Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 December 2023
90. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if she will provide a schedule of the number of pupils in each of the 314 school planning areas that did not secure a place in their first preference second level school in 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 school year, in tabular form. [55478/23]
View answerMy Department does not have information regarding the number of pupils that did not secure a place in their first preference post-primary school.
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. Under the Education Act 1998, the question of enrolment policy in individual schools, is the responsibility of the Board of Management on behalf of the school patron. The 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 Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 requires schools to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admission policies. Schools have discretion in relation to their admission criteria and how they are applied. Living in a particular catchment area is one criteria that a school may apply. The criteria to be applied by schools and the order of priority are a matter for the schools themselves. My Department does not intervene in the criteria set by a school.
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.
Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on my Department's website, www.education.ie. The Education Welfare Service (EWS) 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.
