The enrolment date for a place in First Year in September 2013 is
Saturday 4th February 2012, from 9.00am until 12.30pm.

1. Introduction:

The Board of Management of College, Cavan, Co. Cavan here sets out its Enrolment Policy in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998, Section 15 2(d) and it trusts that, by doing so, parents will be assisted in relation to enrolment matters. The Principal, Ms. Angela McGarvey, will be happy to clarify any further matters arising from this policy.

The name of the school is Loreto College, Cavan, Co. Cavan. Contact may be made with the school in writing, by telephoning the school office at (049) 4332881, by faxing the school at (049) 4332597 or by emailing the school at office@loretocavan.ie

2. The School:
Loreto College Cavan in the County of Cavan is an all-girls voluntary second-level Catholic school in the Loreto tradition. The Loreto Education Trust is the Patron of the school under the terms of the Education Act, 1998. The Loreto Education Trust delegates the administration of the College to the Board of Management. The Board of Management and the Loreto Education Trust are committed to the successful implementation of education legislation, in particular the Education Act 1998, the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and the Equal Status Act 2000. Loreto College Cavan subscribes to the underlying principles of the legislation: partnership, accountability, transparency, inclusion, respect for diversity, parental choice and equality. Loreto College Cavan follows the curricular programmes prescribed by the Department of Education and Science, which may be amended from time to time in accordance with Sections 9 and 30 of the Education Act (1998). It operates within the regulations laid down by the DES, which may be amended from time to time. The school depends on the grants and resources provided by the DES and school policy in all areas must have regard to the resources and funding made available to us by the DES.

2.1 Ethos and Mission Statement:

Loreto College Cavan is an all-girls Catholic second-level school in the Loreto tradition. Mary Ward’s core values of justice, freedom, sincerity, truth and joy are at the heart of school life.
Education in a Loreto school:

Promotes Catholic values, attitudes and principles.

Strives for the all-round development of the student.

Affirms the personal worth and dignity of each student.

Fosters awareness of the responsibility to work for peace, justice and unity in society.

Endeavours to encourage excellence in all areas of the student’s life in an atmosphere of interest, concern and friendship for each person.

Our Mission Statement outlines our educational philosophy in full:

As part of the family of Loreto schools and in cooperation with parents and the community,
we are dedicated to Christian education.
We aim to provide a balanced education, academic, pastoral and physical for all students,
affording space for reflection and for learning through experience.
We seek to promote self-esteem, self-discipline and the goal of self-fulfilment
and to foster in our students the virtues of courage, sincerity and truth.

4. Admissions Policy:

Loreto College Cavan has a capacity for an annual intake of a maximum of one hundred and forty (140) students to First Year each year, in 5 (five) class groups of a maximum of 28 (twenty-eight) students in each

Within the parameters of DES regulations and programmes, the rights of the Patron as set out in the Education Act 1998, the religious and educational philosophy of the Loreto Sisters and the funding, resources and places available, the Board of Management supports the principles of
• Inclusiveness
• Equality of access to and participation in the school
• Parental choice in relation to enrolment in the school
• Respect for the diversity of traditions, values, beliefs, languages and ways of life in Irish society.

Applications for a place on a Waiting List for admission to Loreto College Cavan are taken in Loreto College on the first Saturday in February of the year before the calendar year in which the student wishes to be enrolled, that is, when the student is in 5th Class in Primary School.

The enrolment date for a place in First Year in September 2013 is Saturday 4th February 2012, from 9.00am until 12.30pm.

Please note that only complete applications will be processed. Applications are considered complete only when all required documentation is supplied in full and on time.

Incomplete applications will be treated as late applications (See Section 9 below)

The enrolment date is publicised on our school website at www.loretocavan.ie and by means of an advertisement in the Anglo Celt. A copy of the advertisement is sent to all our traditional feeder schools, with a request that it be displayed in a public area in the school and distributed to the girls in Fifth Class.
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4.1 Feeder Schools

