Education authorities issue post-primary school guidelines

The Department of Education has issued a set of guidelines to parents whose children have recently received their Transfer Procedure Test results.

The guidelines refer to the next step in choosing a post-primary school for their child.

Advice on the operation of the transfer procedure was issued to all parents last year, and more recently, parents were given a checklist of matters they will wish to consider when deciding on their preferred post primary schools and to help them to prepare for their meeting with their child’s primary school Principal.

A Department of Education spokesperson said: “Information about post primary schools is available in school prospectuses which can be obtained from each individual school on request and in the Transfer Booklet recently sent to parents by their respective Education and Library Board.

“Shortly, Principals of primary schools will be inviting parents to discuss their child’s progress and to nominate on their Transfer Form the post primary schools to which they would like their child to transfer.

“Parents should nominate, in order of priority, all those schools (at least three) where they wish their child to be considered for admission and always include at least one non?grammar school.

“It is extremely important that parents carefully consider the admissions criteria of schools and that they provide, on the Transfer Form, all relevant information which each of their nominated schools will require in order to consider the child’s application against the school’s admissions criteria. Parents are ultimately responsible for ensuring that all information is complete and accurate."

The Department spokesperson added that, in relation to school transport, a child will only be eligible for transport assistance to a school which is more than three miles distance from home where he or she has been unsuccessful in gaining a place at all, or any, suitable schools within three miles from his or her home.

Once Transfer Forms are completed they will be sent by the Principal of the primary school to the appropriate Education and Library Board.

Parents will be advised by the Board in writing on Friday, 30 May 2003 of the post?primary school at which their child has been accepted.

(MB)