Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 December 2014
467. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the creation of a local centralised school allocation system in Dublin 15 to deal with the anomalies between schools' waiting lists; and her plans tackle the issue. [46198/14]
View answerThe Deputy appears to be suggesting the creation of a localised schools' allocation system similar to the CAO system for those applying for school places in Dublin 15. I have no plans to establish such a system nor do I have the power to do so under the Education Act.
It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a Board of Management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or on the basis of some other criterion. The criteria to be applied by schools in such circumstances are a matter for the schools themselves. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.
The Deputy may be aware that Government gave approval in March of this year for drafting the Education (Admissions to Schools) Bill 2014 and drafting is currently well advanced.
The objective of the Admissions to School Bill is to provide an over-arching framework to ensure that how schools decide on who is enrolled and who is refused a place in schools is more structured, fair and transparent. If appropriate, this may include requiring schools in an area to have greater coordination in how they operate their own enrolment policies.
A key objective in designing the framework is to create greater confidence for parents that the admission criteria laid down by schools are legitimate, reasonable and fair.
