Enrolment Admission Policy

Admission Policy of St Dominic’s N.S.
School Address: Kenagh, Co.Longford
Roll number: 15154L
School Patron/s: Bishop Paul O’ Connell
Introduction
This Admission Policy complies with the requirements of the Education Act 1998, the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 and the Equal Status Act 2000. In drafting this policy, the board of management of the school has consulted with school staff, the school patron and with parents of children attending the school.
The policy was approved by the school patron in November 2020.
It is published on the school’s website and will be made available in hardcopy, on request, to any person who requests it. It was reviewed in March 2026 to align with opening of special class in September 2026.

The relevant dates and timelines for St Dominic’s N.S. admission process are set out in the school’s annual admission notice which is published annually on the school’s website at least one week before the commencement of the admission process for the school year concerned.
This policy must be read in conjunction with the annual admission notice for the school year concerned.
The request for an application form for admission is published on the school’s website www.kenaghns.com and will be made available in hardcopy on request to any person who requests it.

St Dominic’s N.S. will cooperate with the National Council for Special Education in the performance by the Council of its functions under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 relating to the provision of education to children with special educational needs, including in particular by the provision and operation of a special class or classes when requested to do so by the Council.
St Dominic’s N.S will comply with any direction served on the patron or the board, as the case may be, under section 37A and any direction served on the board under section 67(4B) of the Education Act.

Characteristic spirit and general objectives of the school
the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the person of the pupil, including the intellectual, physical, cultural, moral and spiritual aspects; and
a living relationship with God and with other people; and
a philosophy of life inspired by belief in God and in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; and
the formation of the pupils in the Catholic faith,
And which school provides religious education for the pupils in accordance with the doctrines, practices and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, and/or such ethos and/or characteristic spirit as may be determined or interpreted from time to time by the Irish Episcopal Conference.
In accordance with S.15 (2) (b) of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management of St. Dominic’s shall uphold, and be accountable to the patron for so upholding, the characteristic spirit of the school as determined by the cultural, educational, moral, religious, social, linguistic and spiritual values and traditions which inform and are characteristic of the objectives and conduct of the school.

Mission Statement
St. Dominic’s National School is a Catholic School under the patronage of the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonacnoise and is committed to providing a holistic education in an atmosphere which respects individual rights. Each child will be encouraged to achieve his/her potential in partnership with parents, community and the environment.
Admission Statement
St Dominic’s National School will not discriminate in its admission of a student to the school on any of the following:
the gender ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
the civil status ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
the family status ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
the sexual orientation ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
the religion ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
the disability ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,
the ground of race of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned,

the Traveller community ground of the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned, or
the ground that the student or the applicant in respect of the student concerned has special educational needs
As per section 61 (3) of the Education Act 1998, ‘civil status ground’, ‘disability ground’, ‘discriminate’, ‘family status ground’, ‘gender ground’, ‘ground of race’, ‘religion ground’, ‘sexual orientation ground’ and ‘Traveller community ground’ shall be construed in accordance with section 3 of the Equal Status Act 2000.
Categories of Special Educational Needs catered for in the school/special class
Note for schools: The act does not require schools and special classes providing for a category or categories of special educational needs to change their current status. The current arrangements in relation to the category or categories of special educational needs provided by schools will continue as in previous years unless otherwise directed by the NCSE or the Department.
Admission of Students
This school shall admit each student seeking admission except where –
the school is oversubscribed (please see section 6 below for further details)
a parent of a student, when required by the principal in accordance with section 23(4) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, fails to confirm in writing that the code of behaviour of the school is acceptable to him or her and that he or she shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such code by the student
All denominational schoolsSt Dominic’s National School is a Catholic school and may refuse to admit as a student a person who is not of Catholic faith where it is proved that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school.

School with special education class(es)The special class attached to St Dominic’s National School provides an education exclusively for students with AUTISM and the school may refuse admission to this class, where the student concerned does not have the specified category of special educational needs provided for in this class.

