- Transfers / Admissions

Transfers / Admissions

DOMINICAN COLLEGE

Strand Road,

Voluntary Grammar School

(Denominational)

Portstewart BT55 7PF

Telephone: 028 70832715

Fax: 028 70834807

Website: https://dominicanportstewart.com/

E-mail: moffice236@dominican.portstewart.ni.sch.uk

Principal: Mrs Ruth Oliver BEd (Hons) MEd

Age Range of Pupils:

Admissions Number:

Enrolment Number:

11-18

100

675

Chairperson of the Board of Governors: Mr Michael Fleming BA

OPEN NIGHT/DAY

The school will be open for visits by Year 7 pupils and parents on Saturday 18 January 9.30am – 11.30am, second session 11.30am – 1.30pm.  Following an introductory talk by the Principal, everyone will have an opportunity to tour the school, meet with students and teachers.

Fees & Charges

The school has no Capital Fee. Parents are invited to make a Voluntary Contribution of £100 per pupil.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR ENTRY INTO YEAR 8 September 2025

During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria punctual applications will be considered before late applications are considered. The application procedure opens on 28 January 2025 at 12 noon (GMT) and an application submitted by the closing date of 20 February 2025 at 12 noon (GMT) will be treated as a punctual application. An application received after 12 noon (GMT) on 20 February 2025 and up to 4pm on 25 February 2025 will be treated as a late application.

Respective functions of the Board of Governors and Principal in relation to Admissions to the school

The Board of Governors is the relevant admissions authority for Dominican College, Portstewart (“the College”). The Board of Governors draws up and approves the Admissions Criteria and delegates to a Selection Sub-committee responsibility for considering all applications for admission to Year 8. The Education Authority directs the Board of Governors to ensure that parents understand that no application is guaranteed to be successful.

Any reference to the term ‘the Board of Governors’ within these Admissions Criteria includes the Selection Sub-committee nominated and approved by the Board of Governors, for the purposes of applying the Admissions Criteria set out in this document.

The Board of Governors has agreed that in the event that the number of applications for places at the College exceeds the College Admissions Number of 100, the criteria set out below will be used.

Pupils resident in N. Ireland at the time of their application will be considered before any pupil not so resident.

For admission for academic year 2025 /2026

Pupils will be admitted in the following order until 100 places have been filled in total: –

  1. Preference will be given to all children who give Dominican College as their 1st preference school on the application form.
  2. Where selection has to be made between pupils after application of criterion 1, the following sub-criteria will be applied in the order set down until all places are filled:
    1. Pupils who have a child of the family currently enrolled in the College;
    2. Pupils who are the eligible first or only child in a family;
    3. Pupils who have a parent who is currently a permanent member of staff at Dominican College Portstewart;
    4. Pupils who permanently reside in the following geographical area (a map is available from the school office);

All of Portstewart, all residences east of River Bann until Kerry Foods, Coleraine, all residences west of Coleraine / Portrush Road (starting from junction at Vets practice on Millburn Road), all residences north of Ballymagarry Road to where it meets Dunluce Road.  All of Portrush is included and also all residences between Portstewart and Portrush. 

  1. All traditional feeder Primary Schools – ** Traditional Feeder Primary School is defined as one from which one or more pupils have transferred to Dominican College within the last 7 school years (i.e. after 30th June 2018) This information is available from the school office; and
  2. If the College is still oversubscribed after the application of each of the above the tie breaker will be drawing names from a hat.

FOOTNOTE

* ELIGIBLE –

Twins and other children of multiple births who are eldest in the family are treated as joint eldest children.

This criterion intends to prioritise the child of a family that has not had the opportunity to have an elder child to be enrolled at the College. The following circumstances will therefore be treated as meeting this criterion:

  • The Applicant is more than seven school years younger than the next eldest child of the family.
  • The family has moved residence so that a child who is not the eldest child of the family is the first child of that family to have the practical opportunity to apply to the school.
  • One or more elder children of the family attends a special school (or comparable unit), and the child applying is therefore the eldest child of the family in a position to apply to the College.

A verifying letter must be submitted at the time of application stating that the child is the eldest or only child of the family. The verifier must have known the child and family for at least two years.

It must be signed by one of the following who is not a member of the applicant’s family: a primary school Principal, an elected public representative, a medical practitioner, a solicitor, a member of the clergy.

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Responsibility

It is the responsibility of parent(s)/guardian(s) to ensure that all the information required by the College, accompanies the Transfer application. Failure to provide the required information may result in the College being unable to consider the application. Information submitted after a decision has been made cannot be considered.

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) should note that they must attach documents verifying information pertinent to the College’s Admission Criteria to the online application. Where the Board of Governors has a general knowledge or belief of a problem relating to false or incorrect information the College will take action to ensure that no pupil gains a place through use of such information.

Verification of all Information

The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on the Transfer application or appended to the Transfer application by parent(s)/guardian(s).

The provision of false or incorrect information or the failure to provide any requested verifying documents within the deadline set by the College will result in either the withdrawal of a place or the inability of the school to offer a place.

The responsibility to ensure that:

  • the Transfer application and other necessary documentation is correctly completed;
  • any required verification documents are provided within specified deadlines,

lies with the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the child. Failure to ensure that this occurs will lead to the application not being considered by the Board of Governors and/or the withdrawal of a place in the College.

ADMISSIONS TO YEAR 8 AFTER 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

Parents who wish to have their child considered for admission in the event of a place arising after 1 September 2025 should write to the Principal clearly stating this. In the event of a vacancy arising, the above criteria will be applied to these applications.

Number of Applications and Admissions

Year

Admissions No.

Total Applications All Preferences

Total Admissions

2022/23

100

115

102

2023/24

100

124

100

2024/25

100

99

98

This table does not include children who were admitted to the school with a statement of special educational needs.

  

ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR ENTRY TO YEARS 9 – 12

Admissions criteria for year 9-12 will be available from the school office.

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