Transferring to Slemish

Admissions to Slemish College Outside Normal Transfer Processes (Years 9 – 12)

It is a matter for parents to ensure that all information required by the College to apply its criteria is provided.

To place a child on a College Waiting List, parents should make a written request for transfer to the College, and include a copy of the child’s most recent school report. The letter of application should be dated and should clearly indicate the religious affiliation of the child – Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Other. A parent will only be contacted by the College, should a place be available for their child, after the application of the criteria below. Once a child is placed on a College Waiting List, they will remain on it until they are:

1.  Offered a place at the College, or,

2.  The parent withdraws the application, or,

3.  The child reaches the end of compulsory schooling, i.e. the end of Year 12.

 

When considering the offer of a place the Board of Governors will ensure:

A.  The necessary resources are available in the particular year group applied for.

B.  The Board of Governors must be satisfied that an offer of a place would be in the best interest of the student and the College.

C.  Places offered will reflect the maintenance of the religious balance required for an integrated college. The waiting lists will be grouped as Protestant, Catholic, or Other. Parents must indicate which waiting list they wish their children to be placed on.

D.  In the event of a waiting list, when a place becomes available, the following sub-criteria shall apply in the order set down below to the waiting list for the religion identified at C, above.

1.  Applicants who presently attend a Grant-Maintained Integrated School, as defined in the Education Reform Order (NI) 1989.

2.  Applicant from outside the College’s traditional catchment area, who are relocating to the Mid Antrim area.

3. Applicants, who have a brother, or sister, presently enrolled at the College.

4. Applicants from other schools.

If there is an over-subscription in the last sub-criterion that can be applied, then selection for the available places will be decided on the chronological order of the date on which the initial letter of application was received. Places will be offered, where possible, to a student of the same religious affiliation as the student whose place they acquire.

The Board of Governors reserves the right to seek confirmation of any information supplied.

Note for parents of children who have not gained admission to Slemish College through the normal process of transfer from primary school to Year 8.

Should a vacancy arise after the date when placement letters have been issued from the Education and Library boards, all applications that were initially refused prior to that date, will be considered using the published criteria applied and the rank order established during that process. This rank order will remain in place until the 1st September, of the year of admission.

After the 1st September, the College will operate the admissions criteria for students outside normal transfer processes, as published above. Parents who have been refused admission through normal processes, or who are late, or new applicants, may apply for inclusion on the waiting lists as outlined above. The parents must inform the College after 1st September, if they wish to place their child on an appropriate waiting list. They must then ensure that the College is in receipt of a letter of application and the information required to apply the above criteria, as students will not be automatically added to the Waiting Lists after 1st September.