Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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274. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the enrolment process at primary-school level remains amenable to most families throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35744/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area.

The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 strives to create a new more parent-friendly, equitable and consistent approach to how school admissions policy operates for the almost 4,000 primary and post-primary schools in this country.

The provisions of the Act aim to make it easier for parents to more easily access local schools and to enrol their children in a school that meets their needs. The Act requires schools to be fair and transparent in deciding how to prioritise children for admission to the school. Schools must accept all applicants where they have places and if there are more applicants than places available, selection criteria will be required.

All schools have drafted admissions policies, which have been approved by the Patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending the school. The school’s admissions policy is published on the schools website.

All schools must publish an admissions notice annually, outlining the timelines of the admissions process. This must be published a minimum of one week prior to the admissions process taking place. Schools cannot start this process until 1 October at the earliest in the year preceding the school year applied for, the advantage of having a clear starting date is that parents will know with certainty that schools will not start accepting applications before this key date.

My Department has published on its website a FAQ document to assist schools and parents in relation to any queries they might have regarding the admission process. The FAQ document is available here.