Open Evening: A virtual Open Evening video will be available for prospective pupils and parents mid-January 2022 on the school’s website and other school social media platforms

To Parents/Guardians naming St Joseph’s Grammar School as a Preference on your child’s online Application Form

Entrance Test Results

St Joseph’s Grammar School intends to use the grade awarded to pupils completing the GL Entrance Assessment on Saturday 13th November 2021 or the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment on Saturday 11th December 2021 as specified by the school. Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s)should record their child’s candidate number and attach their child’s test result to the Transfer Application Form.

Special Circumstances

Any Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) claiming Special Circumstances must complete the documentation in the Special Circumstances Pack available from St Joseph’s Grammar School or from the school’s website. This documentation, Form SC1, together with the appropriate independent documentary evidence which corroborates the Special Circumstances claim, must be attached to the online Transfer Application Form.

Special Provisions

Special Provisions will only apply to children on the following grounds:

They were not entered for the GL Entrance Assessment because they took up residence in Northern Ireland after 24th September 2021

Or they received more than half of their primary education outside Northern Ireland

Or they were registered to sit the GL Entrance Assessment but were unable to do so for medical reasons relating to themselves or an immediate household family member at the time of both the GL Entrance Assessment on 13th November 2021 and the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment on 11th December 2021. Medical and other supporting documentation will be sought by the Board of Governors in such cases to assist them in the event of such a claim being made. (Please see Appendix 1)

Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) who wish to apply to the School under Special Provisions should complete Form SP1 obtainable from the School or its website www.stjosephs.donaghmore.ni.sch.uk stating the precise reason why they believe the child is eligible for consideration under Special Provisions and upload it with appropriate evidence with the online Transfer Application Form.

Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) who are applying for Special Provisions must do so by Wednesday 23rd February 2022. Using the information provided, the Board of Governors will determine whether Special Provisions applies. If it does, those children who the Board of Governors considers to be eligible for Special Provisions will be required to complete a Special Provision Assessment. (Please see Appendix 1)

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

The criteria are drawn up by the Board of Governors which may delegate the application of the criteria to an Admissions Subcommittee. Any reference herein to the term the Board of Governors includes any Committee or Subcommittee appointed by the Board of Governors for the purposes of applying the admission criteria set out herein.

ADMISSION TO YEAR 8 - 2022-2023

St Joseph’s Grammar School is a Co-Educational Catholic Voluntary Grammar School. The school welcomes applications from children of all faiths. The Board of Governors of the school (which term includes any Committee or Admissions Subcommittee appointed by the Board of Governors to apply the Admission criteria set out herein) wishes to admit pupils who would benefit from a Catholic Grammar School education and whose Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) are in agreement with the ethos and aims of the school.

For admissions in 2022, the school will assign places to all applicants to Year 8 on a quota basis as follows:

Main school 70 places Irish Medium Stream 50 places

• Where the school has fewer applicants than places available in either sector it will admit up to the approved admissions number with applicants from the other sector.

• Where the school has a greater number of applicants than places available in either sector, it will apply the relevant admissions criteria to decide which applicants to admit up to the quota stated.

ADMISSION CRITERIA

1. Available places will be allocated to pupils who have obtained A, B1, B2, C1, C2, D in the GL Entrance Assessment, strictly in that order and those pupils regarding whom parental claims for consideration of special circumstances and/or special provision have been accepted and who, in the opinion of the Board of Governors, based on the documented evidence submitted as required, are of comparable ability to those pupils awarded A, B1, B2, C1, C2, D in the GL Entrance Assessment. If in that order of allocation there are more applicants than places at the particular grade level under consideration in the order set down, the following criteria will apply.

2. Applicants who have a sibling/half sibling enrolled at the school at the time of application. The sibling(s) should be named on the online Transfer Application Form

Pupils who at the time of their application, are the eldest child of the family eligible to apply for admission to a mainstream school.

Full responsibility rests with Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) to provide sufficient details at the time of application on the online Application Form to allow such to be identified.

Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) should not assume such knowledge on the part of the Board of Governors nor any individual member of the Board of Governors but must provide the evidence at the time of application and upload it with the online Application Form.

3. If following application of the above criteria the number of applicants still exceeds the number of places available, applicants will be ranked in descending age order ie: the eldest first as noted on the applicant’s original copy Birth Certificate, a copy of which should be attached to the online Transfer Form, until all places are filled.

