Admission to Years 9-12
CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION TO YEARS 9-12
INTRODUCTION
The Board of Governors has approved the criteria described below and has delegated the task of applying these criteria to the Principal. Further reference, therefore, to the Board of Governors may imply the Admissions Sub Committee or the Principal.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applications should be made, in writing, to the School using the relevant application form obtainable from the School (AP1 form). All those seeking admission will be required to sit a Cognitive Ability Test and to provide reports from their present school.
Following receipt of an application, the School will advise as to the next steps to be taken and subsequently provide written notification of any decision to admit the pupil or otherwise. It should be noted that those who have applied, but failed to obtain a place, will be placed on a waiting list until 1st May following their application, at which time their application will be deemed to have lapsed.
APPLICATIONS FROM CHILDREN NEW TO THE CATCHMENT
If the Enrolment Number has been reached and the Board of Governors determines that an applicant who is new to the school’s catchment, and for whom a suitable curriculum can be provided within existing resources, is suitable for admission, it will seek approval from the Department of Education to admit the child through allocation of an additional place.
Applicants for whom the Department of Education declines to approve an additional place will be placed on the waiting list and their application treated in the same way as applications from children already resident in the catchment.
APPLICATIONS FROM CHILDREN ALREADY RESIDENT IN THE CATCHMENT
In the event of a place becoming available, all applications on the waiting list will be considered, subject to an overall enrolment number of 660 and places being available in the year group for which application is being made. Applications to Years 11 and 12 are also conditional upon places being available within classes to support the child’s subject choices.
If the number of applications is greater than can be admitted within the School Enrolment Number the following criteria will be applied progressively in the order set down below:-
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Children whose reports from their present school [and previous schools, if applicable] satisfy the Principal on past school record and achievement including attendance, behaviour and punctuality. [A satisfactory attendance rate would be 90% or higher.] In the case of children whose attendance may have been affected by clearly documented medical or other problems, the Principal is empowered, in exceptional circumstances, to consider this. Each case will be carefully assessed by the Principal and will necessarily take into account appropriate documentary evidence medical or otherwise. In such a case the decision of the Principal will be final;
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Children who have sat a Cognitive Ability Test, as directed by Omagh Academy, and been awarded a mean Standardised Assessment Score of 100 will be considered before other children. Special consideration will be given to those children who are transferring from schools outside Northern Ireland and for whom English is not their first language. In such circumstances an appropriate mean Standardised Assessment Score will be determined using all available information;
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Children who have become resident in the School’s catchment within three months of the date of consideration of their application will be considered before other children;
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Applications will be considered in the following order: Year 9, Year 10, Year 11, Year 12;
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If there are more applicants for a place in a particular Year Group than there are places available, children will be selected by applying the following criteria progressively in the order set down:
I. Children who have a sibling currently attending the school;
II. Children who have the higher mean Standardised Assessment Score;
III. The age of the child, preference being given to the eldest child.
If after all the criteria above have been exhausted and it becomes necessary to make a final selection, priority will be given to a child whose home is closer to the School. Distance will be measured in a straight line using an ordnance survey web distance measurement tool from the pupil’s home to the front entrance of the School.