We offer 52 FULL TIME PLACES @ The Academy Nursery School!!

Key dates for Pre school Admissions -Ensure to have your application in before 12 noon next Friday 26th!!! If it's The Academy Nursery School you are looking for ensure to put down as 1st preference

Admissions Arrangements

We are having our open day on Wednesday 6th Of December this year. If you go to our website or Facebook page you will see a virtual snap snot of our school. If you have any questions or queries or if you would like to talk to us about our provision then do not hesitate to contact us. The admissions arrangements as set out by the Education Authority will be used. Application can be made online through The Education Authorities website from the 9th January 2024 and the closing date is 26th January 2024 at 12noon. Please make sure that you read the instructions carefully and upload all documentation requested.

The current policy is to admit children, selected for enrolment, in small groups during the month of September. This method ensures that each child is provided with greater opportunities for individual staff attention.

This admissions process provides a smooth and happy transition from home to school. Parents are encouraged to remain with their child until their child has settled.

Respective Functions of the Board of Governors and the Principal in relation to admissions.

The Admissions Criteria will be applied by a Selection Committee consisting of the Principal and three Governors in the first instance. Thereafter the Principal will consider further applications, subject to the final approval of the Board of Governors.

Children who are not normally resident in Northern Ireland will not be considered for places until all children who live in Northern Ireland have been considered.

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 application. Parents/guardians should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the school’s admissions criteria is stated on the application or attached to it. Examples of such information include if your child is attending the school in their penultimate pre-school year (2023/2024) by Friday 26 January 2024 plus the name(s) and year attended of brother/half-brother(s), sister/half-sister(s), step-brother/step-sister(s), foster/adopted brother/sister(s) who previously attended The Academy Nursery School.

The Board of Governors have determined that, in the event of there being more applicants than places available, the following criteria will be applied, in the order set down, to select children for the available places:

Priority will be given to applicants who have placed The Academy Nursery School as their 1st Preference.

Admissions Criteria

A timetable of pre-school admissions procedures setting out the dates by which an application is to be submitted is available at www.eani.org.uk/admissions under ‘Pre-School Admissions’. During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria punctual applications will be considered before late applications are considered.

The application procedure opens on 9 January 2024 at 12noon (GMT) and an application submitted by the closing date of 26 January 2024 at 12noon (GMT) will be treated as a punctual application. An application received after 12noon (GMT) on 26 January 2024 will be treated as a late application.

As the pre-school admissions procedure is in two stages the timetable also specifies the relevant dates at Stage 2 which will determine if an application is to be considered as punctual or late.

Statutory Criteria 1.

Children from socially disadvantaged circumstances in their final pre-school year who were born:

• on or between 2 July 2020 and 1 July 2021 (inclusive) and whose parents have not exercised their right to defertheir child’s entry to primary school; or,

• on or between 1 April 2020 and 1 July 2020 (inclusive) or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,

• have not attended or are not currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged child; and,

• that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1 until September 2025.

Note: Children from ‘socially disadvantaged circumstances’ means a child whose parent has an entitlement to (i) Income Support, or (ii) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or (iii) Income related Employment and Support Allowance, or (iv) Universal Credit. When parents apply for places for their child on this basis they must provide Benefit Verification to confirm thattheyhaveanentitlement. TheapplicationprocedureforPre-SchoolwilloutlinehowBenefitVerification canbe submitted.

2. Children not from socially disadvantaged circumstances (as defined above) who are in their final pre-school year (as defined by criterion 1).

Sub Criteria

If there are more pupils satisfying the last criterion which may be applied (1 – 2), then selection for the remaining places will be on the basis of the following sub-criteria in the order set down below:

(a) Children who are currently attending The Academy Nursery School in their penultimate pre-school year (2023/2024) by Friday 26th January 2024.

(b) Children whose immediate family member is currently a member of the school’s staff or governing body.

(c) Children who have had brother/sister(s), half-brother/half-sister(s), step-brother/step-sister(s), foster/adopted brother/sister(s) who previously attended The Academy Nursery School – please include name of child, year attended and class.

(d) The eldest, first or only child in a family. (Verification may be sought.)

(e) Other pre-school children.

In the event of over-subscription in the last sub-criterion which can be applied then selection for all places remaining in this category will be on the basis of the initial letter of the surname as per the birth certificate in the order set out below:

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

The order was determined by a randomised selection of letters carried out by the governors of the school at a meeting on 19/10/2023. In the event of surnames beginning with the same letter the subsequent letters of the surname will be used in alphabetical order. In the event of two identical surnames the alphabetical order of the initials of the forenames as per the birth certificate will be used, both in ascending order.

Criteria 1-2 Tie-Breaker

In the event of two or more children presenting at the tie-breaker stage with the same surname and forenames, then selection for the remaining place or places will be on the basis of the chronological order of age – oldest first.

Non Statutory Criteria

Note: Applications falling under Criterion 3 are processed only during Stage 2 of the admissions process, after final preschool year (Statutory 1 and 2) applications.

3. Children who were born: • on or between 1 April 2020 - 1 July 2020 (inclusive), or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,

• and have attended or are currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged (not penultimate aged) child; and,

• that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1: or,

• on or between 2 July 2021 and 1 July 2022 (inclusive); or,

• on or between 1 April 2021 and 1 July 2021 (inclusive) or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1 until September 2026.

Tie Breaker – Non Statutory Criteria 3

Children within Criteria 3 will be selected in Chronological Order of Age – eldest child first. In the event of two or more children having the same DOB the above random selection of letters will be used.

It is important that parent(s)/guardian(s) when submitting the application give all the relevant supporting information and written evidence that may be needed including the child’s full birth certificate. If a place is offered on the basis of in-correct or misleading information then the Board of Governors may withdraw the offer. If parents/guardians have any difficulty in completing the application, then they should consult the Principal of the school. At the time of their proposed admission children must not have a pre-school education place, full-time or part-time at any other school or premises.

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 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 Policy

Should a vacancy arise after the 11 June 2024, all applicants for admission to the nursery school that were initially refused, new applications, late applications and applications where new information has been provided will be treated equally and the Admissions criteria for entry September 2024 Updated November 2023 www.eani.org.uk/admissions above criteria applied. This waiting list will be in place until the end of the academic year. The Academy Nursery School will contact you in writing if your child gains a place in the school by this method. Your child’s name will be automatically added to the list. Please contact the school if you wish for your child’s name to be removed from the list.

Parent/Guardian(s) should also note that if their child is seeking nursery provision for the 2nd year they MUST reapply.