Tony Gregory
Question:221 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education the appeal procedures available to parents when a child is refused access to a primary school where they believe the child to have been unfairly treated.
Written Answers. - Enrolment Policy.
In the first instance parents should appeal a decision on enrolment with the board of management of the school concerned.
It is the board of management that sets the enrolment policy for a school and while parents are usually able to have their children enrolled in the school of their first choice, local circumstances may be such at a particular time, that a board of management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to those from a particular area or a particular age group.
Where parents believe their child is being unfairly treated it is open to them to make a complaint using the Department's agreed complaints procedure but only after every effort has been made to resolve the matter at local level.
Under this procedure the Department initially sends a copy of the signed complaint from the parents to the board against which the complaint is made requesting a written response from the board to the complaint.
An investigation by the Department proceeds only where there is evidence that the board may not have been consistent in the operation of its enrolment policy leading to invidious discrimination against a particular child.