Admissions
Timeline
Admissions Process Indicative Timeline 2025/26:
Student Age for Admission
The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 requires attendance up to 16 years or 3 years of post-primary.
Rules & Programme for Secondary Schools sets the minimum age of 12 by 1 January for entry into First Year of Junior Cycle.
A recognised pupil is defined in the Rules & Programme for Secondary Schools as:
“A pupil who is not less than 12 years of age on the 1st day of January of the school year, who, as a rule, has completed a full course of primary education, and who is following an approved course.”
Department of Education and Youth Policy Information
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/policy-information/school-admissionsenrolment/
Frequently Asked Questions
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 Youth. 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 Youth under Section 29 of the Education Act of 1998. Read more
GDPR Policies for Schools
ACCS has 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 and Youth issued communications to schools in relation to new Regulations concerning the School Health Programme:
Attached to this Info Bulletin is a Letter from the Department of Education and Youth to schools advising of the new Regulations and the next steps to be taken. Note that ACCS has amended the Data Protection Policy Template with the suggested wording for the school's privacy notice, as suggested. The updated Data Protection Policy can be found here.