Sixth Form Admissions

ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR YEARS 13 AND 14

 

1. A pupil’s application for admission to Years 13 and 14 indicates that he/she is in agreement with the ethos, philosophy, aims, policies and regulations of the school including any Code of Conduct or discipline policy of the school. 

2. Pupils taking an Advanced programme of study in Years 13 and 14 in Saint Catherine’s College must achieve SIX GCSE PASSES at grade C or above.  These must include GCSE English or Maths.  Courses offered are at the discretion of the school, depending on range of subjects offered. 

3. Sixth Form programmes of study/individual A level subjects have specific GCSE entrance requirements.  Details of these may be obtained on request from the school. 

4. To gain a place on the one year BTEC Level 2 Diploma pupils must have achieved a minimum GCSE score of 16 points - A* = 8 points, A = 7 points, B – 6 points etc.  The GCSE point score will be calculated on the pupil’s 5 highest scoring GCSEs and will include ONLY grades A* - E.  GCSE English MUST count as one of the GCSE subjects being considered.  To proceed from the BTEC Level 2 Diploma onto Advanced courses of study in general or Applied subjects a pupil MUST secure a Distinction/Merit grade in the BTEC Level 2 Diploma, regardless of previous academic performance. 

5. Year 12 pupils seeking admission to Year 13 must present a satisfactory Pastoral Record.  Year 12 pupils will be rank ordered on a point score according to agreed pastoral criteria which include attendance, punctuality and a pupil’s behavioural record.  Full details on the pastoral criteria, their relative weighting and application in terms of a satisfactory admission to Year 13 are available on request from the school.

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Criteria for any extra places made available by the Department of Education (DE) for admission into Year 13 (Sixth Form)

 

The Department of Education may, on request, increase the number of pupils that the school can admit to its Year 13.  Places that become available in this way shall be allocated only to pupils who meet the basic eligibility criteria for Sixth Form study (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 Saint Catherine’s College. 

2. Pupils from other schools where admission to an extra place at Saint Catherine’s College has been agreed by the Department of Education*.

 

*Parents should note how the Department of Education will, in response to a school’s request, increase the school’s enrolment number in order to allow an extra post-16 pupil to enrol.  DE will first check whether there is another school or schools of a type suitable for that pupil within an hour’s journey of where the pupil lives.  If there is, DE will then check whether this other school or schools may provide all of the post-16 courses that the pupil wishes to pursue.  If these checks find that no other suitable school may provide all of the post-16 courses that the pupil wishes to pursue – then the 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:  (1) Denominational (2) Non-Denominational (3) Integrated and (4) 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 or schools from this same type as suitable for the pupil.  DE will also consider as suitable for the pupil any school from the same type as the type of school that the child attended in Year 12.

 

Criteria for entry to Year 14 from Year 13:

 

1. Entry to Year 14 from Year 13 is dependent upon a satisfactory academic performance and pastoral record at AS level as determined by the Sixth Form Pastoral Team in consultation with the relevant Advanced level teachers.  A pupil’s pastoral record will include attendance, punctuality, application to study and the pupil’s behavioural profile.