To Parents / Guardians naming St. Patrick’s Grammar School as a Preference on your child’s Transfer Form

Please click on the below link to access the online survey regarding the recent Open Night event held in St.Patrick’s Grammar school. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEMtNDRleGhwRXBwZHFvR1pfYkdVcGc6MQ Entrance Test Results St. Patrick’s Grammar School intends to use the grade awarded to pupils completing the GL Entrance Assessment on Saturday 20th November 2010 or the supplementary GL Entrance Assessment on Saturday 11th December 2010 as specified by the school.  Parents should record their child’s candidate number and test result in Section C of the Transfer Form.

Special CircumstancesAny Parent / Guardian claiming Special Circumstances must complete the documentation in the Special Circumstances Pack available from the St. Patrick’s Grammar School or from its website.  This documentation, Form SC1, together with the appropriate independent documentary evidence which corroborates the Special Circumstances claim, must be attached to the Transfer Form. Special Provision For those pupils currently in P7 in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, claims for Special Provision should be made on Form SP1 and attached to the Transfer Form.  Form SP1 is available from the school or its website.  Parents wishing to claim Special Provision should also forward a copy of Form SP1 directly to St. Patrick’s Grammar School, by Wednesday 9th March 2011.  After this date claims for Special Provision should be made directly to St. Patrick’s Grammar School and the SELB Transfer Department notified.

 

St. Patrick’s Grammar School which opened in September 1998, was established when Christian Brothers’ Grammar School and St. Patrick’s College amalgamated.  The new school is administered under the joint trusteeship of the Archdiocese of Armagh and the Congregation of Christian Brothers.  Special attention is given to Religious and Moral Training so that pupils may take their place in society as responsible Christian citizens.

St. Patrick’s is set in its own spacious grounds on the outskirts of Armagh.  The original building has been extensively modernised and developed, the most recent phase adding Technology and Information Technology Rooms, Computer Suite, Sixth Form Centres and extra Science Laboratories.

Physical Education Facilities include two gymnasia, one squash court, one indoor handball court, four grass pitches and one all weather pitch.  A new ‘state of the art’ Fitness Suite has recently been opened in St. Patrick’s.  The suite contains the latest resistance equipment supplied by Teca (from Italy) and also includes four pieces of aerobic equipment; two Monarch spin cycles and two Concept II rowers.

The curriculum on offer to every student in St. Patrick’s Grammar School will be balanced, broadly based and will also reflect the religious and education philosophy of the school as stated in the school aims.  The curriculum shall also fulfil all the statutory requirements of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.

At Key Stage 3 students will follow a common broadly based curriculum including all compulsory subjects from the Areas of Study.  Students will also be introduced to a third language, Spanish, in Year 10.

At Key Stage 4 all pupils study:  English Language and English Literature, Mathematics, Balanced Science, a Modern Language and Religious Studies.  In addition to these compulsory subjects, students will have an opportunity to select other options from subject blocks.  Additional choices may be made from the following:

Technology, Information Technology, Additional Mathematics, Irish, French, Spanish, Geography, Geology, History, Classical Civilisation, Art, Music and Music Appreciation, Economics, Computer Studies, GNVQ Information Technology, Construction, Journalism and Media Studies.

Successful GCSE students are encouraged to enter the sixth form where they study three or four A-Levels.  St. Patrick’s offer a wide range of over twenty A-Level subjects.  The majority of our students will proceed to university with many winning Open Scholarships and sponsorships in the process.  St. Patrick’s has the largest sixth form in the greater Armagh area.

Cuirfear fáilte faoi leith roimh dhaltaí a bhfuil Gaeilge ar a gcumas cheana féin acu.  Tá áit lárnach ag an teanga i saol bhuachaillí Scoil Phádraig agus beidh deis ag na daltaí sin forbairt a dhéanamh ar a gcuid bhunoideachais agus léann a fháil I sochaí dearfach a thugann tús áite do chultúr na hÉireann.

St. Patrick’s Sixth Form welcomes students from other secondary schools who are suitably qualified and who receive a letter of recommendation from their Principal.

St. Patrick’s is organised on the form system and each Form Teacher is responsible for the pastoral care of the students.  Other experienced counsellors, both clerical and lay, are available to students should the need arise.  Regular Parent/Teacher meetings are held for all forms.  The Careers Department is always available to give advice to both students and parents.

St. Patrick’s students are privileged to have a beautiful Chapel for the celebration of Mass and other group liturgies and for personal prayer.  Practical interest in community service is also encouraged.  Regular spiritual retreats are also arranged.

Students are coached in a full range of extra-curricular activities.  Sports include Gaelic Football, hurling, basketball, athletics, soccer, cross-country, skiing, handball and golf.  Teams are entered in all Ulster Colleges Competitions.

The school attempts to cater for all tastes and all pupils are expected to become involved in the life of the school.  Numerous clubs offer a wide range of non-sporting activities.  Education visits are undertaken to Europe and the USA.  In St. Patrick’s we are fortunate to have a flourishing Music Department with a full orchestra, choir, traditional group, steel band and smaller ensembles.  The orchestra has travelled extensively, visiting and playing in many European cities, including Dublin, London, Paris and Brussels.  Students are entered for local Feiseanna, Music Festivals and CCEA Examinations and individual tuition is given in various orchestral and traditional instruments.

School Uniform is compulsory from Year 8 to Year 14.

