GENERAL INFORMATION

St Mary's belongs to the international group of schools served by the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST). The school was founded By Irish Christian Brothers in 1866 to provide education for boys in the Belfast area. We work to sustain the legacy of the Brothers in a caring Christian community of learning and teaching.

The individual student is at the heart of what we do. We promote inclusiveness and mutual respect and a sense that the school ‘belongs’ to each student and that the student will find full support for his personal and social development.

The facilities provided in St Mary’s include fully equipped suites for Computers; Home Economics; Technology; Art; Music; Media Studies. Library, ICT, Careers / Counselling; Lecture Hall; Sixth Form Study Hall and Sport Studies.  Among the sporting facilities provided by St Mary’s are: fifteen acres of playing fields, an all-weather pitch, an athletics track, gymnasium, multi-gym and indoor heated swimming pool.

The Curriculum:

St Mary's offers a broad, balanced curriculum relevant to the needs and aspirations of all pupils and is in keeping with the Religious and Educational Philosophy of the School and fulfils the requirements of educational legislation. At key stages, where subject choices have to be made, there is a systematic guidance process to assist pupils in decision making and the election process. Regular Parent/Teacher meetings are held to report and discuss the progress of each pupil.

GCSE:

All students take the GCSE examination, selecting their subjects on the basis of their ability, interests and career requirements. This selection is carefully monitored by the Careers Department. Each student takes a core of four GCSE subjects - English with Oral Communication, Mathematics, Religion and Science. A further five subjects are chosen from the following: Additional Mathematics, Art, Business Studies, Construction, Drama, English Literature, Financial Services, French, Gaeilge, Geography, History, ICT, Irish, Journalism, Learning for Life & Work, Media Studies, Music, Sports Studies, Spanish, and Technology.

St Mary’s has a full-time Careers Advisor who works with students and their parents to offer guidance for their future. 

Sixth Form:

Successful GCSE students choose a course of study from a wide range of AS Level subjects. There are approximately three hundred students in the Sixth Form, a number of whom come to St Mary's from other secondary schools each year. The great majority of our Sixth Form students proceed to Third Level education. Applied subjects in Sixth Form include Science, Sport, Business and Financial Studies. 

Pastoral Care:

The school is organised on the form system and the form teachers have the primary responsibility for the pastoral care of their students. The Careers Department offers advice and guidance to all pupils. There are other forms of support in the School including a Co-ordinator of Special Educational Needs and trained Listening and Support Teachers. A Mentoring Programme operates for Year 8 pupils. A Student Council operates in the school. 

Extra-Curricular Activities:

Students are coached in a full range of extra-curricular activities. Sports include Gaelic football, hurling, basketball, athletics, cross-country, swimming, skiing, water-polo, First Aid & Lifesaving, handball and soccer. There are clubs and societies for drama, music, botany, computing, bicycle safety and maintenance, debating etc.

We attempt to cater for all tastes and pupils are encouraged to become involved in the life of the school. Educational visits are organised to various parts of Europe. Year 13 students and staff make an annual visit to our projects and communities in Zambia.

General Information:

School uniform is compulsory in all years. Sixth Form has a separate dress code.

St Mary's will be open for visits by parents and prospective students on:

Day  Date Time

Tuesday 15^th September 2009 7.30 pm

Thursday 21^st January 2010 7.30 pm

Parents, unable to attend at the above times, may visit the school by appointment during January and February 2010.

ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR ENTRY OF PUPILS TO YEAR 8 IN SEPTEMBER 2010

The Religious and Educational Philosophy of St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School for boys is that of a Christian and Catholic School.

It is expected that an application to attend St. Mary's will indicate that there is an acceptance of the ethos and traditions of the school and of all school Rules and Regulations.

Grammar schools are required to accept children up to the school's admission number as set by the Department of Education. If that number is exceeded by the number of those applying for places, the Criteria below will be used to select those who will be admitted. The Board of Governors reserves the right to apply to the Department of Education for a reduction in the admissions number if it considers that to be educationally appropriate.

The Board of Governors decide which applicants will be admitted and the Principal will administer the admission process on their behalf. 

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

1 St. Mary’s will admit pupils strictly in the order of the Entrance Assessment Grade which they obtain, subject only to the consideration of medical or other problems which may have affected performance in the Assessment and which are supported by documentary evidence of a medical or other appropriate nature. These ‘medical or other problems’ are commonly referred to as “special circumstances”.

