Enrolment No: 26 (Full-Time) 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Enrolment No: 52 (Part-Time) Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Afternoon session: 12:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
(Attendance for all sessions is 5 days per week)
Respective Functions of the Board of Governors and the Principal in relation to admissions.
The Board of Governors will determine the Admissions Criteria. The criteria will be applied by a Sub-Committee of the Board of Governors.
Admissions Criteria
A timetable of pre-school admissions procedures setting out the dates by which an application is to be submitted is available at www.eani.org.uk/admissions under ‘Pre-School Admissions’. During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria punctual applications will be considered before late applications are considered.
The application procedure opens on 10 January 2025 at 12noon (GMT) and an application submitted by the closing date of 24 January 2025 at 12noon (GMT) will be treated as a punctual application. An application received after 12noon (GMT) on 24 January 2025 will be treated as a late application.
As the pre-school admissions procedure is in two stages the timetable also specifies the relevant dates at Stage 2 which will determine if an application is to be considered as punctual or late.
Ashgrove Nursery offer both Full-time and Part-time places. Please note that if you wish to be considered for a place in either or both sessions then you must select both Full-time and Part-time on your application in order of preference I.e. If your child is not successful for a Full Time Place and you wish to then be considered for a Part Time place – you must indicate this in your choices.
Admissions criteria to be used in the event of the Nursery School being oversubscribed. The criteria are listed in order of priority.
Children will be admitted according to the following statutory criteria:
Statutory Criteria
- Children from socially disadvantaged circumstances in their final pre-school year who were born:
- on or between 2 July 2021 and 1 July 2022 (inclusive) and whose parents have not exercised their right to defer their child’s entry to primary school; or,
- on or between 1 April 2021 and 1 July 2021 (inclusive) or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,
- have not attended or are not currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged child; and,
- that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1 until September 2026.
Note: Children from ‘socially disadvantaged circumstances’ means a child whose parent has an entitlement to (i) Income Support, or (ii) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or (iii) Income related Employment and Support Allowance, or (iv) Universal Credit. When parents apply for places for their child on this basis they must provide Benefit Verification to confirm that they have an entitlement. The application procedure for Pre-School will outline how Benefit Verification can be submitted.
2. Children not from socially disadvantaged circumstances (as defined above) who are in their final pre-school year (as defined by Criterion 1).
Sub-criteria for children in their pre-school year:
If there are more children satisfying the last criterion above, which can be applied, then selection for the remaining places will be on the application of the following sub-criteria in the order set down below:
Full Time Places:
a. Children will be admitted in accordance with the preference for Ashgrove Nursery School as detailed on their application form i.e. those whose form indicates this Nursery School as first preference provider will be selected before those whose form indicates this Nursery School as a second or subsequent preference provider; second preferences will be selected before third or subsequent preferences etc.
b. Children/grandchildren of a permanent employee or current Governor of this Nursery School by the closing date of application.
c. Children living in BT36 or BT37
d. If still oversubscribed, children will be selected on the basis of the initial letter of their surname (as entered on their current birth certificate) in the order set out below:
R P M C N W I Q G E Z H U O B Y T F J X V L D A S K
(This order was determined by a randomised selection of letters generated https://randomwordgenerator.com/letter.php)
- In the event of surnames beginning with the same initial letter the subsequent letters of the surname will be used in alphabetical order.
- In the event of two identical surnames, the alphabetical order of the initial forename (as detailed on the child’s current birth certificate) will be used.
- In the event of two or more identical names, selection will be made according to the one whose parents’ home is nearest to this Nursery School as decided by walking distance from home to school using Google maps.
Part Time Places:
a. Children who have indicated a part time place in Ashgrove Nursery School as their first preference.
b. Children who have been unsuccessful in their first preference full time application for a place in Ashgrove Nursery School and have indicated a part time placement in Ashgrove Nursery School as their second preference.
c. Children whose form indicates a second preference for a part time place in Ashgrove Nursery School will be selected before those whose form indicates a third or subsequent preference; third preferences will be selected before fourth or subsequent preferences etc.
d. Children/grandchildren of a permanent employee or current Governor of this Nursery School at the closing date of application.
e. Children whose brothers and sisters, half-brothers/half-sisters, step brothers/step sisters, foster brothers/foster sisters have attended this Nursery School within the past 7 years (full name, dates of attendance must be stipulated on application form).
f. Children living in BT36 or BT37
g. If still oversubscribed, children will be selected on the basis of the initial letter of their surname (as entered on their current birth certificate) in the order set out below:
R P M C N W I Q G E Z H U O B Y T F J X V L D A S K
(This order was determined by a randomised selection of letters generated https://randomwordgenerator.com/letter.php)
- In the event of surnames beginning with the same initial letter the subsequent letters of the surname will be used in alphabetical order.
- In the event of two identical surnames, the alphabetical order of the initial forename (as detailed on the child’s current birth certificate) will be used.
- In the event of two or more identical names, selection will be made according to the one whose parents’ home is nearest to this Nursery School as decided by walking distance from home to school using Google maps.
Non-statutory criteria
Note: Applications falling under Criterion 3 are processed only during Stage 2 of the admissions process, after final pre- school year (Statutory 1 and 2) applications.
3. Children who were born:
- on or between 1 April 2021 – 1 July 2021 (inclusive), or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,
- and have attended or are currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged (not penultimate aged) child; and,
- that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1, or
- on or between 2 July 2022 and 1 July 2023 (inclusive); or,
- on or between 1 April 2022 and 1 July 2022 (inclusive) or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1 until September 2027.
Tie Breaker – Non Statutory Criterion 3
Children within Criterion 3 will be selected in Chronological Order of Age – eldest child first. In the event of two or more children having the same DOB the above random selection of letters will be used.
Supporting information required
Applicants should note that for this Nursery School Parents/Guardians will be required to produce not only their child’s birth certificate to their first preference provider but also produce proof of the child’s home address and post code in the form of an up-to-date utility bill to support their application (6 months maximum). This must be provided by 4pm on Wednesday 31 January 2024 (GMT) if applying in January 2024.
Duty to Verify
The provision of false or incorrect information or the failure to provide information within the deadlines set by the school will result in the inability of the school to offer a place/the withdrawal of a place.
When considering which children should be selected for admission, the Board of Governors will only take into account information which is detailed on or attached to the application. Parents/Guardians should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the Nursery School’s Admission Criteria is stated on the application form or provided as supporting evidence for it by the deadlines detailed.
Priority will be given to children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to Ashgrove Nursery School.
Waiting List Policy – Relevant until 30 June 2025
If you had applied to Ashgrove Nursery and had not been allocated a place in our school following the Open Enrolment Process, your child’s details will automatically be placed on the Waiting List. Parents do not need to reapply.
Ashgrove Nursery School’s policy on the consideration of applications after Stage 1 of the Open Enrolment Admissions procedure has been completed is that should a vacancy arise, Governors will:
Apply the original criteria to all pupils remaining on the waiting list.
Parents whose child is offered a place at this stage, will be notified by letter by the Principal who has been delegated responsibility by the Governors for this role.