NOTES FOR INFORMATION

a. For your information, please note the number of applicants who applied for places in the school and the numbers of pupils placed in St Joseph’s Grammar School (including those pupils placed in the IMS) over the last three years (Table 1)

b. Each year 70 pupils may be admitted to Year 8 to St Joseph’s Grammar School. Each year 50 pupils may be admitted to the Irish Medium Stream at St Joseph’s Grammar School. Additional places may be available due to appeals, temporary variations and Special Educational Needs places.

c. Eldest Child: This criterion to be defined as “Pupils who are the eldest child of the family eligible to apply for admission to a mainstream school.” This wording covers “only” children and is also intended to treat twins (or other multiples) as joint eldest.

Proof of eldest child should be uploaded with the online Application – a letter on headed note paper, stating that the child is the eldest eligible child and that the family is known to the verifier, from one of the following who is not a family member of the applicant:

• A Primary School Principal

• A medical practitioner

• A solicitor

• A an elected public representative

• A member of the clergy

d. Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) are asked to note that it is their full responsibility to provide all relevant information to the Board of Governors on or uploaded with the online Application Form at the time of application, and the Board of Governors shall not be obliged to consider any representations or information or documentary proofs not so furnished at the same time as the online Application Form.

e. It is required that Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) and all pupils admitted to the School accept and agree to abide by and adhere to the rules and regulations of St Joseph's Grammar School. Failure to do so will be regarded by the school management as an intention to withdraw the pupil from the school forthwith.

WAITING LIST FOR ADMISSION TO ST JOSEPH’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Year 8 Waiting List:

Children who had applied for a place in St Joseph’s Grammar School for September 2022 and who did not meet the criteria for one of the 70 available places will be placed in another school by EA. These applicants are therefore no longer on a waiting list for a place in Year 8 in St Joseph’s Grammar School unless a Parent/legal Guardian requests in writing that the child’s name is placed on a waiting list, which will be maintained until Friday 23rd September 2022. The request should be made in writing via email to the school email account and addressed for the attention of the school Principal. Applications for places that do become available in Year 8 will be allocated in the date and time order in which they have been received and on the basis that the child meets Criteria 1 ie: Has sat the GL Entrance Assessment in either November or December 2021 and have received a grade.

The school email address is info@stjosephs.donaghmore.ni.sch.uk

APPENDIX 1

Special Circumstances

Applicants will be admitted strictly as described above according to the grade achieved in the Entrance Assessment, subject only to the consideration of medical or other problems which may have affected performance in the Entrance Assessment and which are supported by documentary evidence of a medical or other appropriate nature. These ‘medical or other problems’ are commonly referred to as Special Circumstances and are described in the Entrance Assessment: Access Arrangements & Special Circumstances Policy available from our school or its website. Parents should carefully read this policy document along with the guidance provided in the Claiming Special Circumstances Pack available from our school. This pack contains a Guide to claiming Special Circumstances, Form SCR and Form SC1.

If a claim for the consideration of Special Circumstances is made in respect of matters for which Access Arrangements were granted or could have been granted, had they been made known to the Assessment Centre by the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s), the Board of Governors may take into account the fact that the child was granted Access Arrangements or could have been granted Access Arrangements. The granting of Access Arrangements does not preclude the Board of Governors from considering a claim for Special Circumstances.

The initial claim for the consideration of Special Circumstances should be registered using Form SCR at the Entrance Assessment Centre by 2.00 pm 15th December 2021 with the completed claim for Special Circumstances being sent to the EA along with the Transfer Application Form in February 2022. At this time, the claim for Special Circumstances, supported by the required documentary evidence using Form SC1 must be appended along with the appropriate independent documentation to the Transfer Application Form before it is sent to the EA. Gathering and submitting the documentary evidence as described above is vital for the consideration of a claim for Special Circumstances. The Board of Governors will not consider any evidence after the deadline above.

