ST MALACHY’S COLLEGE

Antrim Road    

Belfast   

BT15 2AE  

Telephone No: 028 9074 8285 

Fax No: 028 9074 1066 

E-mail:correspondent@stmalachys.belfast.ni.sch.uk 

Web-site: www.stmalachyscollege.com 

Principal: Mr P McBride MA, MEd, B.Mus, PGCE, PQH (NI)                 

Chair of Board of Governors:  Sir G Loughran 

  

Boys’ Grammar     Voluntary Grammar School 

Age Range: 11-18 

Admission No: 170  

Enrolment No: 1050  

 Celebrating over 180 years as a leading College 

     

OPEN EVENINGS 

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we are unable to showcase the College through our usual Open Nights. A video, prospectus and information pack are available on our school website, www.stmalachyscollege.com  

 

 

To Parents/Guardians/Carers naming St Malachy’s College as a preference on their child’s Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent. 

 

Entrance Assessment Results

St Malachy’s College will give preference to, (apart from those who qualify for either the Special Circumstances or Special Provision procedures), those applicants awarded a grade by GL in completing the GL Entrance Assessment on Saturday 13th November 2021 or the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment on Saturday 11th

December 2021, or any other rearranged date.

Parents/guardians/carers must state the GL GRADE achieved and attach to the On-line Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent, a copy of the statement of results.

Special Circumstances

Special Circumstances usually refers to the claim that as a result of medical or other problems an applicant’s performance in the GL Assessment was affected. Any parent/guardian/carer claiming Special Circumstances must submit an initial claim by completing form SCR in the Special Circumstances pack available from St

Malachy’s College or from its website and must submit the initial claim to St Malachy’s College by 2pm on 15th December 2021. Independent evidence in support of Special Circumstances is not required to be produced at this stage. This documentation, together with the independent, verifiable documentary evidence which corroborates the Special Circumstances claim, must be attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent and include the SC1 form.

Special Provision

Special Provision may be made by the Admissions Committee of the Board of Governors for applicants:

a) who are transferring from primary schools outside Northern Ireland

b) who have received more than half of their primary education outside Northern Ireland

c) whose educational provision to date has been negatively affected by serious medical or other problems which is supported by independent verifiable documentary evidence and who have not taken the GL Assessment or its Supplementary Assessment.

d) who were entered for the GL Assessment and it took place, but the applicant was unable to sit either the GL Entrance Assessment or Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment due to COVID-19 reasons.

1 For those applicants currently in P7 in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, claims for Special Provision should be made on Form SP1 and attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent. Form SP1 is available from the College or its website. Parents wishing to claim Special Provision should also forward a copy of Form SP1 directly to St Malachy’s College by 4pm on Wednesday 23rd February 2022.

2 After this date, claims for Special Provision should be made directly to St Malachy’s College by 2pm on Monday 4th April 2022, and the relevant Education Authority Transfer Section notified. 

Further details can be found in the sections ‘Note on Special Circumstances’ and ‘Note on Special Provisions’ below.

Provisions for COVID-19 Disruption

If the GL Entrance Assessment takes place but at the time of the GL Entrance Assessment or Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment, an applicant who is entered/registered to sit the assessment is unable to sit either of these assessments due to COVID-19 reasons, the applicant may apply under Special Provision (d) to sit a

Special Provision Assessment. See Note on Special Provision below.

Information on grades and admissions in the last three years may be accessed in the College Prospectus. All pupils are asked to pay a Voluntary Contribution (currently £100 per annum).

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

THE COLLEGE

The Board of Governors draws up the admissions criteria and delegates to an Admissions Committee, which includes the Principal, the responsibility for applying these criteria. Any reference herein to the term the ‘Board of Governors’ includes any Committee or Sub-Committee appointed by the Board of Governors for the purposes of applying the Admission criteria set out herein.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR ENTRY OF PUPILS TO FORM 1 (YEAR 8) IN SEPTEMBER 2022

NOTE: IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARENT/GUARDIAN/CARER OF A PROSPECTIVE PUPIL TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS SUBMITTED, EITHER ON THE ONLINE TRANSFER FORM/APPLICATION OR ITS EQUIVALENT OR TOGETHER WITH THE ONLINE TRANSFER FORM/APPLICATION OR ITS EQUIVALENT, ALL THE INFORMATION REQUIRED TO ENABLE THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS TO APPLY THE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA OF THE COLLEGE TO THE APPLICATION OF THE PROSPECTIVE PUPIL. ONLY EVIDENCE SUBMITTED EITHER ON THE ONLINE TRANSFER FORM/APPLICATION OR ITS EQUIVALENT OR ATTACHED TO THAT FORM AT THE TIME OF SUBMISSION TO THE COLLEGE FOR ADMISSION SHALL BE CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS IN THE ALLOCATION OF A PLACE TO THE APPLICANT.

