Admissions Policy

Student age and grade placements:

A child must be four years of age by December 31st and completely toilet trained to enter our Junior Kindergarten class, or five by December 31st for Kindergarten, etc. A great deal of research plus years of experience emphasise that it is to the benefit of a child to be placed within her/his own age range and not promoted to a higher grade, where he/she may be socially out of place. To be successful, children need to be confident and secure in their learning environment, and our placement policy is designed to ensure that this is the case.

We do, however, accept that there are exceptions to the norm and these shall be dealt with on an individual case-by-case basis, in full consultation with the teachers and the parents. In cases where the child's birth date is very close to the cut off date and where parents feel the child should be in a higher year level, the child will still be placed in the appropriate grade according to our own admissions policy - i.e. the 'lower' grade - for observation and assessment. Children will only be 'promoted' from that grade after a period of observation and upon the recommendation of the appropriate teacher(s).
All of our teachers are trained and experienced in dealing with a full range of ability and achievement, and our curriculum is an open-ended continuum rather than a series of separate steps. Children progress through the curriculum at different rates and are, therefore, not 'held back' by being with their age peers.

At this time, Greybrook Academy can only provide an educational programme for a child who is able to function within the normal range of expectations for his or her grade level. We do accept a limited number of students in any class who require English as a Second Language (ESL) support and we have specialist staff for this purpose.

Special Needs:

The school does not undertake to provide for all specialised educational needs. We cannot currently support students with specific learning disabilities who require significant learning support, and who would otherwise not be able to function at grade level. We will consider students with mild learning challenges, provided they can function in the regular classroom with a minimum of support.

Decision-Making Process:

All placements are 'provisional' in that they may be reviewed during the child's first term in the school. If a review is requested, then parents will be given the opportunity to meet and discuss their concerns with the child's teachers. Following this meeting, the teachers will undertake an observational period to assess and review the child's social and academic situation.

In realistic terms, this review process may take between 3-6 weeks to allow the child to settle into the class situation and show his or her capability and maturity and for the teachers to make a rational assessment based on the social and academic needs of the child.

Decisions must be taken with the full input of the Child Study team. This team should be comprised of the child's current teachers and the child's previous teachers where appropriate. Their recommendations should then be discussed with the Director of Admissions and Principal. It is crucial to ensure that all decisions on placement are made with the best interests and the well-being of the student in mind.

Application Deadlines:

Applications to Greybrook are taken on a first-come, first-served basis, and can be submitted year-round, given space availability. Greybrook is also open to mid-stream entry, should an applicant wish to join the school at any point during the academic year. As our class sizes are capped at 16, 18, and 20, early application is recommended.