Details of Medical or Other Problems

Where is it claimed that a child’s performance in the Entrance Assessment has been affected by a medical or other problem, independent evidence of its existence must be provided to the school. Where the problem is a medical one of short term duration which affected the child only at the time of the Entrance Assessment, the school will require the production of evidence that the child was examined by a medical practitioner in relation to the illness at the time of the Entrance Assessment and the result of that examination. Where the problem is of a non-medical nature, the parents must set out the precise details of the problem and append to the Transfer Form all appropriate independent documentary evidence which corroborates its existence. The name of the Assessment Centre at which the child sat the Entrance Assessment must also be included. Please refer to the Entrance Assessment: Access Arrangements & Special Circumstances Policy and other guidance information available from our school.

Educational Evidence

All claims for Special Circumstances must include objective and relevant educational evidence. This educational evidence must be provided by the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) of the child and verified by the primary school Principal. The evidence should be sufficient to enable the Board of Governors to reach a decision on any adjustment to the grade/score achieved by the child in the Entrance Assessment. This evidence must include all of the results from the child’s school administered standardised tests in English and Mathematics taken from the beginning of the Key Stage 2 period and should be provided on Form SC1.

It is emphasised that the onus is on the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) to ensure that all of the above information is verified and provided by the primary school to the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) under the Education (Pupils Records and Reporting) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009. Failure by the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) to provide such verified information by the published deadline will result in the Board of Governors being unable to consider the application for Special Circumstances. Material referred to above will assist the subcommittee in making its judgement: it is however, not intended to be restrictive and the subcommittee will consider any and all material presented and attached to the Transfer Form by the published deadline. It should be noted by Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) that such considerations involve an exercise in judgement and not precise calculation.

Special Provision

Special Provision may be applicable in circumstances described on page one of this document. Form SP1 is available from the school. Parents wishing to claim Special Provision should also forward a copy of Form SP1 directly to St Joseph’s Grammar School, by 23rd February 2022. After this date claims for Special Provision should be made directly to St Joseph’s Grammar School and the EA Transfer Department notified.

Special Provision will be made by the Board of Governors for Applicants:

They were not entered for the GL Entrance Assessment because they took up residence in Northern Ireland after 24th September 2021

Or they received more than half of their primary education outside Northern Ireland

The Board of Governors will decide whether these Applicants should be admitted on the basis that they fall within the ability range of other Applicants being admitted in that year and an assessment of the pupil’s abilities will be carried out by a suitably qualified person or body approved by the school and on a date set by the school.

• Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s)may provide additional appropriate educational evidence which should include the results of standardised testing carried out during Key Stage 2 or its equivalent period in any primary school. This will be considered by the Board of Governors along with the educational evidence described above in exercising their educational judgement in these matters. The onus lies with the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s)to provide this educational evidence and to have it appropriately verified.

It is the responsibility of Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s)to ensure that information relating to Special Provision, or indeed information regarding the existence of any other relevant factor(s), is given on or appended to the child’s Transfer Form as described in the guidance documentation. It should be noted by Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) that such considerations involve an exercise in judgement and not precise calculation.

Duty to Verify

The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine so as to support or verify information on any applicant’s online Application Form.

The provision of false or incorrect information or the failure to provide information within the deadlines set by the school can result in the withdrawal of a place and the inability to offer a place on the part of any school nominated on the applicant’s online Application Form.

Table 1 - APPLICATIONS AND ADMISSIONS TO YEAR 8

Year 2019/20

Admissions No 95*

Total Applications All Preferences 125

Total Admissions 73**

Year 2020/21

Admissions No 95*

Total Applications All Preferences 173

Total Admissions 170**

Year 2021/22

Admissions No 120*

Total Applications All Preferences 193

Total Admissions 162**

*includes IMS **includes Appeals and Temporary Variations

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

The criteria are drawn up by the Board of Governors which may delegate the application of them to an Admissions Subcommittee. Children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the school will be selected before any child not resident in Northern Ireland.

1. For admissions to Year 8 IMS, the school will assign places to applicants on a quota basis as follows:

Main school 70 places Irish Medium Stream 50 places

2. Where the school has fewer applicants than places available in either sector it will admit up to the admissions number with applicants to the other sector.

3. Where the school has a greater number of applicants than places available in either sector, it will apply its admissions criteria as set out below to decide which applicants to admit up to the quota stated.

ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR STUDENTS TRANSFERRING TO THE IMS AT SCOIL IÓSAEF,

ST JOSEPH’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL, DONAGHMORE

Important Information for Parents of Applicants

All applicants to Scoil Iósaef must have had at least 5 out of the 7 years of their primary education through the medium of Irish. Applicants must have completed all of their KS2 education through the medium of Irish in order to be considered for a place in Scoil Iósaef. Applicants who do not meet the criteria above will not be considered for a place in the Irish Medium Stream.

