Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2017
360. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if under the new School Admissions Bill 2016 he will have powers to direct selected schools to operate an admissions policy which is positively discriminatory towards certain groups deemed to be excluded, such as children from traveller backgrounds or from homeless households; and if not, the reason he is of the view such a provision should not be inserted into the Bill. [34880/17]
View answerThe Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 is an important piece of legislation which strives to create a new more parent-friendly, equitable and consistent approach to how school admissions policy operates for the almost 4,000 primary and post-primary schools in this country.
The Bill was published in July 2016 and passed Committee Stage on 28th June 2017.
The Bill provides for schools to explicitly state in the school's admission policy that it will not discriminate against an applicant for admission on the grounds of disability, special educational needs, sexual orientation, family status, membership of the traveller community, race, civil status, gender or religion while including provision for single sex schools and denominational schools to reflect, in their admission policy, the exemptions applicable to such schools under equality legislation.
The Bill does not provide for the Minister to direct schools to prioritise children from traveller backgrounds or from homeless households. The Bill will oblige all schools to admit pupils where there are available places. It is important to note that 80% of schools are not oversubscribed. Other important provisions in the Bill, including the provision for the NCSE and the Child and Family Agency to designate a place for a child in a school will deal with any difficulty that arises for a particular child.