Applications for Special Class must adhere to guidelines by as follows :

“Children and young people are eligible for enrolment in a special class for
AUTISM when the following is provided in support of such an application:

Professional report(s) outlining:
Diagnosis of special educational needs e.g. Autism: DSM IV/V or ICD 10/11
(psychologist, psychiatrist, multi-disciplinary report) AND
A demonstration of the understanding of complexity of the child’s overall
level of need/s evidenced in the professional reports AND
Given the severity or complexity of the child’s support needs, a clear professional recommendation as to what educational placement type would be most appropriate to best meet the child’s needs, along with the rationale for same
AND
A letter from the NCSE confirming that the child is known to them and that the child has the required diagnosis and recommendation for a special class for (insert category of special educational need e.g. autism)
Oversubscription
Priority
Criterion

1
Priority is given to brothers and sisters ( including step/foster-siblings , resident at the same address ) of children already in the school or who have attended the school in the past. If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

2
Families whose primary residence is either in the immediate areas of Kilcommick Parish, starting closest to the school and radiating outwards from the school within the Parish (as measured by a straight line on an OS map) If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

3
Children whose home address is closest to the school (as measured by a straight line on an OS map) if the child is normally resident outside the parish. If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

4
Children of current staff. . If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

In the event that the school is oversubscribed, the school will, when deciding on applications for admission, apply the following selection criteria in the order listed below to those applications that are received within the timeline for receipt of applications as set out in the school’s annual admission notice:

MAINSTREAM

SPECIAL CLASS

Priority
Criterion

1
Priority is given to pupils already enrolled in the mainstream school setting. . If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

2

Priority is given to brothers and sisters (including step/foster-siblings ,
resident at the same address ) of children already in the school or who have

attended the school in the past. If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

3
Families whose primary residence is either in the immediate areas of Kilcommick Parish, starting closest to the school and radiating outwards from the school within the Parish (as measured by a straight line on an OS map) If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

4
Children whose home address is closest to the school (as measured by a straight line on an OS map) if the child is normally resident outside the parish. If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

5
Children of current staff. . If the class is oversubscribed on the basis of this criterion, then places will be allocated on the basis of age, starting with the oldest applicant, until all places are allocated.

In the event that there are two or more students tied for a place or places in any of the selection criteria categories above (the number of applicants exceeds the number of remaining places), the following arrangements will apply:
What will not be considered or taken into account
In accordance with section 62(7) (e) of the Education Act, the school will not consider or take into account any of the following in deciding on applications for admission or when placing a student on a waiting list for admission to the school:
the payment of fees or contributions (howsoever described) to the school;
a student’s academic ability, skills or aptitude;
(other than in relation to:
admission to (a) a special school or (b) a special class insofar as it is necessary in order to ascertain whether or not the student has the category of special educational needs concerned
the occupation, financial status, academic ability, skills or aptitude of a student’s parents;
a requirement that a student, or his or her parents, attend an interview, open day or other meeting as a condition of admission;
a student’s connection to the school by virtue of a member of his or her family attending or
having previously attended the school;
(other than, in the case of the school wishing to include a selection criteria based on (1) siblings of a student attending or having attended the school and/or
the date and time on which an application for admission was received by the school,
This is subject to the application being received at any time during the period specified for receiving applications set out in the annual admission notice of the school for the school year concerned.
Decisions on applications
All decisions on applications for admission to St Dominic’s National School will be based on the following:
Our school’s admission policy
The school’s annual admission notice (where applicable)
The information provided by the applicant in the school’s official application form received during the period specified in our annual admission notice for receiving applications
(Please see section 14 below in relation to applications received outside of the admissions period and section 15 below in relation to applications for places in years other than the intake group.)

Selection criteria that are not included in our school admission policy will not be used to make a decision on an application for a place in our school.
Notifying applicants of decisions
Applicants will be informed in writing as to the decision of the school, within the timeline outlined in the annual admissions notice.

If a student is not offered a place in our school, the reasons why they were not offered a place will be communicated in writing to the applicant, including, where applicable, details of the student’s ranking against the selection criteria and details of the student’s place on the waiting list for the school year concerned.

Applicants will be informed of the right to seek a review/right of appeal of the school’s
decision (see section 18 below for further details).
Acceptance of an offer of a place by an applicant
In accepting an offer of admission from St Dominic’s National School you must indicate--
whether or not you have accepted an offer of admission for another school or schools. If you have accepted such an offer, you must also provide details of the offer or offers concerned and
whether or not you have applied for and awaiting confirmation of an offer of admission from another school or schools, and if so, you must provide details of the other school or schools concerned.
Circumstances in which offers may not be made or may be withdrawn
An offer of admission may not be made or may be withdrawn by St.Dominic’s N.S. where--
it is established that information contained in the application is false or misleading.
an applicant fails to confirm acceptance of an offer of admission on or before the date set out in the annual admission notice of the school.
the parent of a student, when required by the principal in accordance with section 23(4) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, fails to confirm in writing that the code of behaviour of the school is acceptable to him or her and that he or she shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such code by the student; or
an applicant has failed to comply with the requirements of ‘acceptance of an offer’
as set out in section 10 above.
Sharing of Data with other schools
Applicants should be aware that section 66(6) of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 allows for the sharing of certain information between schools in order to facilitate the efficient admission of students.
Section 66(6) allows a school to provide a patron or another board of management with a list of the students in relation to whom--
an application for admission to the school has been received,
an offer of admission to the school has been made, or

