In accordance with paragraph 1 and 2 of section 241.1 of the Education Act, the English Montreal School Board may grant a derogation to a child who has not reached the age of admission. The school board is responsible for the acceptance or refusal of said request based on the requirements of the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur (MEES) regulation respecting exceptional cases for admission to preschool (kindergarten) and elementary school education.

Regarding derogation request 1 (7) which requires a psychological evaluation, parents should ensure that the psychologist who evaluates their child has followed the guidelines in the document entitled Guide d'évaluation en vue d'une dérogation à l'âge d'admission à l'école, prior to the evaluation.

Subsequent to the evaluation, the completed dossier stamped by the school, should be forwarded to the Student Services Department (c/o Director), with the following attachments:

  • a psychological report completed by a psychologist who is a member of the Order of Psychologists of Québec;
  • a long version birth certificate showing the mother's and father's names;
  • a letter from the parents requesting permission for their child to be granted early admission to school;
  • a document (either Kindergarten or Grade 1 Form) from a daycare or nursery school, outlining the child's skill development and progress (i.e. intellectual, motor, emotional and social).

The School Board reserves the right to have its psychologist observe the child in question in order to obtain information that would complement and/or clarify data from the provided documents. The observation may occur within a daycare, pre-school or school setting (whether it be an external or EMSB setting).