Admission Policy

Download the Admission Policy (Word) · Word · issued January 2025, reviewed 24 September 2025

Policy: Admissions Policy

Date of Issue: 29th January 2025

Date	Reviewed / Ratified	Chairperson’s Signature	Principal’s Signature
29/01/25	Ratified	Yvonne Cummins	Jerry Ryan
24/09/25	Reviewed	Yvonne Cummins	Jerry Ryan

Admission Policy of Scoil Triest

School Address: Lota Glanmire Co. Cork

Roll number: 19760E

School Patron: Brothers of Charity

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 students attending the school.

The policy was approved by the school patron on 30th January 2025, it is published on the school’s website and will be made available in hardcopy, on request, to any person who requests it.

The relevant dates and timelines for Scoil Triest 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 application form for admission is published on the school’s website and will be made available in hardcopy on request to any person who requests it.

Characteristic spirit and general objectives of the school

Scoil Triest – which is situated on the grounds of the Brothers of Charity, Lota, Glanmire, is a Catholic School under the Patronage of the Brothers of Charity. While we have a Catholic ethos in Scoil Triest Special School, no student is discriminated against because of religious beliefs. “Catholic Ethos” in the context of a Catholic primary school means the ethos and characteristic spirit of the Roman Catholic Church, which aims at promoting:

(a) the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the person of the pupil, including the intellectual, physical, cultural, moral and spiritual aspects; and

(b) a living relationship with God and with other people; and

(d) the formation of the students in the Catholic faith, and which school provides religious education for the students 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

(e) In accordance with S.15 (2) (b) of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management of Scoil Triest Special School 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.

Scoil Triest Special School is dedicated to providing the highest quality, care and education of students under our instruction. In partnership with the Parents/Guardians, Families and/or Residential Personnel of our students, we seek to promote individual intellectual, emotional, social, physical and spiritual development. The dignity of each student is maintained at a premium, thus ensuring equality of provision. We believe that each child is entitled to an appropriate educational provision, regardless of individual levels of attainment and functioning. While enabling each student to develop his/her potential to the full, we also want our students to be happy in school and to enjoy their time in our care.

Educational Programmes

Scoil Triest Special School caters for the educational needs of its students through both Junior Cycle Programmes – Levels 1 & 2 and Senior Cycle Programmes – Levels 1 & 2.

Referral Procedures

Applications should be made in writing by the parent or legal guardian of the applicant. If a third party, acting on behalf of a parent, refers a student to the school, it is expected that it is with the parents’ agreement. The person referring the student to the school is the person the school will enter into correspondence with.

Completed Application Forms should be addressed to:

The Principal, Scoil Triest Special School, Lota, Glanmire Co. Cork. Eircode T23 W920

Applicants will be informed in writing as to the decision of the school – within the timeframe outlined in the annual admissions notice.

Scoil Triest aims to create a happy, safe and supportive learning environment where each individual is heard, included and valued and where positive relationships between students, staff and parents are fostered and nurtured.

Students are consistently encouraged by staff in a positive manner to promote self-confidence, self-esteem and independence and each individual student is encouraged to achieve his/her full potential both academically and socially.

Scoil Triest provides a broad and balanced curriculum which facilitates the development of each student to his/her potential and is designed to meet the specific needs of students who have a diagnosis of Autism.

Scoil Triest is a co-educational special school for students aged 12-18 years who have a dual diagnosis of Autism and an intellectual disability in the mild/moderate range.

Scoil Triest is a Catholic school, subscribing fully to the Ethos statement of the Brothers of Charity (www.brothers of charity.ie).

We enable each other to reach our full potential both in school and in the wider community. The school motto is “Be as good as you can be”.

Admission Statement

Scoil Triest 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.

Scoil Triest 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 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.

Scoil Triest 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.