The following are our traditional feeder schools: St Clare’s Cavan, Farnham N.S., Corlurgan N.S., Killygarry N.S., Butlersbridge N.S., Ballinagh N.S., St Mary’s Ballyhaise, Convent of Mercy, Belturbet, Milltown N.S., Laragh N.S., St Brigid’s Killeshandra, Corliss N.S., Drumkilly N.S., Kilnaleck N.S., Ballynarry N.S., Castletara N.S., Crubany N.S., St Mary’s Drung, Killycannon N.S., Aughadreena N.S., St Brigid’s Killoughter, Crosskeys N.S., St Michael’s Clifferna, St Mogue, Currin, Greaghrahan N.S., Scoil Naomh Brid, Ballyconnell, St Mary’s Crosserlough, St Patrick’s Gowna, Mullahoran N.S., Scoil Mhuire Lacken, St Aidan’s Bawnboy, Gaelscoil Breifni, Kildallan N.S., Carrigallen N.S.,

Insofar as it is practicable within the Admissions Policy and the places available in a particular year (Loreto College Cavan admits a maximum of one hundred and forty (140) students to First Year each year in 5 (five) class groups of a maximum of 28 (twenty-eight) students in each), pupils transferring from Primary schools will be enrolled on allocation of places. Under the Department of Education & Science Rules and Programme for Secondary Schools, secondary school students must be aged 12 years on the 1st January in the calendar year following the student’s entry into First Year and have completed Primary Education. The school will require an original birth certificate for applicants for places on the Waiting List for admission.

4.2 Criteria for allocation of places

In the event that the number of applications for a place on the Waiting List for admission exceeds, or is expected to exceed, the number of places available in the relevant year, the Board of Management will apply the following criteria in the allocation of places on the Waiting List.

1. Sisters of present students (It should be noted that, at the time of allocation of places, the applicant for a place on the Waiting List for admission must have a sister who is a registered student in Loreto College Cavan) - Category A
2. Daughters of the permanent staff of Loreto College Cavan (It should be noted that, at the time of allocation of places, the applicant for a place on the Waiting List for admission must have a parent who is on the permanent staff of Loreto College Cavan) - Category B
3. Sisters of past pupils (It should be noted that, at the time of allocation of places, the applicant for a place on the Waiting List for admission must have a sister who completed her Leaving Certificate as a registered student of Loreto College Cavan) – Category C
4. Daughters of past pupils (It should be noted that, at the time of allocation of places, the applicant for a place on the Waiting List for admission must have a mother who completed her Leaving Certificate as a registered student of Loreto College Cavan) – Category D
5. All others - Category E

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5. Enrolment Procedures:
Everyone must follow the enrolment procedure outlined below:

• Applications for a place on the Waiting List for admission to the school must be made on the appropriate form, which is available in of Loreto College either on the first or second Saturday of February of the year before the calendar year in which the student wishes to be enrolled, that is, when the student is in 5th Class in Primary School.

The following information will be required when students are applying for a place on the waiting list for admission to the school:

• • Student’s name, address and date of birth. Birth Certificate must be presented or must follow within one week.
  • Contact telephone number(s).
  • Details of any special educational needs the student has, including psychological assessment, if the student has one. Psychological Assessment must be presented or must follow within one week.
  • Previous schools attended and reasons for leaving them, if relevant.
  • Name(s) of sister(s) in the school at the time of application for a place on the Waiting List for admission, if any.
  • Names of sister(s) who are past pupils of the school, if any and date of year in which she (they) sat the Leaving Certificate as a registered student of Loreto College.
  • Any other relevant information.

• All applications for a place on the Waiting List must be made on a specified Saturday in either the month of February or the month of March of the year before the calendar year in which the student wishes to be enrolled, that is, when the student is in 5th Class in Primary School.
• On the specified Saturday the School Office will open from 9.00am until 12.30 pm to take applications for a place on the Waiting List for admission to Loreto College in the September of the following calendar year. The school doors will close at 12.30pm sharp and an application for a place on the Waiting List from any person arriving after that time will be treated as a Late Application for a place on the Revised Waiting List.
• Applications for a place on the Waiting List received before 12.30pm sharp will be divided into the four categories, A, B, C, D and E as outlined above.
• Only one form per person will be accepted at any one time – except in the case of sisters.
• The Board of Management’s decision on any application for a place on the Waiting List is final.

6. Allocation of Places:

Places will be allocated within three weeks of the enrolment Saturday in March of the year before the calendar year in which the student wishes to be enrolled in Loreto College.

