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Primary school admission, discriminating by age

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    #32
    JCDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 1,225 ✭✭✭JCDUB


    Electric Nitwit wrote: »
    Feel free to try to address the point rather than resort to ad hominem attacks. Or feel free to not comment

    I addressed the point when I said the policy is perfectly legal and legitimate.

    Nowhere did I resort to any attacks.

    Best of luck with your hunt for a school, I hope it goes well for you.


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    #33
    Deeec
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭Deeec


    Electric Nitwit wrote: »
    Oh no, crossed wires. I want my kids to start when she's 5. But I worry that she'll miss out due to being a "young 5" compared to other applicants

    You may be worrying over nothing. The school may not be as popular ( I dont mean that in a bad way) as you think. Its possible no kids get turned away. Ring the school (dont give your name though) for further clarification.

    Also look at other schools in the area.


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    #34
    Electric Nitwit
    Registered Users Posts: 10,686 ✭✭✭✭Electric Nitwit


    Deeec wrote: »
    You may be worrying over nothing. The school may not be as popular ( I dont mean that in a bad way) as you think. Its possible no kids get turned away. Ring the school (dont give your name though) for further clarification.

    Also look at other schools in the area.
    Thanks Deeec, I appreciate your replies.
    I have spoken to the secretary earlier this year and know there's already 73 on the waiting list for two classes. I know not all will take a place but they'll almost certainly be well oversubscribed and there'll be very few places left for those who missed the waiting list (we're moving area so we did. We're on the waiting list for our local school in Dublin at the moment but cannot afford to stay here)


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    #35
    jrosen
    Registered Users Posts: 1,629 ✭✭✭jrosen


    Electric Nitwit wrote: »
    Thanks Deeec, I appreciate your replies.
    I have spoken to the secretary earlier this year and know there's already 73 on the waiting list for two classes. I know not all will take a place but they'll almost certainly be well oversubscribed and there'll be very few places left for those who missed the waiting list (we're moving area so we did. We're on the waiting list for our local school in Dublin at the moment but cannot afford to stay here)

    Perhaps the school have enough to push for an additional teacher.

    Out of the 73 on the wait list a huge portion could be 4. You could be worrying for nothing.
    In your school being a sibling and of age is priority one, which is a good policy. It ensures siblings can attend the same school.


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    #36
    Deeec
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭Deeec


    Electric Nitwit wrote: »
    Thanks Deeec, I appreciate your replies.
    I have spoken to the secretary earlier this year and know there's already 73 on the waiting list for two classes. I know not all will take a place but they'll almost certainly be well oversubscribed and there'll be very few places left for those who missed the waiting list (we're moving area so we did. We're on the waiting list for our local school in Dublin at the moment but cannot afford to stay here)

    I know it must be a worry for you when you are moving to a new area. 73 though isnt a huge number on the list - some of these will drop away. I know for my youngest I have him on the list for 2021 start and 2022 start. Hes a January baby so its a really bad birth date for school starts. I know I will be starting him in 2022 when he is 5 as I made the mistake of starting my eldest child when they were 4 but I also was allowed put him on the list for 2021 ( just in case I changed my mind). Have a scout around your new area for other schools. Even put a post up here asking about schools in your new area. Believe me it will work out in the end!


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    #37
    Princess Calla
    Registered Users Posts: 5,785 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    Electric Nitwit wrote: »
    Legally, children must have started their formal education by the age of 6 years so deferment is not an option

    Yeah I wasnt even thinking about that tbh :)


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    #38
    Millem
    Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    OP what month is your child?
    If your child has a January-June birthday then what’s the problem? If you avail of the two years for ECCE your child will be one of the oldest so prioritising age works in your favour?

    It’s a supply and demand issue. A primary school close my work uses age too. For Sept 19/20 the cut off was the start of December. The December kids already had done two years of ECCE and some would of already had siblings in the school! Nightmare situation for the parents.


