Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2018
205. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on using county boundaries to distinguish between pupils in a feeder school in a school admissions policy (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50408/18]
View answerIn relation to enrolment generally, it is my Department's responsibility to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. Parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary.
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. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on my Department's website: www.education.ie.
The Education Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS can be contacted at 01-7718500.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 was signed into law by the President on 18 July 2018.
The overall objective of the Act is to provide a new framework for school enrolment that is designed to ensure that every child is treated fairly and that the way in which schools decide on applications for admission is structured, fair and transparent.
The measures provided for in the Act will make the admissions process more equitable and consistent for all. Schools that are not oversubscribed must continue to accept all applicants and this will be further enforced by the Act when it is commenced.
On 3 October 2018, a number of sections of the Act were commenced and are operational from that date. Other sections of the Act which have not yet been commenced, including the section relating to admission policies for schools, require regulations and procedures to be drafted. Consultation with the Education Partners will shortly take place and I hope to have the remaining sections of the Act commenced in time for admission to the 2020/2021 school year.