St Malachy’s College will initially consider only those applicants who have taken the GL Entrance Assessment or if relevant the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment and who have been awarded a grade or assigned a grade pursuant to the application of the Special Circumstance or Special Provision procedures and will admit pupils based on grade achieved in the assessment or otherwise awarded.

The Board of Governors will not use as a criterion the position of preference given to the College on the Transfer Form i.e. an applicant who has chosen St Malachy’s College in any position on the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent will be considered equally with those who have put the College first.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND SPECIAL PROVISION PROCEDURES

The Board of Governors will consider applicants claiming that Special Circumstances or Special Provision exist including applicants when the GL Entrance Assessment or if relevant the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment is not undertaken or grades are not available for Covid 19 reasons as outlined within this Admissions Criteria. These will be considered first. Where this is granted, the Board of Governors will determine, on the basis of the educational evidence available, an appropriate grade equivalent for the

applicant. Such applicants will then be considered with all other applicants who have been awarded a grade or received a grade equivalent and the admissions criteria applied.

NOTE ON SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Special Circumstances allow for a post examination adjustment or provision of a grade to an applicant who is eligible for consideration. 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, the Admissions Committee may take into account the fact that the applicant was granted access arrangements or could have been granted access arrangements for those matters. Where a need or problem is identified in advance of the assessment taking place, an application for Access Arrangements should be made. Special

Circumstances should be sought only where events on the day of the assessment or factors unknown at the time are considered to have directly influenced the outcome on the day of the GL Entrance Assessment or if relevant the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment.

NB: The existence of special circumstances DOES NOT in itself lead to automatic admission to the College. Each case is considered on its own merits by the Board of Governors.

Requests for Special Circumstances must be made by 2pm on 15th December 2021. The decision as to whether to take such circumstances into consideration will not be taken at this time by St Malachy’s College but the College will confirm receipt of the initial claim to the parent/guardian/carer. This confirmation must be attached by the parent/guardian/carer to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent along with full, supporting documentary evidence when an application is made for post-primary transfer for the child. Circumstances relating to application for Special Circumstances must apply at the time of the Entrance Assessment and be supported by appropriate written evidence. A Special Circumstances claim will not be considered without such evidence.

Note on COVID-19

Special Circumstances will not be applied solely due to lost teaching and learning time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lost teaching and learning is being addressed in the GL Entrance Assessment 2021 via the assessment methods and the reduction in the content that will be assessed. Specific COVID-19 impacts which are unique to the applicant may still be applicable to Special Circumstances.

It is the responsibility of parents/guardians/carers to ensure that such claims and all verifying information are included on form SC1, attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent and forwarded to the College via the Education Authority by 4pm on Wednesday 23rd February 2022.

DETAILS OF MEDICAL OR OTHER PROBLEMS:

Where it is claimed that an applicant’s performance in the GL Entrance Assessment or if relevant the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment has been affected by a medical or other problem, independent evidence of its existence must be provided to the College by attaching it to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent. Where the problem is a medical one of short term duration which affected the applicant only at the time of the GL Entrance Assessment the College will require the production of evidence that the applicant was examined by a medical practitioner in relation to the illness at the time of the GL Entrance Assessment. This evidence should be provided on headed notepaper of the medical practitioner and signed and dated by him/her.

Where the problem is of a non-medical nature the parents/guardians must set out in the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent precise details of the problem and append any appropriate independent evidence to corroborate its existence. (Please refer to the following documents: ‘Post Primary Transfer Consortium ENTRANCE ASSESSMENT ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS POLICY’ (Section 10) and ‘Claiming Special

Circumstances – A Guide for Parents & Guardians’).

EDUCATIONAL EVIDENCE:

Sufficient objective documentary evidence must be provided by the  parents/guardians/carers applying for Special Circumstances and accompany the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent, and verified by the primary school to enable the Board of Governors to reach a decision.

At the time of completing the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent, details of the Special Circumstances and independent supporting evidence must be provided and attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent.