If Scoil Iósaef is oversubscribed the following criteria will be applied in the order indicated to select children for admissions to Scoil Iósaef:

1. Applicants who have had at least 5 years out of the last 7 years of their primary education through the medium of Irish to include all of their KS2 education through the medium of Irish.

Full responsibility rests with the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) to provide such details on the online Application/Transfer Form. Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) should not assume such knowledge on the part of the Board of Governors nor any individual member of the Board of Governors but must provide the evidence at the time of application and upload it with the online Application/Transfer Form.

2. Applicants who have had at least 5 out of the last 7 years of their primary education through the medium of Irish, to include all of their KS2 education through the medium of Irish and who currently have a sibling/half sibling in either Scoil Iósaef or St Joseph’s Grammar School at the time of application. The sibling/half sibling(s) should be named.

3. Applicants who have had at least the last 5 of their 7 years of their primary education through Irish, to include all of their KS2 education through the medium of Irish in age descending order as noted on the applicant’s original copy Birth Certificate.

If after application of a particular criterion above, there are places still to be filled, then the next criterion will be applied to select applicants for places, in the order set down through to criterion number 3.

Duty to Verify

The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any applicant’s online Application/Transfer Form.

APPLICATIONS AND ADMISSIONS TO YEAR 8 SCOIL IÓSAEF

Year 2019/20

Total Applications All Preferences 42

Total Admissions 40

Year 2020/21

Total Applications All Preferences 43

Total Admissions 43

2021/22

Total Applications All Preferences 47

Total Admissions 45

Admission to years 9 to Year 11

A small number of places may be available in some years on a competitive basis to pupils who would benefit from an Irish Medium education and who can provide satisfactory, full and detailed written reports from their previous Irish Medium Post Primary school/stream. Admission will be subject to fully satisfactory written reports and will be at the discretion of the Board of Governors. Interviews will be held as part of the admission procedure. Any admission depends on (1) academic ability and performance, (2) availability of place in that year group.

There are no admissions to the IMS for year 12.

Waiting List

The school operates a waiting list for children who wish to transfer from other Irish Medium schools/streams into the IMS to year groups 9-11. Places will be offered strictly on a chronological basis with the earliest request for a place being considered first. Parents are invited to request that their child’s name be placed on a waiting list for admission to a particular year group if they so wish by emailing the school at info@stjosephs.donaghmore.ni.sch.uk and address the request to the Principal.

A waiting list of pupils wishing to be admitted to the IMS will be maintained until Friday 23rd September 2022. Thereafter, Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) who wish their child to be considered for a place in the IMS, should a place become available, must make a new application.

Additional criteria in the event of oversubscription

1. Applicants who have had at least the last 5 out of their 7 years of their primary education through the medium of Irish and who are currently registered in an Irish Medium Post Primary school/stream.

2. Applicants who have a sibling/half sibling enrolled at the School (either St Joseph’s Grammar School or the IMS) at the time of application: full responsibility rests with the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) to provide sufficient details at the time of application to allow such to be identified.

ADMISSION TO YEARS 9, 10 AND 11

A small number of places may be available in some years on a competitive basis to pupils who would benefit from a Grammar School education and who can provide satisfactory, full and detailed written reports from their previous school. Admission will be subject to fully satisfactory written reports and at the discretion of the Authority of Governors. Interviews will be held as part of the admission procedure. Any admission depends on (1) academic ability and performance, (2) availability of place in that year group.

The school operates a waiting list for children who wish to transfer from other schools into the above year groups. Places will be offered strictly on a chronological basis with the earliest request for a place being considered first. The waiting list of pupils wishing to be admitted to the school will be maintained until Friday 23rd September 2022. Thereafter, Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) who wish their child to be considered for a place in the school, should a place become available, must make a new application.

Additional criteria in the event of oversubscription to the above year groups

1. Applicants who have a sibling enrolled at the school at the time of application: full responsibility rests with the Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) to provide sufficient details at the time of application to allow such to be identified.

