ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR ENTRY INTO YEAR 8

Article 16 of the 1997 Education Order as amended requires Boards of Governors to provide for all children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the school to be selected for admission to the school before any child not so resident may be selected for admission.

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 form. Parents should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the school’s admissions criteria is stated on the application form or attached to it.

Criteria

In the event of oversubscription preference will be given using the criteria detailed below and in the order set out in points 1 to 5:-

1. Pupils who wish to transfer from traditional feeder primary schools, namely Ampertaine, Bellaghy, Castledawson, Coagh, Desertmartin, Duneane, Groggan, Kilrea, Kilross, Knockloughrim, Maine Integrated, Maghera, Magherafelt, Moneymore, Portglenone, Randalstown, Tobermore, Spires Integrated and Woods.
2. Pupils who currently have brothers or sisters in attendance at the school.
3. Pupils who are the first or only child in the family.
4. Pupils who have a parent in employment at the school.
5. Date of birth will be used as a tie break with preference being given to the eldest. If two or more children have the same date of birth, then distance from home to school with the closest children having preference will be applied. The distance travelled by car using the most direct route from the school to the child’s address will be used to determine this. The mileage will be measured to the entrance of the house (front door or gateway) at the nearest point from the public road. If the issue is not resolved by such means then reference will be made to Google Maps to clarify the distance from the school.

Applicants should note that they may be required to produce documents verifying information pertinent to the school's admission criteria.

ADMISSIONS TO YEAR 8 AFTER 1 SEPTEMBER 2021

Parents who wish to have their child considered for admission in the event of a place arising after 1 September 2021 should write to the Principal clearly stating this. In the event of a vacancy arising the above criteria will be applied to these applications only.

Number of Applications and Admissions

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

Criteria for admission to years 9 onwards

The school will consider all requests for the admission of children transferring to this school, outside of the normal Primary 7 transition period subject to;

1.  All such requests being made in writing, from the parents of the child concerned to the principal.

2.  The consideration that all such requests can be accommodated within the school’s Admissions Number/Enrolment Number.

3.  The information outlined in the Application Form for Admission to a Secondary School (AP1) and taking particular account of point 4 in the ‘notes for guidance on the completion of form AP1’.

4.  The ability of the school to accommodate additional pupils within the year group and in particular within practical groupings, without exceeding legislative maximum or safe working numbers.

5.  The ability of the school to place a pupil in the most appropriate academic setting i.e. the school streams pupils on the basis of their assessed academic ability and, where a child joins the school at stage other than normal transfer from P7 to Year 8, it may be impractical to admit a child to a class reflecting the child’s academic ability because of a lack of available spaces within the class, particularly when they are divided into practical class groupings.

I am delighted to welcome you to our website, which hopefully gives you some information about Magherafelt High School.

Conveniently situated in the town of Magherafelt, we are a non-selective, co-educational 11-18 Post Primary school with a current enrolment of 570 pupils.  Our pupils transfer from a wide range of feeder primary schools and a significant number travel to school on public transport.

We pride ourselves on meeting the needs of each and every pupil and challenging them to be the best that they can be.  This is reflected in our school motto:

"Aspiring to the success of the individual".

We believe that every student deserves the highest standards in education.  With enthusiastic, dedicated staff and state of the art facilities, Magherafelt High School has become the first choice for aspirational pupils who want to succeed academically and socially.

At GCSE and A Level, we offer a wide range of courses, both academic and vocational, with many students achieving very high outcomes allowing them to progress to University, Further Education, Apprenticeships and Employment.  Our excellent sporting facilities and wide range of extra-curricular activities, also ensures that our pupils' potential can be fulfilled in all aspects of school life, giving them confidence for whatever pathway they choose to pursue.

Good relationships are fundamental to children's education and we are committed to our pupils' wellbeing, ensuring they feel happy, nurtured and respected with extensive levels of support throughout their time at Magherafelt High School.  We provide an excellent pastoral programme and have received an 'Investors in Mental Health Award' for recognition of our work.  We are also committed to ensuring our school is a safe environment and have appointed Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to ensure that together, we can beat bullying.

We are also deeply committed to our local community and play an important role within the Magherafelt and Rural Learning Partnership.  We further encourage good community relations through our 'Friends of Magherafelt High School' and welcome new members who seek to promote positive links in our local community.

Magherafelt High School Pupils are confident and proud to be a part of our caring community.  Our school is big enough to be successful, but just the right size to ensure that we know our pupils and their families really well and can offer them the support they deserve.

Mrs G Anderson BA (Hons) PGCE PQH (NI)

Principal