Places will be allocated as follows:

1. Places will be allocated to pupils on the Waiting List for admission from Category A above. Should the number of pupils on the Waiting List for admission in Category A exceed 140, then a lottery to determine which of the pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category A will be offered a place, will apply. For details of how the lottery works, see below. On completion of the allocation of these Category A places, allocation of places under Category B will commence.

2. Having allocated places under Category A, places will be allocated to pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category B above. Should the number of pupils on the Waiting List for admission in Category B, when added to the number of places already allocated under Category A, exceed 140 then a lottery to determine which of the pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category B will be offered a place, will apply. For details of how the lottery works, see below. On completion of the allocation of these Category B places, allocation of places under Category C will commence.

3. Having allocated places under Category A and Category B, places will be allocated to pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category C above. Should the number of pupils on the Waiting List for admission in Category C, when added to the number of places already allocated under Category A and Category B, exceed 140, then a lottery to determine which of the pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category C will be offered a place, will apply. For details of how the lottery works, see below. On completion of the allocation of these Category C places, allocation of places under Category D will commence.

4. Having allocated places under Category A and Category B and Category C, places will be allocated to pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category D above. Should the number of pupils on the Waiting List for admission for places in Category D, when added to the number of places already allocated under Category A and Category B and Category C exceed 140, then a lottery to determine which of the pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category D will be offered a place, will apply. For details of how the lottery works, see below.

5. Having allocated places under Category A and Category B, Category C and Category D, places will be allocated to pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category E above. Should the number of pupils on the Waiting List for admission for places in Category E, when added to the number of places already allocated under Category A and Category B and Category C and Category D exceed 140, then a lottery to determine which of the pupils on the Waiting List for admission under Category E will be offered a place, will apply. For details of how the lottery works, see below.

6. Allocation of places will continue until a total of 140 places – said 140 places to be the total of all allocations under all four categories - have been allocated.

7. Having allocated 140 (one hundred and forty) places as set out above, all remaining pupils on the Waiting List for admission not assigned a place, will be allocated a place on a Revised Waiting List by means of a lottery. For details of how the lottery operates, see below.

7. Lottery:

The lottery will take place in Loreto College Cavan as soon as is practicable after enrolment day. The lottery will be overseen by the school Principal and will be witnessed by the Deputy Principal, the school Secretary, two representatives of the Board of Management and two representatives of the Parents Association. The name of each student entitled to participate in the lottery for a place on the Waiting List for admission or a position on the Revised Waiting List will be typed by the School Secretary on identical pieces of paper and placed in a drum. The school Principal will draw names from the drum, one by one, until the drum is empty. The school Secretary will record the outcome of the draw. Places will be offered in the order in which names were drawn from the drum until available places are filled. The remaining names will be placed on a Revised Waiting List in the order in which the names were drawn from the drum. Late applications for a place on the Waiting List (see 5 above) will be placed at the end of the Revised Waiting List in date order of receipt (see 9 below).

In the case of one or more siblings applying for admission to Loreto College at the same time, the name of each sibling will be typed on a separate piece of paper. If the name of any of the siblings is drawn, places will be offered to all the siblings, provided so doing does not push the total number of places offered above the maximum number of 140.

Please note that all parents will be communicated with at the same time and in the same manner regarding the outcome of the First Year enrolment process.

8. Acceptance of Places:

Applicants for a place on the Waiting List will be notified in writing within three weeks of the specified Saturday for enrolement in either the month of February or the month of March of the year before the year in which the student wishes to be enrolled in Loreto College that
• They have been offered a place in Loreto College OR
• Their name has been placed on a Revised Waiting List for a place in Loreto College.

Applicants for a place on the Waiting List will be informed of their numeric place on the Revised Waiting List.
The offer of a place must be accepted within two weeks of the date on the letter from the school offering the place.

It is the responsibility of parent(s)/guardian(s) to contact the school office if they change address or if they have not received a letter from the school within three weeks of the day for enrolling for a place on the Waiting List, informing them of their place on the Revised Waiting List or informing them of an offer of a place in Loreto College, Cavan. Applicants for a place on the Waiting List who do not accept the offer of a place by the date specified in the letter offering the place, will forfeit the place, which will then be offered to the applicant at the top of the Revised Waiting List.
Postal or other delays or telephone problems will not be accepted as an excuse for failure to meet the deadline of accepting the offer of a place within two weeks from the date on the letter from the school offering the place.

