Admissions Arrangements Research Findings

1. Admissions Arrangements • Research Findings

2. Introduction • Post-Primary Review Working Group recommended that the Department should commission demographic and geographic research to inform how the geographic factors should be expressed. • Following acceptance of the recommendations of the Costello Report, the Department drew up a research brief to take forward this work. • Identified 5 separate strands.

3. The 5 strands are:- • Analysis of oversubscribed schools; • Survey of application of admissions criteria in oversubscribed schools; • Examination of travel to school distances and patterns; • Analysis of demographic trends; • An overview of admissions arrangements elsewhere.

4. Analysis of oversubscribed schools • In 2003/04, • All grammar schools were oversubscribed – except one; • 30% of secondary schools (80% integrated); • Almost half of all post-primary schools;

6. Oversubscribed Schools 2003/04

7. Survey of post primary admissions criteria - survey of oversubscribed schools to collect information on criteria actually used by schools this year - 96 schools oversubscribed in 2004/05 (provisional fig) - 80 responded – 27 secondary, 53 grammar

8. Criteria used by schools • Family connections • Sibling • Eldest Child • Parent is past pupil • Other family connections • School Connections • Parent is employee/governor • Attended prep dept • Boarder

9. Criteria used by schools • Geographical Criteria • Attended feeder primary/named primary • Nearest suitable school • Lives close to school • NI domiciled pupils • Others • Special circumstances • Random selection • Date of Birth • Religion • Extra-curricular activities • Interview • Attendance record • Psychiatric assessment

10. Most commonly used criteria • Siblings 73% (11%) • Eldest Child 45% (8%) • Parent is a past pupil 23% (1%) • Parent is employee/governor 21% (0.2%) • Lives close to school 20% (1%) • Attended feeder primary/named primary 19% (7%) • Special circumstances 16% (0.7%) • Date of Birth 13% (0.5%) • Lives in a named area/parish 11% (7%) • Attended prep dept 14% (0.4%)

11. Most common ordering of criteria used: Grammar (after transfer test grade) 1st – Siblings, Prep Dept, Boarders, Special Circs 2nd – Eldest Child, Parent is employee, Lives closest to school 3rd – Lives in a named area/parish Secondary 1st – Feeder/named primary, Nearest suitable school, Lives in a named area/parish, 2nd –, Sibling, Parent is employee, 3rd – Parent is past pupil, primary is same ELB, Special Circs 4th - Eldest Child, attendance record, psychiatric assessment

12. Final Criterion/Tiebreaker • Geography - 32 schools (10% of their pupils) • distance from school, contributory parishes, nearest suitable school, named primary school, postcode, prep dept. • Family connections - 24 schools (10% of their pupils) • sibling, eldest child • Age – 9 schools (3% of their pupils) • Random selection – 5 schools (20% of their pupils) • Others – 4 schools (10% of their pupils) • - interview, attendance record, attendance at a co-ed primary

13. 3. Examination of travel to school distances and patterns • Using postcodes looked at distances travelled to school. • Greater Belfast Area – 4 constituencies, • Mid-Ulster, • South-Antrim.

14. Travel to school distances

18. 4. Impact of Demography • Between 2002 and 2010, 11-17 population projected to fall by 9.3% • Between 2002 and 2015 – 16% • Variations across N.I. • Impact on secondary and grammar schools

22. 5. Admissions Arrangements Elsewhere • Parental choice • Catchment areas/distance from schools • Parental choice within catchment areas • Ability to apply elsewhere if places available • Criteria used when oversubscribed included living closest to school, siblings, religion, children of staff, interviews, feeder primary schools, parental connections, primary assessments

23. The End