Written answers

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Department of Education and Skills

School Admissions

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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826. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to reports that second level schools in Lucan, County Dublin, have significant waiting lists for first year places for the 2023-2024 school year; the action that her Department is taking to ensure that there is increased capacity available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2327/23]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose.  Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.

While the Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in the Lucan area, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:

- Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area

- School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area

- Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils

- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area

The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities. In that context, similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, the Department is engaging with patron bodies and school authorities, including those of schools in the Lucan area, to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train.

Additionally, the Department will continue to work to advance the planned and current projects in Lucan and to ensure sufficient places for both mainstream provision and for pupils with special education requirements both for the coming academic year and into the future. 

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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827. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has considered instating a standard policy across all second level schools in relation to school admission policies, particularly in areas in which capacity issues are apparent; if so, the outcome of the consideration; and if not, if consideration will be given to adopting such a policy. [2328/23]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma 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. 

Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools are required to have drafted new admissions policies, which have been approved by the patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending the school. The newly revised school’s admissions policy is published on the schools website. It is a key requirement of the act that all school admission policies are fair and transparent. 

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 will 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, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. 

The act requires schools to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admission policies. Schools have discretion in relation to their admission criteria and how they are applied.  The criteria to be applied by schools and the order of priority are a matter for the schools themselves. My Department does not seek to intervene in the selection criterion that is applied by schools. 

All schools must publish an annual admissions notice on the schools website prior to the commencement of the admissions process for the following September. This notice must state the number of spaces that they have available for the intake group for the forthcoming school year. Further to this if the school was oversubscribed in the previous year the school must detail the places that were made available and the selection criteria used to provide places of admission.  

The act also provides for schools to share information in relation to applications in a locality to make the administration of the enrolment process more efficient for schools.

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