Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 466: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the appeals system available to a parent, who wishes to appeal against the decision of a school not to readmit a son or daughter to the said school; the options available, in relation to trying to secure a place for the said child in another school; if the other school refuses due to the various other reasons, the options available then to the parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19119/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, allows parents, and students who have reached the age of 18, the right to appeal certain decisions made by a school's Board of Management or a person acting on behalf of the Board to the Secretary General of my Department. Appeals may be made in respect of a decision to (i) permanently exclude a student (ii) suspend a student from the school for a period which would bring the cumulative period of suspension to 20 school days in any one school year or (iii) refuse to enrol a student. Only where an appeal under Section 29 is upheld can the Secretary General of my Department direct a school to enrol or re-admit a pupil.

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The Welfare Board has indicated that it will treat children for whom an appeal under Section 29 has been unsuccessful as priority cases in offering such assistance. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700.

Home tuition is sanctioned by my Department as an interim measure for the duration of an appeals process where a child is out of school or until an appropriate school placement has been secured.