ADMISSION

Any parent who wishes to have a child admitted to the school should first of all contact the school and arrange an appointment to meet the principal Ildiko Veres who will then assess whether the child can be admitted to the school. Any child of school age will be considered for admission. Children of pre-school age will have the opportunity of attending the Mother and Child Group.
However all the children who would be eligible for admission to the school have special education needs are likely to have a statement of special education needs. Their parents may indicate a preference for the Buddy Bear School and if the statement names the Buddy Bear School the Education and Library Board must place the child in the school and pay fees and may also pay a contribution towards traveling expenses. Arranging for a Board to place a child in the school can be quiet a long and complicated procedure so it is recommended that the parents start the process as soon as possible.

The Departments main areas of responsibility are in pre-school, primary, post-primary and special education; the youth service; the promotion of community relations within and between schools; and teacher education and salaries. Its primary statutory duty is to promote the education of the people of Northern Ireland and to ensure the effective implementation of education policy.   Its key functions include:

• advising ministers on the determination of education policy
• framing legislation
• accounting for the effectiveness of the education system
• allocating, monitoring and accounting for resources
• through the Education and Training Inspectorate, evaluating and reporting on the quality of teaching and learning and teacher education