Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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139. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she considers it best practice for post-primary schools to provide for feeder primary schools in their admissions policies to ensure that pupils can obtain a secondary school place locally; if her Department has a role to play in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25916/24]

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. All schools have admissions policies, which were approved by the patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending the school. 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. It is a matter for each individual school to determine the criteria for their admissions policy. 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.

All schools must 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.

In the event of there being more applications to the school year concerned than places available, schools must compile a waiting list of students whose applications for admission to the school were unsuccessful due to the school being oversubscribed. This list remains valid for the school year in which admission is sought.

Placement on the waiting list of the school is in the order of priority assigned to the students’ applications after the school has applied the selection criteria in accordance with the schools own admission policy. Offers of any subsequent places that become available for and during the school year in relation to which admission is being sought will be made to those students on the waiting list, in accordance with the order of priority in relation to which the students have been placed on the list.

Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal where a board of management, or a person acting on behalf of the board of management (normally the school principal) refuses to admit a student to a school. Where the decision to refuse admission is due to the school being oversubscribed, a review of the decision by the board of management must be sought in the first instance. Following a review it is open to the parent to appeal to the independent appeals committee.

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is the agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. TESS can be contacted at 01-7718500 () for assistance. More information is available on their website on the following link: www.tusla.ie/tess/tess-ews/ .