an offer of admission to the school has been accepted.
The list may include any or all of the following:
the date on which an application for admission was received by the school;
the date on which an offer of admission was made by the school;
the date on which an offer of admission was accepted by an applicant;
a student’s personal details including his or her name, address, date of birth and personal public service number (within the meaning of section 262 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005).
Waiting list in the event of oversubscription
In the event of there being more applications to the school year concerned than places available, a waiting list of students whose applications for admission to St.Dominic’s N.S. were unsuccessful due to the school being oversubscribed will be compiled and will remain valid for the school year in which admission is being sought.

Placement on the waiting list of St.Dominic’s N.S. is in the order of priority assigned to the
students’ applications after the school has applied the selection criteria in accordance with this admission policy.
Applicants whose applications are received after the closing date, outlined in the Annual Admission Notice, will be placed at the end of the waiting list in order of the date of receipt of the application.

Offers of any subsequent places that become available for and during the school year in relation to which admission is being sought will be made to those students on the waiting list, in accordance with the order of priority in relation to which the students have been placed on the list.
Late Applications
All applications for admission received after the closing date as outlined in the annual admission notice will be considered and decided upon in accordance with our school’s admissions policy, the Education Admissions to School Act 2018 and any regulations made under that Act.

Late applicants will be notified of the decision in respect of their application no later than three weeks after the date on which the school received the application. Late applicants will be offered a place if there is place available. In the event that there is no place available, the name of the applicant will be added to the waiting list as set out in Section 13.
Procedures for admission of students to other years and during the school year
Declaration in relation to the non-charging of fees
This rule applies to all schools.

The board of St Dominic’s National School or any persons acting on its behalf will not charge fees for or seek payment or contributions (howsoever described) as a condition of-
an application for admission of a student to the school, or
the admission or continued enrolment of a student in the school.
Note: Exceptions apply only in relation to fee charging post primary schools, the boarding element in Boarding Schools and admission to post leaving cert or further education courses run by post-primary schools.
Arrangements regarding students not attending religious instruction

Reviews/appeals
Review of decisions by the board of ManagementThe parent of the student, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, may request the board to review a decision to refuse admission. Such requests must be made in accordance with Section 29C of the Education Act 1998.
The timeline within which such a review must be requested and the other requirements applicable to such reviews are set out in the procedures determined by the Minister under section 29B of the Education Act 1998 which are published on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.
The board will conduct such reviews in accordance with the requirements of the procedures determined under Section 29B and with section 29C of the Education Act 1998.
Note: Where an applicant has been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, the applicant must request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998.
Where an applicant has been refused admission due to a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, the applicant may request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998.

Right of appealUnder Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, the parent of the student, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, may appeal a decision of this school to refuse admission.
An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1) (c) (i) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due to the school being oversubscribed.
An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1) (c) (ii) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due a reason other than the school being oversubscribed.
Where an applicant has been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, the applicant must request a review of that decision by the board of management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998. (see Review of decisions by the Board of Management)
Where an applicant has been refused admission due to a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, the applicant may request a review of that decision by the board of

management prior to making an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998. (see Review of decisions by the Board of Management)
Appeals under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 will be considered and determined by an independent appeals committee appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills.
The timeline within which such an appeal must be made and the other requirements applicable to such appeals are set out in the procedures determined by the Minister under section 29B of the Education Act 1998 which are published on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.

19.   Implementation and ReviewThis Policy will be reviewed, as deemed necessary, by the Board of Management.

20.   Policy RatificationThis policy was reviewed & adopted by the Board of Management on 24/3/2026



Chairperson of Board of Management                                                                                                         Principal/Secretary to the Board of Management

Date:            24/03/2026                                                                      Date:                    24/03/2026

Enrolment/Admissions Policy