St Columbs College Derry                    

Buncrana Road   

Derry 

BT48 8NH 

elephone:  028 7128 5000  

E-mail:  info@stcolumbs.com 

Principal:  Mr FJM Madden BA, MSc, PGCE, PQH (NI) Enrolment 

Chairperson of the Board of Governors:  Mr P Kelly BA

Boys  Voluntary Grammar School 

Age Range 11 – 18

Admissions Number:  220 

Number:  1540 

Roll:  1343

  

Open Day

As we are not able to hold our usual Open Day for our September 2022 intake, we will be making use of our digital platforms to reach out to our prospective parents and pupils right throughout January, February and March 2022.

In this way we will offer you a variety of opportunities to discover what life is like at St Columb’s College.

Please follow us on Facebook (StColumbsCollegeDerry) and Twitter (@ColumbCollege) for further information.

VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION 

The College seeks a Parental Contribution of £50 per family, which is used to enhance and enrich pupils’ educational experience through activities that otherwise could not be financed from the school budget. 

 

RESPECTIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND PRINCIPAL IN RELATION TO ADMISSIONS 

In order to select pupils for admission in 2022, the Board of Governors has delegated to the authorised Sub-Committee, including the Principal and three Governors, the responsibility for applying these criteria. 

 

ADMISSIONS OF PUPILS TO YEAR 8

Boys who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs will have their application dealt with by the Education Authority under separate arrangements and are supernumerary to the College’s Admissions and Enrolment Numbers.

NORTHERN IRELAND RESIDENTS

Applicants who are domiciled in Northern Ireland or who will be so domiciled by the start of the 2022/2023 academic year shall be admitted before applicants who are not domiciled in Northern Ireland or who will not be so domiciled by the start of the 2022/2023 academic year.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA 2022

The Board of Governors has determined that, in the event of the number of applicants being greater than the Admissions Number for the school, applicants shall be selected in the order of priority set down below, based on the information provided at the date of application.

1. Applicants of whom a brother* is a pupil in the school or will be in the coming year.

2. (i) Applicants who are the eldest/first** boy of the family or,

(ii) in the case of a family which has arrived on or after 1 January 2017 in the College's traditional catchment area (details of which are to be found in a leaflet available from the College), applicants who are the first boy to reach transfer age of that family since its arrival in the College's traditional catchment area; or

(iii) Applicants of whom a brother* previously attended the school but has since left; or

(iv) Applicants with elder brothers*, all of whom have already completed their post-primary education at a school other than St Columb’s College.

3. Applicants of whom a parent or step-parent or legally adopted parent is a permanent member of staff of St Columb’s College.

4. Applicants other than those satisfying any one of the criteria (1) – (3) above.

If there are more applicants who satisfy any one of criteria (1) – (4) when they are being applied in the order of priority set down above than there are places available, the authorised Sub-Committee shall fill the remaining places by selecting on the basis of the initial letter of the surname (as appears on the birth/adoption certificate) in the order set out below:

E

X

G

N

K

F

T

I

U

B

O

C

R

Y

D

P

L

A

S

Z

W

Q

V

H

M

J

The order was determined by a random selection, witnessed by the Board of Governors. In the event of surnames beginning with the same initial letter, the subsequent letters of the surnames will be used in the order set out above.

In the event of two identical surnames, the initial and the subsequent letters of the forenames as they appear on the birth certificate etc. will be used in the order set out above. In the event of over-subscription in the last criterion that can be applied, selection for available places will be decided by lot.

* Brother refers to the phrase ‘child of the family’ as defined in Article 2 (2) of the Domestic Proceedings (NI) Order 1980. The term covers:

• a child born to a married couple;

• a child born to a co-habiting couple;

• a child of either of those people by a previous marriage or relationship;

• a child living with same sex partners whether there is a civil partnership under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 or not;

• an adopted or fostered child;

• a situation where for example an orphaned cousin is being brought up with a family.

The child should be a child of the family as at the date of application since these complex living arrangements may change rapidly.

** This would include cases where an older brother cannot attend mainstream school, for example attends a special school.

Advice re the Submission to the Governors of Relevant Information and Documentary Evidence

To enable the Board of Governors to apply the above criteria, it is the responsibility of parent(s)/guardian(s) to ensure that all relevant information is given on, or attached to, the EA Post-Primary Application (with the exception of information required to verify an applicant’s address). This is particularly important for Criteria (1), (2i) and (2iii) where full details should be provided of brothers who are/will be/have been pupils at the College. Also, for Criterion (2iv), full details should be provided of brothers who have been pupils at a school other than St Columb’s College.

DUTY TO VERIFY

The authorised Sub-Committee of the Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any EA Post-Primary Application. Therefore, information contained within an application that qualifies the applicant for admission will be verified (See above: ‘Advice re the Submission to the Governors of Relevant Information and Documentary Evidence’).

