The Extracurricular activities programme (ECA) at Stepaside Educate Together National School is a wonderful opportunity for your child to try new activities directly after school and right on school grounds. We offer an array of activities, from arts and crafts to sports such as soccer and tennis.
To learn more about our ECA programme for 2024/25, please read the following information carefully.
ECA Terms
ECAs run for two separate terms.
Term 1: Will run from Monday, 7th October through Friday, 14th February
Term 2: Will run from Monday, 24th February through Friday, 20th June.
*Please note these dates are subject to change.
ECAs run only when school is in session. They do not run on half days, holidays, or during school breaks.
Registration Process
We use Eventbrite to register “interest only” in ECA classes a few weeks before the beginning of each term. By registering your interest, your child(ren) will be put on a waiting list for each class they are interested in. There are limited places available in each class. Those classes with
more interest than space available will use a lottery system to allocate placement into the class.
The process will be the same for both the first and second terms. If your child(ren) receives a place in Term 1, they will not be given priority for Term 2. This policy aligns with our school’s ethos and is the fairest we can be to all the students wishing to partake in the ECA programme.
An email with information and links to the registration page will be sent to all parents prior to the start of each term. Please pay close attention to the closing date of our Eventbrite registration. If you miss the deadline, your child(ren) must wait until all those who pre-registered have been enrolled.
Enrolment Process
1) Everyone must register their interest through Eventbrite. You may register interest for as many classes as you would like your child(ren) to attend.
2) If there are enough spaces in a class for everyone who has registered an interest, we will allocate spaces to everyone on the list.
3) If there is more interest than spaces in a class, those spaces will be allocated through an automated lottery system.
4) Once the class is full, the lottery system will create a waiting list. These places may be allocated if parents opt out, or in the case of non-payment.
5) Invoices will be sent to the email address provided to those who have successfully secured a spot(s). You must open the invoice to view which ECA class(es) your child has been enrolled in.
This invoice will list classes and the total price for the term*.
- If you do not see a class you registered interest for, then a place was unavailable, and your child has been added to the waitlist.
- If you no longer wish to enrol in one or more of the classes listed on the invoice, please email eca@stepasideetns.ie, and let us know which classes you wish to keep and which you would like to release back to us. We will make the change and issue a new, updated invoice.
- We will do our best to ensure your child(ren) is not double-booked, but occasionally, we may miss a few people and put your child into two classes on the same day. If you find this has happened, please email us at eca@stepasideetns.ie and inform us which class you would prefer to keep.
6) To guarantee your place, payments must be made within 48 hours from the time the invoice is emailed. Please be sure to check your inbox and spam. The sender of the invoices will be "Stepaside ETNS service@paypal.com." If an invoice expires before payment is made, you will
lose your place(es), and the next person on the waitlist will be contacted.
- If you cannot make the payment within the 48-hour time limit, please contact us at eca@stepasideetns.ie. We understand pay dates can vary and some people may need extended time; however, we cannot make exceptions if we are not contacted in a timely manner.
*A processing fee of €1 will be added to each transaction to help cover the cost of payment fees.
Placement in ECA classes are not confirmed until payment has been received in full.
If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to read through our Terms and Conditions.
For more information on our ECA classes, including class description and providers, please click the following link: Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA) FAQs.
Any queries can be emailed to the Extra-Curricular Activities Committee: eca@stepasideetns.ie