Antrim Primary School Start Right to Shine Bright
Admissions
Thank you for considering Antrim Primary School for your child's education.
We are delighted that you are interested in joining our school community. Choosing the right school is an important decision, and we are committed to making the admissions process as straightforward and informative as possible.
Applications for admission to Primary One are made through the Education Authority's online admissions process during the annual admissions period. We encourage all parents and carers to read our Admissions Criteria carefully before submitting an application.
If you are applying for a place in Primary Two to Primary Seven, or would like information about mid-year admissions, please contact the school office. We will be happy to advise you on current availability and the application process.
Our Admissions Criteria are determined by the Board of Governors and are applied in accordance with the Education Authority's admissions procedures.
If you have any questions about admissions or would like to arrange a visit to Antrim Primary School, please do not hesitate to contact the school office. We will be delighted to assist you and answer any questions you may have.
Admissions Criteria
During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria punctual applications will be considered before late applications. The application procedure opens on 7th January 2026 at 12noon (GMT), and an application submitted by the closing date of 21stJanuary 2026 at 12noon (GMT) will be treated as a punctual application. An application received after 12noon (GMT) on 21stJanuary 2026 and up to 4 pm on 26th January 2026 will be treated as a late application, this is also the last date and time for processing a change of preference in exceptional circumstances.
Priority will be given to children who have attained compulsory school age at the time of their proposed admission, including those children whose parents deferred their admission to primary school in September 2025 as defined by the new School Age (NI) Act (both groups to be treated equally).
Priority will be given children who are resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission. An original birth certificate and proof of address must be provided at the time of application.
In the event of Primary One being over-subscribed the following criteria will be applied to select pupils. The criteria are listed in order of priority:
1 Children with a brother/sister (half brother/half sister) currently enrolled in the school.
2 Children with a brother/sister (half brother/half sister) formerly enrolled at the school.
3 Children of permanent members of school staff, kitchen staff or Board of Governors.
4 Children of former pupils (minimum 5 school years attendance at Antrim Primary School). Parent(s) must provide details of years of attendance and full name, maiden name if appropriate, on the application form. This will be verified from school records.
5 Children for whom Antrim Primary is the nearest controlled Primary School (excludes controlled integrated primary schools). This will be measured ‘as the crow flies’ from the family home postcode at the time of application to the postcode of Antrim Primary School, using Google Maps.
6 If oversubscribed after the above criteria has been applied, remaining places will be allocated to those living closest to the school ‘as the crow flies’ from the family home postcode at the time of application to the postcode of Antrim Primary School, using Google Maps.
Tiebreaker
In the event of 2 children being equidistant from the school then the alphabetical order of the initials of the surname will be used. In the event of surnames beginning with the same letter, the subsequent letters of the surname will be used in alphabetical order. In the event of two identical surnames, the alphabetical order of initials of forename will be used.
Parents are asked to ensure all relevant information is included or attached to their online form.
DUTY TO VERIFY
The Board of Governors reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any application.
The provision of false or incorrect information or the failure to provide verifying documents according to the required deadline may result in either the withdrawal of a place or the inability of the school to offer a place.
Antrim Primary School Waiting List Policy
A) Applications to Primary One
Should a vacancy arise after Primary One placement letters have been issued, all applications to Primary One which were initially refused, new applications, late applications and applications where new information has been provided will be treated equally and the school’s published admissions criteria applied. This waiting list will be in place until 31st August 2026. Please contact the school if you do not wish your child's name to be added to this list. We will contact you by phone and in writing if your child gains a place in the school by this method.
Antrim Primary School’s policy on the consideration of applications after the Open Enrolment Admissions procedure concludes is available directly from the school or can be accessed on our school website at www.antrimprimary.co.uk.
B) Applications for Primary Two to Primary Seven
Antrim primary School will also operate a waiting list for vacancies arising in P2 – P7, within the enrolment number of the school. The school’s published admissions criteria will be applied to this list to decide which pupil/s to admit in relation to any vacancy which arises. This list will be in place until 31st August 2027. Please contact Antrim Primary School if you wish your child’s name to be added to this list. We will contact you by phone and in writing if your child gains a place in the school by this method.
| Total Applications | Total Admissions | |
| Sept 2018 | 85 | 85 |
| Sept 2019 | 85 | 83 |
| Sept 2020 | 74 | 74 |
| Sept 2021 | 97 | 91 |
| Sept 2022 | 97 | 90 |
| Sept 2023 | 66 | 66 |
| Sept 2024 | 71 | 71 |
| Sept 2025 | 62 | 62 |
| Sept 2026 |