St. Patrick’s Grammar School and St. Brigid’s High School are already working closely to plan and provide for those boys seeking Post-Primary education in a Catholic school in Armagh.  The Board of Governors of the two schools have established a sub-committee to bring forward formal structures and operational practices that will enable the Grammar School and the High School, together, to provide a top quality educational setting in which every boy attending the schools will achieve his best potential.

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BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Respective functions of the board of governors and principal in relation to admissions to the school

The Board of Governors, having agreed the criteria for admission, has delegated to the transfer sub-committee the authority to decide which particular applicants shall be admitted to the school in accordance with the criteria and any appropriate statutory regulations issued by the Department of Education.

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ADMISSION CRITERIA 2011

For Year 8 in 2011 – 2012 School Year

St. Patrick’s Grammar School, Armagh, is a Catholic Grammar School for boys.  The school seeks to admit boys who are suitable for the type of education offered by the school, and whose parents are in agreement with the Philosophy and aims of the school, as outlined in the school publications.

The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any Transfer Form.  Parents/Guardians of applicants who are entitled to Free School Meals should ensure that they tick and sign at the appropriate box on the Transfer Form.  Parents/Guardians should note that they may be asked to produce original documents verifying information pertinent to the school’s admission criteria, including documents to verify the applicant’s age and address.  Parents/Guardians should likewise note that the provision of false, incorrect or inaccurate information or failure to provide information within the deadlines set by the school can result in the withdrawal of a place or can render the school unable to offer a place.

The school will initially consider only those applicants who have taken the GL Assessment tests provided by the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium.  In order to determine which applicants will be accepted into Year 8 in the 2011/2012 school year, the following criteria will be applied in the order set down.

1.     Pupils who have been awarded Grade A in the GL Assessment tests and also those pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted appear to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade A.

2.     Pupils who have been awarded Grade B1 in the GL Assessment tests and pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted appear to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade B1.

3.     Pupils who have been awarded Grade B2 in the GL Assessment tests and pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted appear to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade B2.

4.     Pupils who have been awarded Grade C1 in the GL Assessment tests and pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted appear to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade C1.

5.     Pupils who have been awarded Grade C2 in the GL Assessment tests and pupils to whom Special Circumstances or Special Provision apply and who on the documented evidence submitted appear to be of comparable ability to pupils awarded Grade C2.

6.     Pupils who have been awarded Grade D in the GL Assessment tests.

7.     Other pupils.

If there are more applicants in a category under consideration (i.e. Grades A, B1, B2, C1, C2, D and others) than there are a number of places available, such places will be allocated in accordance with the following subsidiary criteria, 8 a-e, in descending order.

8a.  Applicant who has a brother enrolled in the school at the date of application.

8b.  Applicant who has a brother who is a past pupil of the school at the date of application – full name, date of birth and his address at the time he left the school must be provided with the Transfer Form.

8c.  Applicant whose father attended St. Patrick’s College, Christian Brothers’ Grammar School or St. Patrick’s Grammar School – father’s full name, date of birth and his address at the time he left the school must be provided with the Transfer Form.

8d.  Applicant who is entitled to free school meals at the date of application – ensure that this is indicated by ticking and signing the appropriate box on the Transfer Form.

8e.  Remaining places will be allocated on the basis of age with the youngest applicant being taken first, then the next youngest and so on until the admissions number is reached.

Criteria 8 a-e will be applied in the order set down.

 

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NOTE ON SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Special Circumstances refers to the claim that, as a result of medical or other problems, a pupil’s performance in the GL Assessment test was affected.  A Special Circumstances claim must be supported by documentary evidence of a medical and/or other appropriate nature in keeping with the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium’s ‘Access Arrangements and Special Circumstances Policy’ which was provided with the application pack and which is also available from the school on request.  Claims for Special Circumstances should be made by 4:00pm on Friday 17^th December 2010 using the appropriate from available from the school.

In the light of the documentary evidence submitted, the sub-committee of the Board of Governors will decide whether the applicant should be considered for admission under the Grade achieved in the GL Assessment tests or should be allocated a higher score.  Comparable standardised scores from Key Stage 2, verified by the primary school, should be provided to the admissions sub-committee.  Once a decision has been made the applicant will be considered for admission alongside other applicants within that category.

 

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NOTE ON SPECIAL PROVISION

Special Provision applies to:

• Pupils who have received more than half of their primary education outside Northern Ireland.

• Pupils whose parents wish them to transfer to this school from schools outside Northern Ireland.

Parents/Guardians wishing to claim Special Provision should complete and return the appropriate form, available from the school, stating their case for eligibility under this category by 4:00pm on Friday 11^th March 2011.

It is the responsibility of the Parents/Guardians to provide precise reasons why the pupil did not take part in the GL Assessment tests and to submit appropriate documentary evidence.

The admission sub-committee will request a suitably qualified body or person to make an assessment of the pupil’s ability.  All applicants who meet the Special Provision criteria will be required to take an assessment.  The sub-committee will then consider the assessment in relation to the standard of pupils gaining admission to the school and the decision as to whether or not to offer the applicant a place in the school will be based upon such comparative assessment.

Applicants claiming that Special Circumstances and/or Special Provision is relevant in their case will be considered first.  In the light of the documentary evidence submitted the admission sub-committee will decide whether the applicant should be awarded any particular grade.  Once a decision has been made the applicant will then be considered along with all applicants of the same grade for the purpose of applying the admission criteria.