The criteria are drawn up by the Board of Governors which may delegate the application of them to an Admissions Subcommittee. Any reference herein to the term the Board of Governors includes any Committee

or Subcommittee appointed by the Board of Governors for the purposes of applying the Admission criteria set out herein.

Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) are asked to note that it is their full responsibility to provide all relevant information to the Board of Governors at the time of their application, and the Board of Governors shall not be obliged to consider any representations or information or documentary proofs not so furnished.

It is interpreted and required that Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) and all pupils admitted to the School accept and agree to abide by and adhere to the rules and regulations of St Joseph’s Grammar School, as published in the School Prospectus and Student Guidelines.

THERE ARE NO ADMISSIONS TO YEAR 12

ADMISSION TO YEAR 13

The student must have obtained at minimum of five GCSE passes of Grades A*, A, B or in special circumstances as deemed by the school, Grade C. All applications will be considered on their own merits. In addition to academic criteria, the student must have a record which indicates that high standards have been consistently met in the following areas:

• Conduct

• Application to study

• Attendance and Punctuality

Where oversubscribed, the school will decide the grade cut-off point and interview to select borderline students and apply the criteria above where relevant.

CRITERIA FOR ANY EXTRA PLACES MADE AVAILABLE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

FOR ADMISSION INTO YEAR 13

The Department of Education may, on request, increase the number of students that the school can admit to its Year 13. Places that become available in this way shall be allocated only to students who meet the basic eligibility criteria for Year 13 study (as above) and shall be allocated in the order determined by the criteria to be applied in the order set down.

1. Students who have most recently completed Year 12 in St Joseph’s Grammar School.

2. Students from other schools where admission to a place at St Joseph’s Grammar School has been agreed by the Department of Education*

* Parents should note how the Department of Education will, in response to a school’s request, increase the school’s enrolment number in order to allow additional post 16 students to enrol. DE will first check whether there is another school or schools of a type suitable for that student within an hour’s journey of where the student lives. If there is, DE will then check whether this school/s may provide all of the post 16 courses that the student wishes to pursue. If these checks find that no other suitable school may provide all of the post 16 courses that the student wishes to pursue DE may agree to a school’s request for additional places.

What is a school of a type that is suitable for a student? To determine this, DE first considers all schools to be one of 4 types:

(i.) Denominational

(ii.) Non-denominational

(iii.) Integrated and

(iv.) Irish-Medium

A school requesting an extra place for a post 16 student will belong to one of these 4 types and DE will consider any other school or schools from this same type as suitable for the student. DE will also consider as suitable for the student any school from the same type as the type of school that the child attended in Year 12.

ADMISSION TO YEAR 14

The student must usually have obtained three subject passes in GCE AS level or equivalent of Grade C or above.

In addition, the student must have a record which indicates that high standards have been consistently met in the following areas:

• Conduct

• Application to study

• Attendance and Punctuality

Where oversubscribed, the school will decide the grade cut-off point and interview to select borderline students and apply the criteria above where relevant.

Notes for Applicants to Years 9 – 11 and 13

Applications for admission to Years 9 – 11 and 13 should be submitted to the Education Authority - Southern Region or directly to the Principal. All applications will be considered by the Principal who is delegated by the Board of Governors to apply the criteria outlined for admissions to year 9-14 inclusive, with the exception of Year 12 to which admissions will not be considered.

Waiting lists for places in Years 9-14 (excluding Year 12):

Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) are invited to request that their child’s name be placed on a waiting list for admission to a particular year group if they so wish. A waiting list of pupils wishing to be admitted to the school will be maintained until Friday 23rd September 2022. Thereafter, Parent(s)/legal Guardian(s) who wish their child to be considered for a place in the school, should a place become available, must make a new application to the waiting list.

Further information

Further information about the school is available in the school’s prospectus which is published annually, on the school website and school social media accounts. Additionally, parents and prospective pupils may visit on Open Evening (when public health conditions allow) or at any other time by appointment whilst the school is open to hosting visitors.

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** This information is provided for guidance only and while the content is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate we cannot be held in any way responsible for any errors or omissions that it may contain. Please contact your LA or chosen grammar school for all admission and Transfer Test queries.**

NI Grammar School Admission criteria for September 2022 These details will be updated in January 2024.

St Joseph's Grammar School Donaghmore

NI Grammar School Admission criteria for
September 2022
These details will be updated in January 2024.