Admission of Infant Year 1 – September 2024

In accordance with the Education Act. Ch. 39: 01, Section 7 which states that, “No person shall be refused admission to any public school on account of the religious persuasion, race, social status, or language of such person or of his parent,” and the Concordat of 1960 which provides “assurances for the preservation and character of denominational schools,” the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Association of the Denominational Boards of Education has established the application procedure for the admission of Infant Year 1 students for 2024 as follows:

  1. Children shall be admitted to school not earlier than the first day of the term in which they attain their fifth birthday;
  2. When limited spaces are available, priority must be given to applicants residing in the catchment of the school (residence 3 km from the school) and on the basis of age, the older children receiving preference. On no account can children be refused admission on the basis of an entrance examination or on the basis that they are too old;
  3. Application forms should be made available to parents/guardians from Monday February 5, 2024; and
  4. Completed application forms must be submitted to the school by Friday March 22, 2024

Standardised application forms for admission to Infant Year 1 at schools are available at the school and at the respective Education District Offices during normal working hours from Monday February 5, 2024. Parents/Guardians of successful applicants will be contacted by the school during the period May 13 to May 24, 2024. There must be no interview process and/or examination as criteria for admission to a primary school(Application Form for Admission into Public Primary School)

Principals wishing to utilise online registration may do so but must simultaneously ensure that paper copies of application forms are also available.

Principals are asked to note:

  • that under no circumstances should a registration fee be charged to parents or any request for a contribution of cash or kind be imposed on any parent as conditions for acceptance of a child into a school; and
  • that previous attendance at a pre-school/ early childhood care and education (ECCE) centre is not a criterion for admission to school.