Scoil Triest is a special school which, with the approval of the Minister for Education, provides an education exclusively for students aged 12 to 18 years with a dual diagnosis of Autism and mild / moderate intellectual disability.
Students must have a recommendation by a Psychologist/Multi-D team to attend an Autism specific special school (mild / moderate learning disability)
Scoil Triest may refuse admission to a student, where the student does not have the specified category of special educational needs provided for by the school.
Students must be 12 years of age by the 1st September of the year of enrolment.

Categories of Special Educational Needs catered for in Scoil Triest.

Scoil Triest with the approval of the Minister for Education and Skills, provides an education exclusively for students aged 12 to 18 years with a dual diagnosis of Autism and mild / moderate learning disability.
Addition made in September 2025 as required under Circular 0039/2025
Children and young people are eligible for enrolment in a Special School for those who have a dual diagnosis of autism and mild/moderate intellectual disability when the following is provided in support of such an application:
Dual Diagnosis of Autism: DSM IV/V or ICD 10/11 & Mild/Moderate Intellectual Disability (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 School for students who have a dual diagnosis of autism and mild-moderate intellectual disability.
i.e. “Preliminary Determination of Eligibility to a Special School Placement” (Please contact your assigned SENO about this letter-More information is available on the www.ncse.ie

Admission of Students

The Board of Management, Scoil Triest takes ultimate responsibility for the admission of students to the school.

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.
a student does not have the category of special education needs catered for by the school.

Oversubscription

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 applicants that are received within the timeline for receipt of applications as set out in the school’s Annual Admissions Notice:

The applicant must meet the criteria for enrolment set out in section 4 and 5
There must be a space in the appropriate class in line with Department of Education Guidelines for class size and staffing and the BOM decision on whether the school is full. The Board of Management reserves the right to place a cap on the number of Students in any/all classes. This decision will be guided by:
The needs of the students
Considerations of Health & Safety
The availability of the appropriate resources
In the event 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:
Selection Criteria
Places will be offered to qualifying applicants (i.e. those who meet all the Criteria in section 4 and 5) based on their age, with the oldest applicants ranking first in priority
In the event of two or more students who are candidates for the same place having the same date of birth, the student’s names will be picked by random selection by an independent person (who is not on the Board of Management or connected with any person applying for a place in the school) and the first such name picked will be offered the place.

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 the admission criteria approved by the Minister for Education, i.e. students aged 12 to 18 years with a dual diagnosis of Autism and mild / moderate learning disability. Students must be 12 years of age by the 1st September of the year of enrolment.
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;
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 Scoil Triest will be based on the following:

Our school’s current admission policy
The school’s annual admission notice
The current assessment by a Psychologist that the student has a diagnosis of Autism and mild/moderate intellectual disability and has a recommendation to attend an Autism specific special school.

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 Scoil Triest you must indicate—

(i) 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

(ii) whether or not you have applied for and are 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 Scoil Triest 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.

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. Scoil Triest will request information from a student’s previous educational placement once the applicant has accepted an offer of a place.

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 Scoil Triest 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 Scoil Triest 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.

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 and/or Incomplete Applications

All fully completed 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.

Procedures for admission of students to other years and during the school year

The procedures of the school in relation to the admission of students who are not already admitted to the school to classes or years other than the school’s intake group are as follows:
If a vacancy occurs due to a student leaving the school mid- year, the vacancy will be offered to the next applicant waitlisted for entry to the school

Declaration in relation to the non-charging of fees

This rule applies to all schools.

The Board of Management of Scoil Triest 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.

Arrangements regarding students not attending religious instruction

The following are the school’s arrangements for students, where the parents or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, who has requested that the student attend the school without attending religious instruction in the school. These arrangements will not result in a reduction in the school day of such students.
Catholic students are prepared for Confirmation and attend instruction for the sacrament. Pupils of other faiths remain in their classrooms during this time and are engaged in other meaningful and educational activities with adequate staff supervision.

Reviews/appeals

Review of decisions by the board of Management

The 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.

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 appeal

Under 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).

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.

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.

Approved by BOC Patron on 30th January 2025

Ratified by Board of Management on 29th January 2025