9.—(1) Every board shall make arrangements for the parent of a child resident in the area of the board—
(a)to express (in order of preference) his preferences as to the school at which he wishes education to be provided for his child; and
(b)to give reasons for his preferences.
(2) Where the parent of a child has expressed his preferences under arrangements .under paragraph (1). then for the purposes of this Part—
(a)the parent shall be taken as making an application for admission of the child to the school which is the first preference of the parent; and
(b)if that application is refused, the parent shall then be taken as making an application for admission of the child to the school which is the second preference of the parent,
and so on, taking each preference of the parent in order.
(3) Subject to Article 16(4) (children resident outside Northern Ireland), this Part applies in relation to an application for admission of a child to a school whether or not the child is resident in the area of the board in which that school is situated.