Written Answers Nos. 294-309
294. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will consider extending the free schoolbook scheme her Department has launched for primary schools to include all students attending second level education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32301/23]
View answerI am aware that the costs associated with accessing primary and post-primary education place a financial burden on many families each year.
A number of measures are in place to support those families most in need including the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Scheme and the School Meals Programme. Post-primary schools also currently receive a book grant from my Department which can be used to support book rental schemes.
For the 2023/24 school year I have secured over €50 million in funding to provide free books to primary school students in recognised primary schools and special schools from September 2023. This measure will eliminate the cost to families for all school books at primary school, including workbooks and copybooks. The extension of the free school book scheme to students in recognised post-primary schools will be considered in the context of the available resources going forward.
295. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will address a number of concerns from a teacher (details supplied) regarding their critical illness application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32303/23]
View answerCOVID-19 Special Leave With Pay is available to an employee who begins to display COVID-19 symptoms or receives a positive COVID-19 PCR/antigen test result.
Any non-COVID-19 illness must be recorded by the employer as Sick Leave and the terms and conditions of the Sick Leave Scheme will apply.
In relation to the concerns from the teacher whom the deputy is enquiring on behalf of, the teacher had an allergic reaction to a Covid-19 vaccination, which has resulted in their absence from the workplace. Per the terms and conditions of Circular Letter 0042/2021 - Coronavirus (COVID-19): Arrangements for Teachers and Special Needs Assistants employed in recognised Primary and Post Primary schools, where an employee has side effects following the COVID-19 vaccination, resulting in absence from duty, the terms and conditions of the Sick Leave Scheme will apply.
The Public Service Sick Leave Scheme, which applies to teachers, is regulated by the Public Service Management (Sick Leave) Regulations 2014, SI 124 of 2014, as amended by the Public Service Management (Sick Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, SI 384 of 2015. The details of the Sick Leave Scheme, as it applies to teachers, is also set out in Chapter 1 of Circular 54/2019.
A teacher who becomes incapacitated as a result of a critical illness or serious physical injury and has supporting medical evidence may, upon application, be granted Critical Illness Provisions (CIP), in exceptional circumstances as provided for in the Labour Court Recommendation (LCR 20667). The following limits will apply:
• A maximum of 6 months (183 days) on full pay in a year
• Followed by a maximum of 6 months (182 days) on half pay
• Subject to a maximum of 12 months (365 days) paid Sick Leave in a rolling 4 year period.
The granting of CIP is a decision made by the employer having considered the OHS medical advice.
For cases which involve serious illnesses, injuries or conditions, but do not fall within the medical criteria for granting of CIP, employers have discretion as to whether to grant CIP following an analysis of the information provided and the circumstances of the case. This is to encompass cases that involve what would generally be considered a significant illness, injury or condition but do not fulfil the medical criteria.
Where the relevant period of paid Sick Leave has been exhausted, a teacher may be granted Temporary Rehabilitation Remuneration (TRR) subject to certain conditions. In the case of a teacher who has been granted extended sick pay under CIP, they may have access to 12 months (365 days) TRR followed by a further period of TRR not exceeding 24 months (730 days). The details of the TRR are also set out in Chapter 1 of circular 54/2019.
296. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education the dates in 2023 upon which she has met the Chief Executive Officer of the State Examinations Commission, in tabular form. [32311/23]
View answerTo date in 2023, I have met with the CEO of the State Examinations Commission (SEC), including other SEC senior staff, on three occasions. These dates are set out in the table below. I have also engaged with the CEO over the phone in addition to these meetings.
My Department also has ongoing contact at official level with the SEC CEO and SEC officials in relation to issues that arise such as finance, governance and curricular reform as well as the operation of the State examinations themselves.
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Date of Meeting |
13th January 2023 |
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Date of Meeting |
1st February 2023 |
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Date of Meeting |
17th May 2023 |
297. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education if there are any plans to allow teachers who are already registered with the teaching council in the UK to be recognised by the Irish Teaching Council; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32329/23]
View answer298. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education if there are any plans to allow teachers who are already registered in the UK to be recognised by the Irish Teaching Council; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32333/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 297 and 298 together.
Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher.
Fully qualified teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council. All applications from teachers who qualified abroad are processed in line with EU Directive 2005/36/EC and are assessed in the same manner, regardless of whether they qualified within or outside the EU. All applications are individually assessed.
A person deemed to be a fully qualified teacher:
• has completed a recognised teacher education qualification and programme of induction in the country in which they qualified, and
• can provide an official letter from the relevant teacher registration body / Competent Authority or Ministry of Education confirming recognition as a fully qualified teacher in the State/ country.
In accordance with EU Directive 2005/36/EC, the qualifications of teachers who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are assessed to ensure they are of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited programmes in Ireland. Where significant differences arise, conditions (qualification shortfalls) will be applied to the teacher's registration.
The Teaching Council advises on their website that the assessment and registration process for teachers who qualified outside of Ireland may take up to 12 weeks. Processing time commences from the date that applicants submit all documents required to conduct that assessment.
