Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

524. 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. [5131/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Education (Admission to schools) act 2018, provides an over-arching framework for greater transparency and consistency in school enrolment generally, provides that schools must accept all applications unless oversubscribed, and gives greater confidence to parents that the admission criteria laid down by schools and the procedures used by them are legitimate, reasonable and fair.

The act is designed 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 increases the transparency and fairness of school admissions. It makes clear that every school must be welcoming of every young person regardless of their colour, their abilities or disabilities. 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 and it may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in their school of first choice.

All schools have drafted admission policies that were applied for the first time for enrolment in September 2021, which are published on individual school websites. The act requires schools to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admission policies. Schools and their Patrons have discretion in relation to their admission criteria and how they are applied, once it is non-discriminatory and fair.  It is an important feature of the act that schools can only make a decision on an application for admission that is based on the schools admission policy.