The following information should be provided on form SC1:-

• Records of the results of all available KS2 CAT4 (verbal and quantitative) and/or PTE/PTM results. These must be verifiable and must be signed off by the Primary School Principal. The verified results must be attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent;

• All test results should be accompanied by the name of the standardised test supplier, and be dated and verified by the primary school (eg. Signature of Principal, School stamp/headed notepaper);

• Any other relevant educational material from the Primary School;

The Board of Governors will, when considering the weight to be given to submitted evidence, consider standardised test results as ranking in priority to other submitted evidence.

The Board of Governors may decide in relation to an applicant claiming special circumstances when the GL Assessment has taken place, that the grade which the applicant in fact achieved in the GL Assessment is the grade which the applicant would have achieved if he had sat the GL Assessment under normal circumstances.

Once a decision has been made the applicant will be considered alongside all other applicants who have been awarded a grade or received a grade equivalent and the admissions criteria applied.

Applications received under Special Circumstances will be considered on the evidence made available to the College and awarded a grade using the College’s Protocol, which is available upon request.

General Note on Special Circumstances

It is emphasised that the onus is on the parents/guardians/carers to ensure that the above information is provided by the primary school. Failure to provide such information may result in the College being unable to consider the application for Special Circumstances. Parents/guardians/carers have a statutory right to request and obtain information on their child. Further information on the rights to access pupil records is

available from the Information Commissioner’s Office or from the following website: http://www.ico.org.uk

For further information, please refer to the following policy documents: ‘Post Primary Transfer Consortium ENTRANCE ASSESSMENT ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS’ (Section 10) and ‘Claiming Special Circumstances – A Guide for Parents & Guardians’. The guidance documentation is available from the College or to download from the College website www.stmalachyscollege.com

NOTE ON SPECIAL PROVISION

Applications which fall into this category shall be considered before the consideration of the applications of those who sat the GL Entrance Assessment or if relevant the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment under normal circumstances.

Special provision may be made by the Board of Governors for applicants:

a) who are transferring from primary schools outside Northern Ireland

b) who have received more than half of their primary education outside Northern Ireland

c) whose educational provision to date has been negatively affected by serious medical or other problems which is supported by independent verifiable documentary evidence and who have not taken the GL Assessment or its Supplementary Assessment.

d) who were entered for the GL Assessment and it took place, but the applicant was unable to sit either the GL Entrance Assessment or Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment due to COVID-19 reasons

It is the responsibility of parents/guardians/carers to provide precise reasons why the applicant did not take part in the GL Entrance Assessment or Supplementary Assessment and to ensure appropriate documentary evidence is attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent.

Applicants in categories (a) & (b) above who wish to apply under Special Provision do not need to take the GL Entrance Assessment or the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment unless their parents/guardians so wish, in which case the GL Entrance Assessment or if relevant the Supplementary GL Entrance Assessment grade obtained would also be considered.

The Board of Governors will require a suitably qualified person or body approved by the College to make an assessment of the applicant’s ability. This will be known as the Special Provision Assessment.

The Board of Governors, within the operation of its admissions criteria, will decide whether these children should be admitted on the basis that they fall within the ability range of other pupils being admitted in that year.

Parents of pupils presently enrolled in P7 wishing to claim Special Provision should complete Form SP1 available from the College or its website, stating the case for eligibility under this category, and attach to the pupil’s Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent before it is submitted to the Education Authority (Transfer Department). This should be completed by 4.00 pm on Wednesday 23rd February 2022. After this date, claims for Special Provision should be made directly to St Malachy’s College.

The Board of Governors will consider each application for Special Provision. Where this is granted, the Board of Governors will;

• contact parent(s)/guardian(s)/carer(s) of the applicant;

• arrange a date and time for the applicant to sit the above assessment in the College. As with the GL Assessment the Special Provision Assessment will also be marked by GL.

• The result of the test will be converted into a grade.

• When the grade has been assigned parents will be informed.

Where St Malachy’s College is not your first preference school and you have sat the same/acceptable Special Provision Assessment in another school, St Malachy’s College will use the results of that Special Provision Assessment in the Special Provision Procedure. Such applications will then be considered with all other applicants who have been awarded a grade or received a grade equivalent and the admissions criteria applied.

ALLOCATION OF PLACES

St Malachy’s College will give preference to those pupils for whom a grade relating to the GL Entrance Assessment method has been awarded by GL or assigned by the Board of Governors pursuant to the special circumstances/special provisions procedures. Information on the GL Entrance Assessment is available from the College, or available to download from the College website at www.stmalachyscollege.com

All pupil’s resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the College will be selected for admissions before any pupil not so resident.

