Vol. 408 No. 6
87 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education whether post-primary schools which are designated centres for a catchment for the purpose of free post-primary school transport are allowed refuse places to students from that catchment on the basis of an entrance examination; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
88 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if any children attending post-primary schools outside their catchment have ever been allowed free transport to that school because school places were not available within their catchment area; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
89 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will outline the procedure whereby a catchment boundary for post-primary school transport purposes may be altered.
I propose taking Questions Nos. 87, 88 and 89 together.
While intake policy is a matter for each post-primary school management, my Department deplore the use of entrance examinations to select pupils and have made their position clear to school authorities.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that in each post-primary centre sufficient accommodation is available to satisfy the overall demand for pupil places. In these circumstances, the question of providing full transport facilities for pupils to schools outside their catchment area should not normally arise. Should circumstances arise in which sufficient places could not be provided within the catchment area special consideration would be given to the provision of transport.
The question of altering catchment boundaries is considered in consultation with, and with the agreement of, the relevant local educational interests.
90 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that eight children from Dunboyne village, County Meath have had to commence post-primary education at the Maynooth post-primary centre because they have been refused places in the former Dunboyne post-primary centre in Coolmine community school; if she will outline (a) the second level school which Dunboyne second level pupils should now attend in order to qualify for free school transport on a catchment centre basis; the length of time that this school has been the catchment centre for Dunboyne; and if places are now available there, (b) if places will remain available at that school indefinitely for future years and the procedures which will have to be undertaken by that school if it were to decide to exclude Dunboyne pupils on geographical grounds, (c) the reason the Coolmine community school authorities decided to refuse priority places to Dunboyne pupils on geographical grounds and the authority, under the terms of the free post-primary education scheme under which this was done, and (d) if, in the absence of adequate alternative arrangements, she will sanction free post-primary school transport arrangements for Dunboyne village pupils to Maynooth.
Dunboyne is within the greater Dublin post-primary catchment area for school transport purposes.
In general, post-primary pupils from the Dunboyne area attend Dunshaughlin community college and Maynooth vocational school, both outside the catchment area, and schools in the greater Dublin area. I should point out that Coolmine community school is only one of a number of schools within the greater Dublin catchment area.
While it is considered that post-primary pupils from Dunboyne are adequately catered for at present, the post-primary school requirements of the Dunboyne area will continue to be kept under review by my Department in the light of the most up to date statistical data for the area.
