If your child is starting pre-school or primary school in September 2025, you can apply for their place online, using the Education Authority Website. Applications are now closed.

The form should be completed online and the original child's birth certificate and any supporting information (if required) scanned and uploaded with your online application.  At the initial application we only require the child's birth certificate but we do reserve the right to ask for proof of address at a later point in the process.

FAMILY TOURS OF OUR SCHOOL:
Instead of an Open Day/Evening, we offer our families guided tours of our school "in action" at either: 9.30am,
11am or 1.15pm from Monday 6th January to Friday 17th January 2025 (NB. No 1.15pm slots are available on
Fridays). Your child may, but doesn’t have to, attend with their parents. To make an appointment please contact
our office by telephone 02890862185 or by email office@whiteabbeyps.co.uk

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA
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 and up to 4 pm on 29 January 2025
will be treated as a late application, this is also the last date and time for processing a change of preference in
exceptional circumstances. After 4 pm on 29 January 2025 no applications will be processed until after the close
of procedure on 9 April 2025.

COMPULSORY SCHOOL AGE
Any child who reaches their 4th Birthday on or before 1st July 2025 is of Compulsory School Age. Under the School Age (NI) Act which became law in Northern Ireland in April 2022, ‘compulsory school age’ also includes those children who deferred commencing Primary 1 in September 2024 as defined by the new School Age (NI) Act (both groups to be treated equally).

Priority will be given to children resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the school
before those who are not so resident.

Admissions criteria to be used in the event of the school being oversubscribed. The criteria are listed in order
of priority:

1. Families who have a child currently enrolled in the school.
   2. Children of staff currently employed in the school.
   3. Children who live within the area comprising property on both sides of the Shore Road towards Belfast as
   far as the Hazelbank roundabout. From there, the Belfast-Larne railway line forms the boundary as far as
   the Bleach Green viaducts, where the boundary becomes the Bleach Green / Belfast-Coleraine railway line
   as far as the Jordanstown Road bridge at Monkstown. From there the catchment area incorporates the Rosemount and Mount Pleasant housing developments, to the disused railway line between Monkstown
   and Greenisland. The boundary then extends along the disused railway line before turning towards Belfast
   Lough and incorporating all of the Hartley Hall and Shorelands developments.
   The catchment area is completed by Belfast Lough forming the southern boundary. A map showing this area is available to download from our school webpage: Whiteabbey Primary School Website.

NB: If at any sub-division of Criterion 3 the available places become oversubscribed the subsequent sub-divisions will be used to differentiate between applicants.
(a) children who are the first/eldest or only child in the family currently able to apply to a mainstream primary
school.
(b) children who are from families who have moved into the designated area (Point 3 above) within the current
academic year and have older brothers or sisters seeking admission to the school.
(c) children who attend the traditional feeder Nursery Schools, i.e. Monkstown Nursery School, (Jennings Park),
Whitehouse Nursery School, and St. James’ Nursery School.

At this stage of the process if the school remains oversubscribed this final stage will be used to differentiate
between applicants:
4. Children who live nearest to the school as decided by a straight line from their normal residence to the
main gates of the school as determined from Spatial NI.

Parents are invited to tour our school in early January 2026 by emailing office@whiteabbeyps.co.uk if they require admission for their child into P1 in September 2026.