9. Late Applications for a place on the Waiting List:

All applications for a place on the Waiting List received after the school doors are closed at 12.30pm on the specified Saturday in either the month of February or the month of March of the year before the calendar year in which the student wishes to be enrolled in Loreto College Cavan will be deemed to be Late Applications for a place on the Waiting List.

Late Applications for a place on the Waiting List will be processed only after all applications for a place on the Waiting List received on time are fully processed.

Late applicants for a place on the Waiting List will be assigned a place on the Revised Waiting List, after the last place assigned under Allocation of Places 6 above, in order of date and, if necessary, time of receipt of application by the School Office.

Late Applications for a place on the Waiting List are processed in order of date and, if necessary, time of receipt of application by the School..
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The Board of Management is conscious of its obligations under the Equal Status Act 2000. Applications for a place on the Waiting List from students with special educational needs are welcome, provided the school can meet those needs adequately, subject to the limitations imposed by DES funding and resources. Applications for a place on the Waiting List from students with special educational needs must be accompanied by an appropriate psychological assessment. This assessment is carefully reviewed by the school’s Special Needs Teacher(s) who then inform(s) the Principal whether the school is in a position to meet those needs. The school has a Special Needs Policy in place that outlines fully our policy in this regard. This policy is available from the school office on request. Applications for a place on the Waiting List from students with special educational needs are processed in the usual manner outlined above, subject to the details outlined in this paragraph.

The school reserves the right to refuse enrolment to any student in exceptional cases. Such an exceptional case could include the following:

1. The student has special needs such that, even with additional resources available from the Department of Education and Science, the school cannot meet such needs and/or provide the student with an appropriate education or

2. In the opinion of the Board of Management, the student poses an unacceptable risk to other students, to school staff or to school property.

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11. Appeals:

In accordance with sections 28 and 29 of the Education Act 1998, parents of applicants who are not enrolled in the school may appeal the decision to the Board of Management in the first instance and subsequently, if necessary, to the Department of Education and Science.

The Board of Management’s decision in relation to the Admission Policy is final, subject only to the right of appeal under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998. Parent(s)/Guardian(s), whose daughter has not received a place in the school, have the right to appeal to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science under Section 29 of the Education Act. In general, such appeals must be made within 42 days of receipt of the Board of Management’s decision.

1. An appeal must be made in writing to the Board of Management within 21days of the date on the letter refusing a place.
2. Following deliberation by the Board of Management, a decision will be made and notification of the decision will be communicated in writing within a further 21 days.

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In the case of students wishing to transfer to Loreto College Cavan from another school for any reason whatsoever, information concerning the prospective student’s attendance record, educational progress to date, behaviour record and impact on the learning environment for other students in the classroom will be required. The school that the student is leaving will be contacted. The application for admission to Loreto College Cavan will be judged in the light of this information and subject to the availability of a vacancy in a suitable class. If the school considers that the student may have special educational needs, then an appropriate psychological assessment must be provided to the school and the enrolment application will be considered in the light of that assessment and subject to the details outlined in this paragraph.

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14. Deferral of Place in Loreto College:

The Board of Management will consider applications to defer acceptance of a place offered in Loreto College for one year, for sound educational, family or personal reasons, provided such application is supported by relevant documentation and received before 1st January of the year in which the student is due to commence her second-level education in Loreto College.

The place that had been allocated to the students who is deferring for one year will be allocated to the student at the top of the Revised Waiting List.

The following year, any such deferred places will be allocated from the school’s quota of 140 (one hundred and forty) places, before the allocation of places as outlined at 6 above commences. The final decision with regard to the enrolment of students in Loreto College Cavan and with regard to all matters covered by this Admissions Policy lies with the Board of Management.

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Loreto College Cavan has a detailed Code of Behaviour. It outlines the system of rewards and sanctions the school operates to promote a climate which facilitates the teaching and learning that is at the heart of the school’s educational mission. It also outlines the procedures the school follows to expel a student. It further outlines the Appeals Procedure available to parents/guardians who may wish to use it. Prospective students and their parents/guardians should familiarise themselves with the school’s Code of Behaviour, which they are required to accept and sign. They are further expected to support the school in its enforcement.