Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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224. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she or her Department are aware that each school has its own subjective criteria for children to be accepted into the school; if there are plans to standardise the admissions process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21809/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools have admissions policies which have been developed following consultation with the school community including parents of students attending school and staff of the school, and which have been approved by the patron. All schools must publish their admissions policy on the school's website.

The admissions policy, including the selection criterion to be used where the school is oversubscribed, must comply with the 2018 act, be non-discriminatory and 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.

However, I am acutely aware that there can be stresses for families when there is high demand for places in an area or in a particular school. It is in that context that the Programme for Government sets out a commitment to roll out a nationwide common application system to reduce stress on parents and students during application periods. Common application systems are in place in a small number of specific areas, such as at post primary level in Limerick, Ennis and Howth and for primary special classes in Dublin 15. There are a lot of benefits to the system, particularly in terms of identifying capacity pressures at an early point and avoiding duplication on waiting lists.

Learnings from the implementation of these systems will inform the way forward to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment, including for post primary level across school planning areas in Dublin.