In order to determine which pupils will be accepted into Year 8, the following criteria will be applied in the order set down:

A Pupils who have been awarded Grade A in the GL Entrance Assessment and also those pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted, are in the opinion of the Board of Governors to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade A.

B Pupils who have been awarded Grade B1 in the GL Entrance Assessment and also those pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted, are in the opinion of the Board of Governors to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade B1.

C Pupils who have been awarded Grade B2 in the GL Entrance Assessment and also those pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted, are in the opinion of the Board of Governors to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade B2.

D Pupils who have been awarded Grade C1 in the GL Entrance Assessment and also those pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted, are in the opinion of the Board of Governors to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade C1.

E Pupils who have been awarded Grade C2 in the GL Entrance Assessment and also those pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted, are in the opinion of the Board of Governors to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade C2.

F Pupils who have been awarded Grade D in the GL Entrance Assessment and also those pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted, are in the opinion of the Board of Governors to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade D.

G Other pupils.

In the event of there being more candidates in any grade than places available within such grade, priority will be given in descending order to those who indicate on the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent that they are:

a) applicants who are siblings of present or past pupils enrolled in St. Malachy’s College (names anddates of attendance);

b) applicants who, at the date of their application, are the eldest boy of the family eligible to transfer to St Malachy’s College, or are the only child of the family (“of the family” will be defined in accordance with Department of Education guidance). Twins or other multiples will be treated as joint eldest. Older brothers, who at the date of the transfer application, have left mainstream post primary education or where an older brother did not have the opportunity to attend St Malachy’s College because their family has moved residence or attends a special school, will not be treated for the purposes of this criterion as the eldest boy in the family. A Certificate of verification must be completed and submitted with the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent;

c) a pupil who is entitled to Free School Meals at the date of application (“entitled to Free School meals” will mean applicants, who at the date on which they have signed their post-primary Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent, or at any date up to and including Wednesday 9th March 2022 (not later than 4pm), have communicated within their application that they are listed on the Education Authority register as entitled to Free School Meals);

d) pupils from the following contributory Primary Schools (not listed in order of preference).

