Secondary School will, in endorsing the school enrolment policy, pay due regard to Department of Education regulations on school enrolment, particularly those contained in the Education Act 1998, the Education Welfare Act 2002 and the Equal Status Act 2002. The Board will continue to endeavour where possible to make it practicable for students with disabilities or those who have special educational needs to be accommodated in the school. It will ensure that, "the principles of equality and the right of parents to send their children to a school of the parents’ choice are respected". Education Act 1998 paragraph 6 ( c ) and (e).

The Board of Management welcomes pupils with Special Educational Needs. The Board believes that the inclusion of students with learning differences enhances the educational experience of all students and their presence in the school gives visible and practical witness to the Christian values of respect and tolerance. In all cases this desire to be welcoming is balanced by the ability of the school to provide an appropriate education within the resources available to it. To this end the school will need a copy of the prospective pupils’ medical and/or psychological report or where such a report is not available to request that the pupil be assessed immediately. The Principal will meet with the parents/guardians of the prospective pupil to discuss the student’s needs and the school suitability or capability in meeting those needs.

It may be necessary for the Board of Management to defer enrolment of a particular pupil, pending the receipt of an assessment report and the provision of appropriate resources by the DES to meet the needs specified in the psychological and/or medical report.

The Interview Process

The Principal, Deputy Principal or other members of staff, on behalf of the Board, will interview both parents/guardians and the prospective student to acquaint them with the school ethos, aims and objectives following the selection procedures stated in the ‘Selection Criteria’ above. Presently (2008) interviews are normally held when the student is in Fifth Year of the primary school according to the date of application and the student’s place in the file. If the application is successful notification of acceptance will be sent only following the interview procedure. Parents are advised that places in the Secondary School are limited. All prospective students and parents will also be asked to sign the "School Code of Behaviour and Discipline" indicating that they will abide by the School rules, aims and objectives. Following this, students will be required to undertake an entrance test, the results of which will not be used to discriminate unfavourably against the student’s academic record in the school or to place the student in any way at an educational disadvantage in the school.

Enrolments through the School
Alternatively, where vacancies exist in other years up through the school, the school will endeavour to accommodate the enrolement of students into an appropriate year group. As with First Year entries, the Principal, on behalf of the Board will interview both the parents/guardians, the prospective student will be required to show that her behaviour and general progress up to that point would be deemed to be compatible with the School ethos, aims and objectives and that she would have made sufficient academic progress to allow her cope with the demands of a particular year. All decisions in relation to the enrolment of pupils into the Secondary School are made by the Principal in accordance with the policy agreed by the Board of Management. Having been accepted, the student and her parents, will also be asked to sign the "Code of Behaviour and Discipline" indicating that they will abide by the School Rules, aims and objectives.

Requests to Change the Year of Entry
Your daughter’s Application has been placed in the file according to the year of entry you have indicated on the Application Form. Please note that any request to change her year of entry will involve a formal re-application process.

Transition Year
Prospective parents and students will be made aware, at the enrolment stage, that Transition Year in the secondary school is compulsory. Only in rare and exceptional cases would a student be allowed to progress from Third Year to Fifth Year without having completed Transition year or an equivalent educational standard. Where students have had their Post Primary education in the state the school does not accept students into Fifth Year who have not completed Transition Year in our school or in another Post Primary School.

Class Placement
After enrolement, the selection of a student’s class is made by the Principal, on behalf of the Board. Requests to change class at any stage are accommodated only in exceptional circumstances and are entirely at the discretion of the Principal and the Board.

Non-Catholic Students
Prospective parents and students of the Secondary School who are not Catholic are expected to respect the Catholic ethos and traditions of the School. If parents wish their daughters not to participate in religion classes, they must make application to the school to this effect in writing. The School will endeavour to accommodate the situation where possible. The School however, seeks to promote the Catholic faith not only in religion class but in all aspects of school life.

Pupil Behaviour
Any student of the school who persistently disobeys the school rules or whose behaviour is deemed by her teachers and by the Board to be unacceptable for a student in the school or whose behaviour is deemed to have brought the school into disrepute, will forfeit her right to a place in the Secondary School. The decision of the Board is deemed to be absolute in this matter.

Fees
The Board also acknowledges that the Secondary School is a fee-paying school and fees must be paid by parents to the school by the due date. Fees are non-refundable.

Change of Address
It is solely the responsibility of the parents to inform the school of a change of address from the time of the submission of an application form to the school. This is the case also in relation to telephone numbers. Difficulties in making contact with parents on the original Application Form will result in it being deemed to be null and void.

The Board reserves the right to exercise its discretion in the application of the above criteria and in the admission of pupils to the Secondary School The Board of Management also reserves the right to refuse an application for admission in exceptional circumstances. A pupil may be refused admission to First Year or on transfer from another school if conditions exist which in the opinion of the Board of Management could be detrimental to the moral, physical and educational welfare of the school community. In relation to any matter concerning this policy in which parental consent is required, such consent must be given in writing and signed by both parents (or guardians) as the case may be. The Board acknowledges that parents/guardians have a right to appeal a refusal by the school to enroll a student under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 to the Department of Education and Science. This policy may be amended from time to time at the discretion of the Board.