"An educator is the one who is dedicated to the welfare of his pupils."

Policy for the Admission of Students beyond Ballot Year


Introduction

Savio College is a secondary school (Years 7-11) and admits students in Year 7 through the ballot process which is organised by the Secretariat for Catholic Education (SfCE) at the end of Year 6. Classroom population in our schools is regulated by the latest agreement between the education authorities at the Ministry for Education and Employment and the Malta Union of Teachers.

Student population within our school might vary from year to year, as students might opt to pursue their education at other educational institutions (or for other reasons). In this eventuality, when vacancies arise, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) at Savio College can evaluate and decide to admit students to fill any vacant places.

Method of admission in other years not included in the ballot organised by the Secretariat for Catholic Education (Years 8–11)

  1. During the ballot process organized by the SfCE, some parents whose son does not manage to secure a vacant place at Savio College might opt to place their son on a waiting list. Should any vacancy arise prior to the start of the school year or during the first year (Year 7), the SfCE will attempt to fill the vacancy from the waiting list as per SfCE ballot regulations.
  2. The Head of school regularly receives requests from parents/guardians who would like their son to be admitted to Savio College should a vacancy arise. These parents are informed that they are to send an official letter of intent for this purpose.
  3. Such letters of intent should be addressed to the Headmaster and are to include:
    • The name and surname of the child
    • The date of birth of the child
    • The intent for admission and possible reasons for wishing to leave the existing school
    • Contact details of the parents
  4. The letter of intent should be addressed and sent to the Head of School. An acknowledgement will be sent.
  5. Once a letter of intent is submitted, there is no need for it to be re-sent annually since these letters will be filed and the student date of birth serves to indicate the year cohort in which the child would be offered admittance should a vacancy arise.
  6. In the eventuality of a vacancy, the SLT will prepare the list of candidates eligible to fill the vacancy depending on the previously submitted letters of intent.
  7. Students eligible to fill the vacancy will be listed in a hierarchical order of preference based on the following criteria:
    • Students from Children’s homes
    • Children of school employees
    • Siblings of existing students
    • Other applicants
  8. Should there be letters of intent from parents of students with special educational needs, a copy of the official Statement of Educational Needs must be submitted together with the letter of intent. Vacant places can only be offered to such applicants if the student’s needs (as described in his official statements of needs document) can be met with the services available depending on the year group in which the parents/guardians of the child are asking admittance.
  9. If more than one student qualifies for possible admission, a ballot will be drawn amongst the qualifying students. The date of the ballot will be communicated to the parents/guardians of these students. Parents/guardians will be asked to be either physically or remotely present during the drawing of the ballot.
  10. Once the ballot is drawn and the new student chosen, parents/guardians of the said child will be notified to confirm in writing that they will be enrolling their son to Savio College. If this is not received within 48 hours of the notification, the next student in the ballot will be chosen.
  11. Once the placement is confirmed parents/guardians are expected to download the Educational Declaration Form (refer below) which states the educational program followed by their son in the present school. The form must be signed by the Headmaster of the school. If parents do not present the declaration form, the next student in the ballot will be chosen.

The ballot will be electronically recorded and saved for reference purposes for the duration of six months, after which it will be destroyed as per GDPR law.

The Senior Leadership Team
Updated 1st March 2021