Admission to Catholic school

[Evuliux]

I just wonder if anyone could advice with re to admission to Catholic school. The main criteria is 'baptised children', however, my little girls is getting baptised in May. We are catholic family, attend parish church(which is linked to the school) regularly, church priest has signed the forms required with re to attendance etc. However, when I took the supplementary forms in I've been told that unfortunately we will be at the bottom of consideration list simply because my little one hasnt been baptised yet. Surely, it would be more important that she would start school in September as baptised child and us attending church regulary and having a date set with the priest etc would be enough of an indication to meet the criteria. Has anyone by any chance had similar experience or have any advice? Many thanks!

Can you bring the baptism forward? Explain to the priest it is important to you to raise her Catholic which includes her attending Catholic School, and you want to make sure she is admitted.
If you are practicing Catholics within the parish that’s a perfectly legitimate request.
Is there a reason it has to be in May?

Do they specify a deadline for baptism and/or regular church attendance (verified by clergy). Some state baptism by aged 1 to avoid those who only do it out of convenience.

Agree with what LIZS.

Make sure you put on your supplement form that they are booked for baptism in May, and that you are practising Catholics. It might come under the category of 'on a course of preparation to become a Catholic'.
Depends on admission criteria though.

If your school is liked to be oversubscribed with baptised Catholics, then I'm afraid your child may miss out. Especially if you are in London or the south east of England.

Have you only just read the admissions criteria?

If the school's admission criteria state child must be baptised then that is the criteria. Some require baptism by 6 months.

Other children who are already baptised will rank ahead of you.

Why are you only just getting her baptised now?

Not sure why you are only getting her baptised now. See if the priest will bring it forward.

My understanding of Roman Catholicism is that baptism before 6 months is normal. Talk to the priest and get the baptism done ASAP if you want your child to go to this school.

While baptism can take place at any age, it is standard for Catholics to have children baptised within 1st year (usually 1st 6 months).

I’m afraid that if that is what the admissions code states, then that is what has to be adhered to.

If you are practicing Catholics, why are you baptising so late? Mine were all done by 10 weeks!

Thanks everyone for advice. Seems like we'll just have to keep fingers crossed and hope for the best. She had to get baptised this summer but due to unforeseen circumstances we had to postpone it till May.

Most practicing Catholics get it done ASAP, when their children are infants so as to not upset the family elders with talk of limbo and all ;) To think we got hell for postponing our son's baptism until 7 months.

As other say, it's important to have the baby baptised as soon as possible.

Catholics are supposed to be baptized before 6 months.

It depends on culture doesn’t it? Some baptise later. Although none later than 18months IME.

You need to read the admission criteria, if they say baptised then your child needs to be baptised by the admissions deadline. Many schools also have a criteria for ‘being enrolled on a preparation for baptism course’ so that’s worth checking.

Don’t think any culture routinely baptizes at 4.........

You are a Catholic family yet you have a 4 year old that hasn't been baptised yet? Have you all recently become Catholics?

If there is no limiting date on the admission criteria that says for instance baptism within 6 months of birth then you could try asking the priest whether he would be prepared to sign a "certificate of reception into the catholic church" based on the fact that your child will be baptised in May and was supposed to be baptised in the summer. Some schools and diocese will accept a certificate of reception as being an appropriate equivalent to a baptism certificate.
The main problem though is that whatever document you can furnish should be with the school by the 15th Jan which is the cut off date for on time applications.

Looks like one of those Road to —Holy Trinity Primary— Damascus things to me.......

I don’t think she’d be eligible for a certificate of reception would she? I think you have to be in full communion with the church and she isn’t as she hasn’t been baptised.

I think you are right Rafal. Certificates of reception are converts from other denomination. I have one. Forgive me for being a cynic but delaying baptism until 4 just says to me that you are only having It done to get her in the school. If your faith was so important it would be done as an infant.

I would think that schools need to stick strictly to the published criteria and not bend the rules, otherwise surely they’d open themselves up to appeals from the parents who’d lost out.

The good news is that if you don’t get an offer, come May (after baptism) you could potentially shoot to the top of the waiting list as you’ll then meet the top criteria. You should check with the school, but that’s my understanding.

I hope I am wrong, but it does sound like a family who 'rediscovered' their faith when finding out the best school in the area for their child is the local Catholic primary.

That’s the only situation I could see them being used as evidence of baptism for primary school entry, Toddler. Where the child was baptised in another church and the family subsequently converted.

If the school require children to be baptised in order to be given priority I don’t think there’s any way round that for an unbaptised child. It would seem to be contrary to the admissions code.