Admissions

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA – YEARS 9 – 11

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Admission to any year group will be governed by the availability of places within that year group, class sizes (including practical class sizes), planned allocation and usage of staff, accommodation and other resources. The number of places available is at the discretion of the Principal.

1.2 Applicants who have registered on the waiting list will be invited to sit a standardised test. Bloomfield Collegiate School reserves the right to change the date of the test due to unforeseen circumstances.

2. CRITERIA

2.1 The following criteria will be applied to determine the admission of pupils into Years 9 – 11.

2.2 Proven academic ability as demonstrated by achieving a score in Vocabulary and Mathematics on or above the national average (100) in a recognised standardised test sat at Bloomfield Collegiate School.

2.3 If the number of applications exceeds the number of available places, then the following criteria shall apply in the order stated:

(i) An applicant with a child of the family currently attending Bloomfield Collegiate School.
(ii) An applicant who has a brother currently enrolled in Campbell College or RBAI.
(iii) If, after all the criteria 2.3(i) and 2.3(ii) have been exhausted, there is a number of applicants who have equal claim to the remaining places then those places will be allocated on the basis of strict rank order of the standardised average test score; those achieving higher scores being allocated places before those with lower scores.
(vi) If more than one applicant is eligible for the final place priority will be given to the applicant whose home is closer to the school. (Distance will be measured in a straight line using an Ordnance Survey web distance measurement tool from the candidate’s normal home address to the School’s front gate).

(The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any application form)

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA – YEAR 13

(Please note, when reference is made to GCSE, consideration will also be given to equivalent examinations).

(A) Internal Admissions to Bloomfield Collegiate School

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 This section applies to Bloomfield Collegiate School Year 12 pupils only.

1.2 Pupils must notify the School as soon as possible upon the publication of the GCSE results to advise if it is their intention to return to Year 13.

1.3 Pupils must study a minimum of 3 AS subjects or equivalent. For any subject they wish to study, pupils will normally be expected to have achieved at least a grade B in GCSE, except where prior study is not a prerequisite. This includes subjects only offered at AS level. (Please refer to the Subject Choice Booklet for
specific subject entry requirements).

2. CRITERIA

2.1 The following criterion will be used to determine admission of Year 12 pupils into Year 13.

2.2 Pupils who obtain at least 10 points in their GCSE examinations. For the purpose of calculating an applicant’s score, grade A* = 4 points, A = 3 points, grade B/C* = 2 points, and grade C = 1 point. Short course GCSEs will be counted as half the points. Pupils who achieve fewer than 17 points will study 3 AS subjects, pupils who achieve 17 to 20 points are strongly advised to study 3 AS subjects and pupils who achieve 21 or more points can choose to study 4 AS subjects.

2.3 If the number of applications exceeds the number of available places, then the following criteria shall apply in the order stated:

(i) Places will be allocated in strict rank order of the applicant’s GCSE scores as defined above, those achieving higher scores being allocated places before those with lower scores.
(ii) If more than one applicant is eligible for the final place priority will be given to the applicant whose home is closer to the school. (Distance will be measured in a straight line using an Ordnance Survey web distance measurement tool from the candidate’s normal home address to the School’s front gate).

3. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

3.1 Where the performance of a pupil in her GCSE examinations has been affected by verifiably serious and sustained illness or any other verifiable reason deemed, in the opinion of the Principal, exceptional and beyond the control of the pupil concerned, the School may admit the pupil to Year 13 on the basis of a reduced tariff or offer a place to repeat Year 12, if more appropriate.

(B) External Admissions to Bloomfield Collegiate School

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 This section applies to all pupils who are not currently enrolled in Year 12 in Bloomfield Collegiate School.

1.2 Those wishing to be considered for a place must complete an application form, available from the School, and return it to the Principal before, or as soon as possible after, the publication of the GCSE results.

1.3 Following publication of the GCSE results the School should be contacted promptly and notified of the GCSE results and Applicants who meet criterion 2.3 will be invited for an interview to discuss potential subject options and a career path.

