ST MARY'S CHRISTIAN BROTHERS GRAMMAR SCHOOL

147A Glen Road 

Belfast 

BT11 8NR 

Telephone No: 028 9029 4000 

Fax No: 028 9029 4009 

E-mail: acollins354@c2kni.net 

Web-site: www.stmaryscbgs.com 

Principal: Mrs Siobhan Kelly BA, M.ED, PQH (NI) 

Chairperson of the Board of Governors: Mr Sean Mahon 

Boys’ Grammar  Voluntary Grammar School 

Age Range: 11-18 

Admissions No: 175 

Enrolment No: 1180 

 OPEN EVENINGS 

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

To Parents/Guardians/Carers naming St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ Grammar School as a preference on their child’s Transfer form/ Application or its equivalent. 

Entrance Assessment 

In consideration of the disruption caused by Covid-19 to the education of prospective students the Board of Governors have decided to temporarily remove the academic selection element from our admissions criteria for the year 2022/2023. Unlike previous years boys will not be required to provide a GL Entrance Assessment test result. Our Admissions Criteria for the 2022/2023 academic year has been amended accordingly.

All pupils are asked to pay a Voluntary Contribution (currently £60 per annum).

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

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, ALL THE INFORMATION REQUIRED TO ENABLE THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS TO APPLY THE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA OF THE SCHOOL TO THE APPLICATION OF THE PROSPECTIVE PUPIL. ONLY EVIDENCE SUBMITTED EITHER ON THE TRANSFER APPLICATION OR ATTACHED/UPLOADED WITH THAT FORM AT THE TIME OF SUBMISSION TO THE SCHOOL FOR ADMISSION SHALL BE CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS IN THE ALLOCATION OF A PLACE TO THE APPLICANT.

The Board of Governors will not use as a criterion the position of preference given to the School on the Transfer Application i.e. an applicant who has chosen St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ Grammar School in any position on the Transfer Application will be considered equally with those who have put St Mary’s first.

ALLOCATION OF PLACES

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

In event of the number of applications exceeding the school’s admissions number, the following criteria will be applied in the order stated below:

All boys who have applied to be admitted to St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ Grammar School and resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to St Mary’s.

(a) Boys who have a son of the family (i.e. a brother) currently enrolled in St Mary’s (The name of the child of the family and his year group are required on the Transfer Application).

(b) A boy who is the eldest son in the family or the eldest child or the only child at the date of application, eligible to transfer to St Mary’s. This criterion will treat twins or other multiples as joint eldest.

The parents/guardians must provide evidence stating that the son is the eldest and that the son and family are known for at least two years to the verifier of such evidence. It must be written on headed notepaper and signed by a verifier who is not a member of the applicant’s family. Examples of this might include a medical practitioner, a solicitor, a Priest/Minister of Religion or a Primary School Principal.

(c) Boys transferring from Primary Schools under the ERST trusteeship of the Christian Brothers:

John Paul II Primary School and St Patrick’s Primary School.

(d) Boys transferring from our listed feeder schools:

Ballymacward, Ballymacrickett, Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagain, Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, Bunscoil an tSleibhe Dhuibh, Christ the Redeemer, Cranmore, Good Shepherd, Gaelscoil na bhFal, Gaelscoil Ghleann Darach, Gaelscoil na Móna, Hazelwood, Holy Child, Holy Cross, Holy Evangelists, Holy Family, Holy Rosary, Holy Trinity, Oakwood, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Lourdes, Scoil na Fuiseoige, Sacred Heart Primary School, St. Aloysius, St. Anne’s, St. Bernard’s, St. Bride’s, St. Clare’s, St. Colman’s (Lambeg), St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph’s (Slate Street), St. Joseph’s (Carryduff), St. Joseph’s (Lisburn), St. Joseph’s (Crumlin), St. Ita’s, St. Kevin’s, St. Kieran’s, St MacNissi’s, St. Malachy’s, St. Mary’s (Divis Street), St Mary’s- on-the-Hill, St. Matthew’s, St. Michael’s, St. Oliver Plunkett, St. Paul’s, St. Peter’s, St. Teresa’s, St. Therese of Lisieux, St Vincent de Paul, Scoil an Droichid.

(e) Tie breaker

In the event of there being more applications who satisfy any one of the criteria when they are all applied in the order of priority as set down above than there are places available, applicants within that criterion will be selected using the tie breaker method detailed below:

• the initial letter of the surname (as entered on the Birth Certificate) identified on the online Transfer Form/Application received from the Education Authority. The order was determined by a randomised selection witnessed by a Governor and the Principal before all first preference applicants are considered. In the event of surnames beginning with the same initial letter, the subsequent letters of the surname will be used in order using the randomised selection. In the event of two or more identical surnames the randomised order of the initials of the forenames will be used. Where names cannot be separated by this process, children will be accepted by date of birth with preference given to the oldest.

The order is set out below:

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

IMPORTANT

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, all the information required to enable the board of governors to apply the admissions criteria of the school to the application of the prospective pupil. Only evidence submitted either on the transfer application or uploaded/attached shall be considered by the board of governors in the allocation of a place to the applicant.

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 Transfer Application. 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

All applications that are refused will be placed on a waiting list. Should a vacancy arise after the transfer results are published, we will accept additional information not received at the time of the transfer process. We will also accept new applications from pupils who did not initially apply through the Transfer process. The published criteria above will be applied. This waiting list will be in place until 30th June 2023.

APPLICATIONS AND ADMISSIONS

Year   2019/20

Admissions No   175

Total Applications ie. All preferences   233

Total Admissions   176*

Year   2020/21

Admissions No   175

Total Applications ie. All preferences   241

Total Admissions   176*

Year   2021/22

Admissions No   175

Total Applications ie. All preferences   244

Total Admissions   175

*includes pupils who won their Appeal Tribunal

Criteria for Years 9 and onwards: Available on request from the school or can be viewed on the school website.