Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I have spoken on a number of occasions about the responsibility of all schools to welcome and include children of every background and need. The audit of school enrolment policies conducted at my request considered the enrolment of Traveller children, newcomers and children with special educational needs in almost 2,000 schools at primary and post-primary level. The audit also considered the written enrolment policies of a proportion of these schools and, more tellingly, how these policies translate into practice in terms of actual enrolment patterns.

At a general level, the audit found no evidence of any system-wide enrolment practices that give rise to concern. However, there are geographic pockets where, within a cluster of schools, the evidence points to certain schools' assuming a greater or lesser share of the responsibility for meeting the full range of community needs. While local factors can have an influence and an element of self-selection can also come into play, important questions remain about how seemingly inclusive written enrolment policies can translate into less inclusive practices on the ground.

At a basic level, there is now a need to empower parents by giving them a greater understanding of their rights. As a first measure, I will be taking practical steps to achieve this. The audit gives rise to wider policy questions, such as the effectiveness of the current system of appealing against non-enrolment; the consequences for newcomer families of practices such as retaining pre-enrolment waiting lists of several years or favouring children of past pupils; the potential for improved co-operation between schools in a given area with a view to meeting the full needs of their local community; and how identified problems can best be addressed. Over the coming weeks I will be consulting with each of the education partners on the policy options available, based on related specific questions but not precluding any wider inputs or ideas that people wish to contribute.

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