The registration timeframe can vary for applicants from abroad, as in accordance with EU legislation, a complete assessment of an applicant’s qualifications, teaching experience and life-long learning is conducted to ensure comparability to the standards of initial teacher education achieved by graduates of professionally accredited programmes in Ireland.
As a statutory body, the Teaching Council is required by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration, including those who have qualified outside of Ireland.
299. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if a reply will be issued to a representation by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32337/23]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to eligible students and an increase of 38% in tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the 2022/23 school year compared to the 2021/22 school year.In addition, school transport scheme services have been provided for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine. The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.Officials in the School Transport Section of my Department contacted the family in May 2023. Remote Area Grant payments are processed throughout the summer months for the previous school year, and are payable on receipt of completed Statement of Attendance forms and payee details form.
School Transport Section have contacted the family in recent days to advise that their details have been received and added to the payment schedule. Families who wish to contact School Transport Section can email: school_transport@education.gov.ie where officials in my Department will be happy to assist with any queries.
300. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education if her Department will consider financing a joint project with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Sport Ireland to build a PE hall at a school (details supplied). [32339/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that, due to the need to prioritise mainstream and SEN school place requirements, funding for PE halls is not included under the parameters of the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) scheme.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or a new SEN class has been sanctioned by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
The Deputy will be aware that I recently met with the school in question and outlined the position to them. The additional accommodation project approved for the school includes four mainstream classes and a two class SEN base.
The Department has to prioritise its limited capital resources, in the context both of the ongoing requirement for additional school places, including SEN places, and the high construction inflation which has significantly impacted on the cost of projects that we must deliver. As part of the its planning for the years ahead, my Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in relation to capital funding pressures and ongoing deficits in school accommodation, including the small proportion of schools which do not have, or have access to, a PE hall.
301. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education the arrangements in place to provide maternity leave for primary school teachers whose children have been born through surrogacy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32377/23]
View answerThe Maternity Leave Scheme for teachers, as contained in the Department’s Circular Letter 0054/2019 (Chapter 2), is regulated by the Maternity Protection Act, 1994 as amended.
A pregnant teacher who gives birth to a living child is entitled to 26 weeks statutory paid Maternity Leave and 16 weeks statutory additional unpaid Maternity Leave. The teacher may also be entitled to Extended Maternity Leave for Premature Birth (where applicable).
Leave entitlements for public servants, including teachers, are determined by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. Under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998, the Minister for Education, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, is authorised to determine the terms and conditions of employment for teachers employed in approved teaching posts funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas.
Currently, as there is no legislative entitlement to surrogacy leave in Ireland, there is no overarching civil service or public sector policy pertaining to leave entitlements for surrogate parents.
The recognition of surrogacy is a matter for Government as a whole, and is not within the remit of my Department.
302. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if there are plans for facilitating flexible modes of study for full-time students who are wheelchair users and students who are hearing or visually impaired; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32422/23]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). For 2023, the spend by my department on special education has been substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the department’s total allocation for 2023.This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).In 2023, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 SNAs in our schools.For the first time ever there will be over 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and over 20,000 SNAs. Together we have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational. Over the last two to three years, my department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places.These initiatives are bearing fruit with over 600 new special classes sanctioned at primary level, almost 300 new special classes sanctioned at post-primary level and five new special schools established over the last three years.My department engage intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level. As a result of this forward planning, on the 12th April, Minister Foley and l announced the establishment of two new special schools for the 2023/2024 school year, with further capacity being expanded in 11 other special schools.Along with the two new special schools, 380 new special classes – 250 at primary and 130 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned to date by the NCSE for opening in the 2023/24 school year.
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
A range of supports designed to support children with special educational needs are available, including;
The school transport scheme for children with special education needs which provides free school transport to eligible children with diagnosed disabilities and can include the provision of additional transport assistance such as escorts or the provision of specific or individual transport arrangements.
The assistive technology scheme where funding is provided to schools towards the cost of computers and specialist equipment, which are required for educational purposes. All equipment provided under this scheme supports children with more complex disabilities who, in order to access the school curriculum, require essential specialist equipment.
To offer longitudinal support to children who are deaf or hard of hearing, the visiting teaching service under the NCSE is available. This service provides qualified teachers, who have particular skills and knowledge of the development and education of children with varying degrees of hearing loss to support the child, the school and parents.
In addition, the home tuition scheme provides funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for;
(a) Early educational intervention for children with autism who meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria
(b) Students with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school
(c) Students, enrolled in schools, with a significant medical condition, or school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety, which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school.
It should be noted that home tuition is provided as an interim measure and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.
My Department has also developed school building guidelines based on the principle of universal design to ensure that children and young people can access school buildings and attend school with their peers.
The preferred approach is that children are educated in school settings where children have access to fully qualified teachers, individualised education programmes, special needs assistants, school curriculum with the option, where possible and appropriate, of full or partial integration and interaction with student peers.