1.4 Pupils must study a minimum of 3 AS subjects. For any subject they wish to take to study, pupils will normally be expected to have achieved at least a grade B in GCSE, except where prior study is not a prerequisite. This includes subjects only offered at AS level.

2. CRITERIA

2.1 The following criteria will be applied to determine the admission of pupils into Year 13.

2.2 Bloomfield Collegiate pupils who meet the criteria under Internal Admissions will be offered a place first.

2.3 Pupils who obtain at least 10 points in their GCSE examinations. For the purpose of calculating an applicant’s score, grade A* = 4 points, A = 3 points, grade B/C* = 2 points, and grade C = 1 point. Short course GCSEs will be counted as half the points. Pupils who achieve fewer than 17 points will study 3 AS subjects, pupils who achieve 17 to 20 points are strongly advised to study 3 AS subjects and pupils who achieve 21 or more points can choose to study 4 AS subjects.

2.4 If the number of applications exceeds the number of available places, then the following criteria shall apply in the order stated:

(i) An applicant with a child of the family currently attending Bloomfield Collegiate School.

(ii) An applicant who has a brother currently enrolled in Campbell College or Royal Belfast Academical Institution.

(iii) If, after all the criteria 2.4(i) and 2.4(ii) have been exhausted, there is a number of applicants who have equal claim to the remaining places then those places will be allocated in strict rank order of the applicant’s GCSE scores as defined above, those achieving higher scores being allocated places before those with lower scores.

(viii) If more than one applicant is eligible for the final place priority will be given to the applicant whose home is closer to the school. (Distance will be measured in a straight line using an Ordnance Survey web distance measurement tool from the candidate’s normal home address to the School’s front gate).

(The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any application form)

(C) Extra places made available by the Department of Education for admission into Year 13 (Sixth Form)

The Department of Education may, in response to a request from a school, increase the number of pupils the school can admit to Year 13. Places that become available in this way shall be allocated only to pupils who meet the basic eligibility criteria for sixth form (as above) and shall be allocated in the order determined by the criteria to be applied in the order set down.

1. Pupils who have most recently completed Year 12 in Bloomfield Collegiate School.
2. Pupils from other schools where admission to an extra place at Bloomfield Collegiate School has been agreed by the Department of Education.*

*Parents should note how the Department of Education (DE) will, in response to a school’s request, increase the school’s enrolment number in order to allow extra post-16 pupil to enrol. DE will only increase the school’s enrolment number if it is content that each external pupil for whom a place is requested would not be able to pursue their post-16 course-choices at a suitable school without undertaking an unreasonable journey (i.e. a journey that by public transport would be over an hour from where the young person lives). If DE finds that no other suitable school may provide all of the post-16 courses that the pupil wishes to pursue – then DE will agree a school’s request for an extra place.

What is a school of a type that is suitable for a pupil? To determine this, DE first considers all schools to be one of 4 types: (i) denominational (ii) nondenominational (iii) Integrated and (iv) Irish-Medium. A school requesting an extra place for a post-16 pupil will belong to one of these 4 types and DE will consider any other school from this same type as suitable for the pupil. DE will also consider as suitable for the pupil any school of the same type as that attended by the child in Year 12.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA – YEAR 14

CRITERIA

Bloomfield Collegiate pupils, who wish to return into Year 14, must have achieved in AS examinations during Year 13 at least a minimum score of 70 points.

(Points Tariff: A = 60, B = 50, C = 40, D = 30, E = 20).

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

In the case of a Bloomfield Collegiate School pupil whose performance in the AS examinations may have been affected by extreme medical or other circumstances, which were not taken into account during the examination period under special access or special consideration, the Principal will consider whether it is appropriate for the pupil to continue into Year 14 or to offer a place to repeat Year 13 and that places are available and that the Principal feels it is in the best interests of the pupil to do so.

Direct entry into Year 12 or Year 14 will be at the discretion of the Principal.