Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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534. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of a family (details supplied), relating to an admissions policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29321/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.??Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available for the relevant year, the student 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 students not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.

In accordance with the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, schools are required to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admission policies. The criteria to be applied by schools and the order of priority are a matter for the schools themselves. 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 school’s admission policy.??Post Primary schools can use a selection criterion that prioritises children of a particular religious denomination where the ethos of the school promotes certain religious values.

Under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, the parent of the student, or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student, may appeal a decision of the school to refuse admission. An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1)(c)(i) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due to the school being oversubscribed. An appeal may be made under Section 29 (1)(c)(ii) of the Education Act 1998 where the refusal to admit was due to a reason other than the school being oversubscribed.

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 advise parents/guardians to make applications to both local schools and schools outside of their immediate locality that they may not have already applied to.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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535. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline the pupil enrolment and waiting list figures for a school (details supplied); if she will provide an update on the provision of a new primary school for Rush; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29323/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine.

The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy, is for the construction of a new 2 storey 32 classroom school with 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs, a general purpose hall and all ancillary accommodation and external works. Given the time-related requirement for a new planning application for this project, the project’s Design Team were advised by my Department in July 2024 to proceed with a new planning application which should include decarbonisation measures in accordance with the most recent Technical Design Guidance. The Design Team have liaised with Fingal County Council accordingly. This recommendation arose from the necessary due diligence by my Department on all capital projects and is a critical part of the overall completion of the procurement process to ensure quality and value for money, and that projects are progressed within overall programme parameters.

In relation to admissions data, the specific information requested by the Deputy is not available at this time. The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of their Admissions legislation. Enrolment data for previous school years is available on the Department website. Provisional enrolment data for the 2024/25 school year is available on the Departments website at www.gov.ie.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The local service is delivered through the national network of Educational Welfare Officers. Contact details are available on Tusla’s website.

I want to assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work to ensure there is a school place for every child in the Rush and Lusk school planning area.