These supports and modes of study, support the aim of my department in ensuring every child is allocated a suitable school placement appropriate to their needs.
I wish to assure the Deputy that my department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
303. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the ASA application, with the capital appraisal section of her Department, made by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32437/23]
View answerI wish to confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application from the school in question under the Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme.
A proposed brief has recently been agreed with the school to undertake reconfiguration works to accommodate a special class. My Department will be in further contact with the school regarding the progression of the project to the next stage.
304. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education when she expects to announce projects being approved vis-à-vis the summer works scheme; if she will specifically look at the application made by a school (details supplied) in respect of replacing a collapsing floor in the school’s general purpose room; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32438/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis and was last opened for applications in 2019.
The Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings. It is a priority for Government to deliver on Ireland’s ambitious climate agenda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes targets around the decarbonisation of Ireland’s public buildings.
As part of it’s planning for 2023 and beyond, Department officials are working on the arrangements for the next phases of the summer works programme. It is envisaged at this stage that, a new Multi-Annual SWS with a focus on climate action and energy conservation will be opened for new applications later in 2023 for delivery of projects on a phased basis from 2024 onwards. Schools will be notified of the details of the SWS in due course.
As the school do not have a current SWS application, the SWS team cannot assist with this request. It is open to school to make an application for a SWS project when the next round of summer works opens for applications.
305. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education the options available to a person (details supplied) who has been unable to secure a school place in their locality or in their neighbouring towns and whose situation is complex due to medical reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32465/23]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following. There are essentially two state agencies who can assist where a child is seeking a school place.
The Educational Welfare Service (EWS) is part of Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) and operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention.
The EWS deal with children and families who have difficulties in relation to school attendance, participation and retention. This is a statutory service and its primary role is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education; to ensure and secure every child’s entitlement to education.
TESS offers advice and assistance to parents seeking school placements for their children. However, if there is oversubscription for schools in a particular geographical area it may be necessary to make applications to schools in a neighbouring town/village. Contact details for TESS can be found on the Tusla website: www.tusla.ie/get-in-touch/
An Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) may have knowledge of schools that may have capacity and will advise parents to make an application to that school. Parental choice has to be taken into account when seeking a school place for a child but a place in a school of first choice is not always possible. The EWO can designate a school place for a student if it can be proven that the school has capacity and have refused to admit the child in accordance with their admissions policy.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. The local special educational needs organisers (SENOs) remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: www.ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list.
Information on the list of schools with special classes, the types and locations of these classes is also published on the NCSE website: www.ncse.ie.
The NCSE is committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for the coming school year 2023/24.
306. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education if her Department has yet established the true extent of capacity issues in schools at secondary level in Lucan, County Dublin; if so, the outcome; what action has been taken to address capacity issues for the coming school year 2023/2024; and when planning will commence to ensure increased capacity in the area for the year 2024/2025. [32466/23]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department.
In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.
While my Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
• School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
• Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
• External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
Parents have the right to 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.
There are currently a number of projects in train in the Lucan School Planning area which will increase local capacity over the coming years. These include a New School Building at Griffeen Community College, and extension projects at Ste Joesph’s College, St Kevin’s Community College and Lucan Community College
My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Lucan, as with other areas across the country, under review.
307. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education if her Department has yet established the true extent of capacity issues in schools at secondary level in Clondalkin, Dublin 22; if so, the outcome; what action has been taken to address capacity issues for the coming school year 2023/2024; and when planning will commence to ensure increased capacity for the year 2024/2025. [32467/23]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department.
In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.
While my Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
• School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
• Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
• External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
Parents have the right to 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.
There is currently a project on site at Moyle Park College in the Clondalkin School Planning area which will increase local capacity over the coming years.
My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Clondalkin, as with other areas across the country, under review.
308. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education if her Department has yet established the true extent of capacity issues in schools at secondary level in Newcastle, County Dublin; if so, the outcome; what action has been taken to address capacity issues for the coming school year 2023/2024; and when planning will commence to ensure increased capacity in the area for the year 2024/2025. [32468/23]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department.
In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.
While my Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
• School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
• Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
• External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
Parents have the right to 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.
Newcastle is part of the Newcastle Rathcoole School Planning Area. There are currently 2 New School Building projects in train at both Post Primary Schools in that SPA which will increase local capacity over the coming years.
My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Newcastle, as with other areas across the country, under review.
309. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education if a school place can be found for a child (details supplied) in the Dublin 13 area for the academic year beginning September 2023. [32489/23]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department.
In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.
While my Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
• School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
• Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
• External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
Parents have the right to 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.
The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across school planning areas through ongoing discussions with the relevant school patrons and authorities.
This close engagement will allow the Department to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train including, where required, the provision of modular accommodation solutions.
The Educational Welfare Services (EWS) of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The local service is delivered through the national network of Educational Welfare Officers (EWO). Contact details are available at www.tusla.ie/get-in-touch/education-and-welfare/.
