Admissions

Timeline

Admissions Process Indicative Timeline 2025/26: 

June 2025/August 2025: Review of Admissions Policy – BOM Meeting to discuss any necessary changes to the school’s admissions policy. The amended policy must be forwarded to the Patrons for approval. (Inclusion of NCSE Approval Letter requirement) 

Week of 15th September 2025: BOM Meeting following approval by Patrons of Admission Policy: On approval by the Patron the new school admission policy must be published by the school.

23rd September 2025: Annual Admission Notice: This notice must be published a minimum of 1 week prior to a school accepting applications for admission.

1st October 2025: Applications Process: Boards of management cannot accept applications prior to the 1st of October in the year preceding the intake year.

Department of Education and Youth Policy Information

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/policy-information/school-admissionsenrolment/

Template Admissions Form

ACCS Standard Application for Admission Form - PART 1

ACCS Standard Application for Admission Form - PART 2

Frequently Asked Questions

Admissions Policies - ACCS FAQ

Characteristic Spirit and Ethos Statements

This document contains a template Characteristic Spirt statement for a Community School under the joint patronage of Catholic and ETB Patrons. It also contains an Ethos Statement for a Community School under the joint patronage of Educate Together and an ETB

Student Enrolment and Attendance

The Education Act of 1998 Section 15(2)(d) requires the Board of Management to publish the policy of the school concerning the admission to and participation by students in the school. This policy is subject to conditions laid down in the Education (Welfare) Act of 2000 and to guidelines published by the Department of Education and Skills. It is open to the parents of a student who has been refused enrolment to appeal such decision to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills under Section 29 of the Education Act of 1998. Read more

GDPR Policies for Schools

ACCS have prepared sample GDPR policies, procedures and templates which are available here

ACCS Info Bulletin 02/24

ACCS Info Bulletin 02/25 pertains to Department of Education issued communications to schools in relation to new Regulations concerning the School Health Programme:

Attached to Info Bulletin is a Letter from the Department of Education to schools advising of the new Regulations and the next steps to be taken.

The suggested wording in this letter will be of use to School Leaders

Suggested Wording for Update to School's Privacy Notice

In the section covering data sharing with third parties:

Certain pupil data may be shared with the HSE for the purpose of the School Health Programme

In the section covering the legal basis for processing:

Certain pupil data may be shared with the HSE for the purpose of the School Health Programme. The legal basis for this is:

• GDPR Article 6:

  • processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject;

• GDPR Article 9:1

  • processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive medicine, medical diagnosis, the provision of health treatment or the management of health systems and services on the basis of law; and

  • processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health on the basis of law.

• Infectious Diseases (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2024;

• Health (Provision of Information for Health Examination and Treatment Service)
  Regulations 2024.