Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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293. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number on a waiting list for admission by secondary school in counties Longford and Westmeath in 2019, 2020 and 2021, in tabular form. [35978/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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It is the responsibility of school authorities 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 places.

Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This 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, it may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in their school of first choice.

Where a school is oversubscribed they must compile a waiting list of students, whose application to the school was unsuccessful. This waiting list must remain valid for the duration of the school year concerned only and must be used to fill any vacancies that arise during that year.

The information requested by the Deputy is not available within my Department.