Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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595. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the date by which all offers of school places for September 2025 will be issued. [29861/25]

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.

Schools cannot commence their admissions process until 1 October, the year proceeding the year admission is sought for. Once a school complies with this requirement, it is a matter for school as to when they run their admissions process.

All schools must publish an Admission Notice each year. This is published on the school’s website a minimum of 1 week before the school commences its admissions process. The notice must provide the date on which the school shall commence and cease accepting applications for admission to the school for the school year concerned (there must be a minimum period of 3 weeks); the date by which the applicant shall be notified of the decision in relation to their application, (this must be within 3 weeks of the closing date, or within 3 weeks of the application date for late applications), and the date/period by which the applicant shall confirm acceptance of the offer of admission.

All late applicants should be admitted to the school where they have places available. Where a school is oversubscribed in any particular year, they are required to compile a waiting list of students whose applications for admission to the intake group were unsuccessful due to the school being oversubscribed. Any late applicants in these instances will be added to the waiting list. When or if a place becomes available for the school year concerned, it will be offered to the next applicant on the waiting list at that time.