VERIFYING INFORMATION

To enable the Board of Governors to verify information regarding an applicant’s name and date of birth, information will be requested. At the time of Online Transfer Application, one of the following should be provided:

• The child’s Birth Certificate;

• The child’s Adoption Certificate.

In the case of an applicant whom it is claimed is the eldest/first boy of the family, a verifying letter must be attached or uploaded to the Online Transfer Application. This letter must state that the child is the eldest/first boy of the family and that the child and family are known to the verifier. The letter must be written on headed notepaper and signed by one of the following who is not a member of the applicant’s family and who has known the applicant for at least two years:

a. a primary school Principal;

b. a medical practitioner;

c. a solicitor;

d. a member of the clergy or equivalent.

To enable the Board of Governors to verify information regarding an applicant’s address, information will be requested from those applicants who have been admitted to St Columb’s when they are being notified of their allocation of a place in the school. (This information does not need to be supplied with the EA Post-Primary Application). Any two of the following eight documents should be provided:

• A bank or building society statement of the parent(s)/guardian(s) or child which shows the address at which the child is resident;

• A utility bill (electricity, gas, Television Licence, telephone {excluding mobiles}) of the parent(s)/guardian(s) which shows the address at which the child is resident;

• A letter awarding Child Benefit to the child or another letter relating to this benefit;

• Driving Licence;

• Addressed payslip;

• Mortgage Statement;

• Rental agreement;

• Land and Property Services Rate demand.

Original documents are required and not facsimiles or photocopies.

****************

All supporting documentary evidence should be supplied to the Education Authority in time for its dispatch together with the EA Post-Primary Applications of first preference to post-primary schools.

All verifying information regarding an application should be supplied as requested by the authorised sub-committee of the Board of Governors.

It is emphasised that the onus is on the parent(s)/guardian(s) to ensure that the above verifying or other information is provided. PARENTS/GUARDIANS SHOULD NOTE THAT THE PROVISION OF FALSE OR INCORRECT INFORMATION, OR THE FAILURE TO PROVIDE VERIFYING OR OTHER DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE BY THE REQUIRED DEADLINE, MAY RESULT IN EITHER THE WITHDRAWAL OF A PLACE OR THE INABILITY OF THE COLLEGE TO OFFER A PLACE.

WAITING LIST POLICY

If a place(s) become(s) available in Year 8 between Saturday 21st May 2022 and Friday 30th September 2022 and there are more applicants than there are places available in Year 8, pupils will be selected to fill the available place(s) by applying the criteria for admission of pupils in Year 8. Thereafter, parents/guardians who wish their child to be considered, should a place become available, must make a new application in writing. Should a vacancy arise following this, the admissions criteria above will be applied to select pupils from this waiting list.

NUMBERS OF APPLICATIONS AND ADMISSIONS

Year   2019/20 

Admissions No.   220 

Total Applications All Preferences   197 

Total Admissions   197

Year   2020/21

Admissions No.   220

Total Applications All Preferences   205

Total Admissions   205

Year   2021/22

Admissions No.   220

Total Applications All Preferences   239

Total Admissions   218

ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR ENTRY TO YEARS 9 – 12

CRITERIA FOR THE ADMISSION OF BROKEN COURSE PUPILS (YEARS NINE-TWELVE INCLUSIVE)

The school wishes to accept boys who are suitable for the type of education it offers, and whose parents are in agreement with the Philosophy and Aims of the school and who will give an undertaking of continuing support of the aims and acceptance of responsibility for the pupil’s meeting the school’s standard of behaviour.

Applications for admission to the school will normally be considered by the Board of Governors in late August. An application for admission to the school for a pupil whose family are arriving from outside the Traditional Catchment Area (see current Prospectus) to reside within it will be considered by the Board of Governors as soon as practicable after the application is received.

A pupil will be considered for enrolment at the school provided that:

(1) his admission will not cause the school to exceed its approved enrolment number; and

(2) in the opinion of the Board of Governors, his enrolment would not prejudice the efficient use of the school’s resources; e.g. the admissions number set for a particular year group would be exceeded.

If, at the time of consideration of applications, there are more eligible applicants than there are places available, pupils will be admitted to the school in the order determined by the application of Criteria (1) to (4) of the school’s Admission Criteria to Year 8, applied in the order of priority set down therein. If a place (places) subsequently becomes (become) available after 1st September in any academic year and there are more eligible applicants that there are places available, pupils will be selected to fill the available place(s) by the application of Criteria (1) to (4) of the school’s Admission Criteria to Year 8, applied in the order of priority set down therein.

No accommodation will be made for a pupil to repeat Year 12 except where the Governors deem that ‘special circumstances’ (i.e. medical or other problems which, in the opinion of the Board of Governors, may have affected a pupil’s performance in Year 12 or in the GCSE examinations) pertain