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    #39
    Electric Nitwit
    Registered Users Posts: 10,686 ✭✭✭✭Electric Nitwit


    Hi Millem,

    have to admit, I hadn't thought of the impact of the ecce scheme. I'd assumed this policy basically excluded 4yr olds, meaning all applicants would likely be 5yrs old. At that point my June daughter would be amongst the youngest

    I understand having a single cut off to split the year into two tranches (although your example of early Dec seems insane), but ranking the kids by age after that seems very unfair to me. Seems I'm in the minority though, which is what I wanted to find out when I asked the question


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    #40
    Millem
    Registered Users Posts: 7,729 ✭✭✭Millem


    Electric Nitwit wrote: »
    Hi Millem,

    have to admit, I hadn't thought of the impact of the ecce scheme. I'd assumed this policy basically excluded 4yr olds, meaning all applicants would likely be 5yrs old. At that point my June daughter would be amongst the youngest

    I understand having a single cut off to split the year into two tranches (although your example of early Dec seems insane), but ranking the kids by age after that seems very unfair to me. Seems I'm in the minority though, which is what I wanted to find out when I asked the question

    The early December only came about due to demand. The year previous it was last week in January. They only have x places.


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    #41
    UID0
    Registered Users Posts: 196 ✭✭UID0


    With Educate Together schools, when they were operating the old first come first served admissions policy a lot of parents put their children on the waiting list soon after birth, but put them on for the year in which they were 4. This then gave greater freedom to decide when the child was 4 if they were ready for school or not.
    Maynooth seems to have been using that policy up until very recently and 73 on the waiting list is not bad. There will be some children who have moved away, some who will defer their entry for a year, some who will choose a different school (e.g. their parents may prefer the gaelscoil, but put their name down for the ET as they wanted a backup). I know of people who were in the high 80s on the waiting list for an ET school (not Maynooth) who got their place in the school because of people not taking the place their place on the list.
    I would suggest that you don't contact the school to complain about this as there are no potential benefits to you in doing so, but there is the risk of you getting a reputation as a "troublemaker" with the school. Look at other schools so you have a backup option if your child doesn't get in, and if the Educate Together is really the only school you are comfortable with, put your child on the waiting list for if a place comes available after the school year has started. In my own child's class, there have been 1 or 2 who have left each year to go elsewhere.

    I don't know exactly where you are living, but the Leixlip ETNS is currently enrolling, and is on the end of Leixlip closest to Maynooth, so may be of some use. Their enrolment system prioritises on catchment area, but you could be lucky.

    I hope that both you and your child are happy with whatever school they end up in.


    On the wider issue of your question, I think that the admission policy should have more categories (given the school's choice to prioritise siblings)
    Aged 5 with siblings
    Aged 5 without siblings
    Aged 4 with siblings
    Aged 4 without siblings

    Otherwise, given the phrasing of Priority Category 1 it looks like a sibling of a current student who is 4 on 31st August would take priority over a 5 year old without a sibling.


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    #42
    Electric Nitwit
    Registered Users Posts: 10,686 ✭✭✭✭Electric Nitwit


    Thanks UID0, lots of useful stuff there

    Hopefully you're right about plenty on the waiting list not taking their place (I know we'll be doing the same with Dublin schools that we registered with)

    Sadly we're well outside Leixlip ET's catchment area but will apply anyway.

    Thanks for the advice, I've no desire to be a troublemaker and understand the school has to have some sort of policy. That was the purpose of this thread really, to see if my views were generally agreed with and it seems they're not :p


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    #43
    shesty
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,893 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Op, don't contact the schools. They need criteria to sort pupils.
    Also look at it this way. 73 on a list, 2 classes. Say 30 in each class. So that is 13 kids who don't have a place. Of those 73 they will apply the first 2 priority categories first. Some of the kids on the list won't be in the area anymore. Some might have moved house and a different school will suit. Some will have their names on another school list and decide they would prefer to go there. Some will decide that they won't start school til next year. The list is endless. I am not saying you will definitely get a place, but causing a row over the enrolment policy before you are even at a point where your child has a place is not going to do yourself any favours.

    Your best bet here is to put the child's name down in a couple of schools, and accept that they will all have their own criteria for sorting kids. There has to be some way to sort kids when schools are over-subscribed.


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    #44
    byhookorbycrook
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,475 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    Contacting a school is pointless, they can't change the rules or "bump" people up.
    Shesty, the issue is that some schools are more popular than others and while there may be sufficient places in an area, there may not be in that particular school. The EWO will find you a place, but not in the school you want.


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