Such adverse circumstances may include:

•  temporary illness or accident/injury at the time of the Assessment;

•  immediate family bereavement at the time of the Assessment;

•  serious and disruptive domestic crisis arising at the time of the Assessment;

•  terminal illness of a parent/guardian;

•  life threatening illness of the child or member of immediate family;

•  recent traumatic experience such as death of a close friend or distant relative;

•  flare-up of severe congenital conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, severe asthmatic attack;

•  recent serious physical assault.

A hard copy of the appropriate Special Circumstances claim form must be received by the school office by 4.00 pm on Friday 18^th December 2009 by the Assessment Centre at which the child took the Entrance Assessment.  Supporting evidence is not necessary at this stage but the reasons for the claim and the child’s full name, address and date of birth must be included.

Educational Evidence which could support a claim for Special Circumstances:

Where it is claimed that a pupil’s performance in the Entrance Assessment has been affected by a medical or other problem, independent evidence of its existence must be provided by the parent(s)/guardian(s) to the school when completing the Transfer Form in February 2010.  Where the problem is a medical one of short term duration which affected the pupil only at the time of the Entrance Assessment the school will require the production of evidence that the pupil was examined by a medical practitioner in relation to the illness. 

Where the problem is of a non-medical nature the parents should set out in the Transfer Form precise details of the problem and append any appropriate evidence to corroborate its existence. Examples of this type of evidence might include a letter from a priest /minister or a death certificate in the case of a family bereavement or a solicitor’s letter in the case of a family separation.

The Centre at which the child took the assessment should be named and a copy of the Special Circumstances claim also attached. 

St. Mary’s will not be obtaining from a primary school information which would support an applicant’s claim of special circumstances.

Regulation 9 of the Education (Pupil Records and Reporting) (Transitional) Regulations (NI) 2007 makes clear that, upon receipt of a request made in writing by a parent’s parent or legal guardian, a school must disclose the relevant pupil’s formative record of progress and achievement to the parent.

It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that all relevant information, to enable the possibility of an upgrade to be considered, is provided to the School with the Transfer Form.

The records of the child’s performance in all standardised English and Mathematics (and Irish, in the case of children attending Irish medium schools) assessments throughout Key Stage 2 should be attached to the Transfer Form.

Parents should also seek from their child’s Primary School additional comparative information. This will include the results for other pupils (without names) in the child’s Year 7 class in any standardised tests conducted in Years 5, 6 and 7.

The Board of Governors Admissions Committee will consider all relevant evidence as provided by parents/guardians. (The Department of Education has advised that InCAS assessment outcomes are not appropriate evidence).

Adjustments will be made by the Admissions Committee if they are satisfied that a child’s performance in the GL Assessment was directly affected by special circumstances and that the child’s ability falls within the ability range of other pupils being admitted in that year. The Admissions Criteria will then be applied.

(The Board of Governors Admissions Committee will consist of a Governor, the Principal, the Pastoral and Curriculum Vice-Principals, the Senior Teacher in charge of data analysis and the school SEN.Co).

The Board of Governors may require an assessment of an applicant’s abilities to be carried out by a suitably qualified person.

SPECIAL PROVISION

2. Special Provision may be made by the Board of Governors for boys:

· who are transferring from primary schools outside Northern Ireland

· who have received more than half of their primary education in a school outside Northern Ireland

· whose educational provision to date has been negatively effected by serious medical or other problems which are supported by independent verifiable documentary evidence and who may, as a consequence, have been unable to take either the Entrance Assessment or the Supplementary Assessment.

The closing date for applications under special provisions will be at 4.00pm on Wednesday March 10^th 2010.

The Admissions Committee may require an assessment of an applicant’s abilities to be carried out by a suitably qualified person or body approved by the school.  Within the operation of our admission criteria, the Board of Governors of St. Mary’s will decide whether these children should be admitted on the basis that they fall within the ability range of other pupils being admitted in that year.

Those children to whom this provision applies may, if their parents/guardians wish, sit the Entrance Assessment in which case the grade obtained would also be considered.

It is for parents/guardians to present all such material as they consider will assist the Admissions Committee in its deliberations and to have it appropriately verified.

If applying for Special Provision, parents/guardians must attach to the Transfer Form a copy of the school’s SP1 Form available from the school or its website detailing precisely why they are applying for Special Provision. This may be attached in the child’s Primary School before 19^th February or through the Transfer department after this date.

A copy of the SP1 form should be sent directly to the school by Wednesday March 10^th. 