Antrim Primary School, Antrim BT41 4AB 

Ashgrove Primary School, Newtownabbey, BT36 6LJ

Ballymacricket Primary School, Glenavy, BT29 4NE 

Ballymacward Primary School, Lisburn, BT28 3SU

Botanic Primary School, Belfast, BT7 1QY 

Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagain, Belfast, BT14 6HQ

Bunscoil Mhic Reachtain, Belfast, BT15 1EZ 

Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, Belfast, BT11 9QS

Bunscoil an tSleibhe Dhuibh, Belfast, BT12 7JL 

Cavehill Primary School, Belfast, BT15 5FG

Christ the Redeemer Primary School, Belfast, BT17 0TG 

Cliftonville Integrated Primary School, Belfast , BT14 6JQ

Drumlins Primary School, Ballynahinch, BT24 8EU 

Forge Integrated Primary School, Belfast, BT7 3HE

Gaelscoil Eanna, Newtownabbey, BT36 7AU 

Gaelscoil Ghleann Darach, Crumlin, BT29 4LD

Gaelscoil na bhFal, Belfast, BT12 6AW 

Glengormly Integrated, Newtownabbey, BT36 6HJ

Harding Memorial, Belfast, BT6 8PZ 

Hazelwood Primary School, Belfast, BT36 7EN

Holy Child Primary School, Belfast, BT11 8JG 

Holy Cross Boys Primary School, Belfast, BT14 7EX

Holy Evangelists’ Primary School, Belfast, BT17 ODB 

Holy Family Primary School, Belfast, BT15 2HP

Holy Rosary Primary School, Belfast, 

Holy Trinity Primary School, Belfast, BT11 8EG

Mallusk Primary School, Newtownabbey, BT36 4QE 

Mount St Michael PS, Antrim, BT41 2AF

Our Lady of Lourdes Park Lodge, Belfast, BT15 5GQ 

Our Lady Queen of Peace, Dunmurry , BT17 0RW

Pond Park Primary School, Lisburn, BT28 3BF 

Sacred Heart Boys Primary School, Belfast, BT14 6HH

Scoil an Droichid, Belfast, BT7 2EP 

St Aloysius Primary School, Lisburn BT28 2QT

St Anne’s Primary School, Belfast, BT10 0NE 

St Bernard’s Primary School, Newtownabbey, BT36 6DW

St Bride’s Primary School, Belfast, BT9 6FP 

St Clare’s Primary School, Belfast, BT13 2SE

St Colman’s Primary School, Lisburn, BT27 4QS 

St James’ Primary School, Newtownabbey, BT37 0AS

St John the Baptist Primary School, Belfast, BT11 9EH 

St Joseph’s Primary School, Antrim, BT41 1JZ

St Joseph’s Primary School, Carryduff, BT8 8EX 

St Joseph’s Primary School, Crumlin, BT29 4LA

St Joseph’s Primary School, Holland Drive, Belfast, BT5 6EH 

St Joseph’s Primary School, Slate Street, Belfast, BT12 4LD

St Kevin’s Primary School, Belfast, BT12 6EN 

St MacNissi’s Primary School, Newtownabbey, BT36 6UE

St Malachy’s Primary School, Belfast, BT7 2BJ 

St Mary’s on the Hill Primary School, N’abbey, BT36 6JU

St Mary’s Star of the Sea Primary School, Belfast, BT15 4HL 

St Matthew’s Primary School, Belfast, BT5 4EN

St Michael’s Primary School, Belfast, BT6 0BW 

St Nicholas’ Primary School, Carrickfergus, BT38 8AU

St Oliver Plunkett Primary School, Belfast, BT11 9AY 

St Patrick’s Primary School, Belfast, BT15 2BN

St Paul’s Primary School, Belfast, BT12 7NN 

St Peter’s Primary School, Belfast, BT12 4JF

St Teresa’s Primary School, Belfast, BT11 8BL 

St Therese of Lisieux Primary School, Belfast, BT15 5GF

St Vincent De Paul’s Primary School, Belfast, BT14 8DP 

Templepatrick Primary School, Ballyclare, BT39 0AQ

The Good Shepherd Primary School, Dunmurry, BT17 0PJ

e) In the event of oversubscription at the last criterion, selection for all places remaining in this category will be on the basis of the initial letter of the surname as identified on the birth certificate (if the surname has subsequently been legally changed (evidence to be provided) this new surname will be used) presented at registration for the GL Assessment by Friday 24th September 2021. In the event of surnames beginning with the same letter, the subsequent letters of the surname will be used in alphabetical order using the randomised selection below. In the event of two or more identical surnames the alphabetical (randomised) order of the initial of the forenames will be used. The order is

set out below:

U, S, A, J, Y, M, T, V, F, N, I, W, G, B, E, H, R, C, P, L, O, Q, D, Z, X, K

The order was predetermined by random computerised selection, witnessed by at least three members of the Admissions Committee.

f) Should there be over-subscription at the last criterion then other applicants will be selected on the basis of age with the oldest being selected first, established by date of birth as entered on a birth certificate presented at registration for the GL Assessment.

Please Note:

When considering which children should be selected for admission, the Board of Governors will only take into account information which is detailed on or attached to the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent. Parents/Guardians/Carers should ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the school’s admissions criteria is stated on the Online Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent or attached to it.

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 Transfer Form/Application or its equivalent.

The Certificate of Verification for Criterion (b) is available from the College or may be downloaded from the College website.

If the requested evidence is not provided to the Board of Governors by the deadline given, this will result in the withdrawal of an offer of a place. Similarly, if information is supplied which appears to be false or misleading in any material way, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.

WAITING LIST POLICY

Should a vacancy arise after 21st May 2022 all applications for admission to Year 8 that were initially refused, new applications and applications where new information has been provided will be treated equally and the published criteria above will be applied. This waiting list will be in place until 30th June 2023. The College will contact you in writing if your child gains a place in the College by this method.

Your child’s name will be automatically added to the list. Please contact the College if you wish for your child’s name to be removed from the list.

Applications and Admissions

Year     2019/20 

Admissions No    172 

Total Applications ie. All preferences Total Admissions   240

Total Admissions   172*

Year     2020/21

Admissions No     170

Total Applications ie. All preferences Total Admissions   249

Total Admissions    182*

Year     2021/22 

Admissions No    198 

Total Applications ie. All preferences Total Admissions   295

Total Admissions    215*

* includes pupils placed in the College through Education Authority Special Needs or Appeal or Exceptional Circumstances Body.

Criteria for Years 9 and onwards

Available on request from the school.