Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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199. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the assistance in place to aid parents trying to secure places in schools for the 2020-21 school year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41850/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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This 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. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. In schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary.

It is a matter for the Board of Management which selection criteria are included in their enrolment policy and in what priority these criteria are applied. 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.

A list of schools in the area can be found on my Department’s website at the following link:

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 the Department's website at the following link:

However, if parents are in a position that they cannot secure any place for their child they may wish to call the Education Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) which 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.