Further guidance on applying for Special Provision is provided with the SP1 form available from the school or its website. Parents/Guardians are also advised to consult the detailed information on both Special Provision and Special Circumstances contained in the Post Primary Transfer Consortium documents. These are available on the school website or copies can be obtained in the school office.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS ENTITLEMENT (FSME)

3. The Board of Governors reflected carefully on the Minister’s guidance and particularly on the criterion of Free School Meals (FSME). The Board believe that this will be fulfilled as a natural outcome of our intake. In the last school year of 2008-09, St. Mary’s had an average of 21% of our students entitled to FSM while, in the same period, the overall grammar school average was 6%. 

OUR ENTRANCE CRITERIA AND ALLOCATION OF PLACES

4 After decisions have been made in relation to the grades to be allocated to applicants under the above headings ‘Special Circumstances’ and ‘Special Provision’, the following criteria shall then be applied to all applications:

Those who have achieved, or have been allocated, a grade A in the GL Entrance Assessment held on November 21^st 2009 (or the 12^th December 2009) will be given first preference. Remaining places will be offered strictly in order of the Entrance Assessment grade. 

Preference shall be given to applicants with Grade A over applicants with Grade B1, those with Grade B1 over applicants with Grade B2, those with Grade B2 over applicants with Grade C1, those with Grade C1 over applicants with Grade C2, and those with Grade C2 over applicants with Grade D until all the places have been filled.

The further sub-criteria published below from (i) to (ix) will be applied in sequence:

·   to decide between applicants who have the same grade

·   in the event that places remain after the GL Entrance Assessment process

(i) Boys who have a child of the family currently enrolled in St Mary’s or accepted for enrolment in September 2010 (The name of the child of the family and his year group are required).

(ii) Boys who have a child of the family who has attended the School (name and dates of attendance are required).

(iii) A boy who is the eldest child in his family to be eligible to be admitted to the school. (Male twins or other male multiples will be treated as joint eldest).

(iv) Sons of present, permanent members of the teaching or non-teaching staffs.

(v) Boys whose father attended the School (names and dates of attendance are required).

(vi) Boys who have a female child of the family currently enrolled in St Dominic’s High School Belfast or accepted for enrolment in September 2010. St. Mary’s is a post-primary partner with St Dominic’s High School Belfast in their specialism.

  (The name of the child of the family and her year group are required).

(vii)   Boys transferring from Primary Schools under the ERST trusteeship, or formerly under the Trusteeship of the Christian Brothers.

(viii) Boys transferring from our listed feeder schools:

Ballymacward, Ballymacrickett, Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, Bunscoil an tSleibhe Dhuibh, Christ the Redeemer, Cranmore, Edmund Rice P.S.,Good Shepherd, Gaelscoil na bhFal, Hazelwood P.S., Holy Child, Holy Cross, Holy Rosary, Holy Trinity, Oakwood , Our Lady Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Lourdes, Scoil na Fuiseoige, St. Aidan’s, St. Aloysius, St. Anne’s, St. Bernard’s, St. Bride’s, St. Clare’s, St. Colman’s(Lambeg), St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph’s, Slate Street, St. Joseph’s, Carryduff, St. Joseph’s, Lisburn, St. Joseph’s, Crumlin, St. Ita’s, St. Kevin’s, St. Kieran’s, St. Luke’s, St. Malachy’s, St. Matthew’s, St. Mark’s, St. Michael’s, St. Oliver Plunkett, St. Paul’s, St. Peter’s Primary School, St. Teresa’s, St. Therese of Lisieux, Scoil an Droichid, Vere Foster.

(ix)   Should there be over-subscription at the last criterion that can be applied, selection for all places remaining in this category will be on the basis of the initial letter of the surname as identified on the birth certificate presented at registration for the Entrance Assessment by 18^th September 2009.

The order is set out below:

G N W A C Z O’ T Mac R U B X D F S J K Y Mc M H Q I V O L E P 

The order was determined by a randomised selection of the alphabet.

In the event of surnames beginning with the same initial letter, the subsequent letters of the surname will be used in alphabetical order using the above randomised selection. In the event of two or more identical surnames the alphabetical (randomised) order of the initials of the forenames will be used. Where names cannot be separated by this process, children will be accepted by date of birth with preference given to the oldest. 

The Governors ask parents of applicants to take note that it is their responsibility to ensure that St Mary’s receives all relevant information on the Transfer Form or attached to it.