Minister may ban specific criteria for school admissions

LEGISLATION MAY be introduced to outlaw some school admission practices that discriminate against certain applicants, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has said.

He said schools which gave priority to children who were related to staff, board members or former pupils, who attended its pre-school, who had been longest on a “waiting list”, who were more academically skilled or whose parents had a particular linguistic ability should no longer be able to discriminate in such ways.

Mr Quinn yesterday presented a discussion document on school enrolment policies and invited submissions from the public.

While the majority of schools had no problem allocating places, some 20 per cent had insufficient places to meet demand and so allocated according to sometimes unclear criteria.

Appeals by parents of children who have been refused a school place have risen by 750 per cent since 2002, when an appeals process was introduced.

The document, Discussion Paper on a Regulatory Framework for School Enrolment, contains suggestions on how the admissions processes at primary and secondary schools could be more open and equitable.

Mr Quinn said that while as much discretion as possible should be left to the individual schools and boards of management, there was a need for a clear, common approach on some issues so that applicant pupils were clear on their rights and obligations.

If not addressed this would become an increasingly pressing issue, he said, as an additional 20,000 post-primary students would be seeking school places in the State in the next decade.

The document also comes after an Equality Tribunal ruling in December that a Christian Brothers post-primary school in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, indirectly discriminated against a Traveller applicant.

The document suggests that when demand exceeds supply at a school some prioritising criteria are legitimate. These criteria include giving priority to older applicants; to a child who has siblings already in the school; to children living nearer the school; and to children of a particular faith in the case of denominational schools.

“Criteria we would suggest should not be permissible are when priority is given to a child who is related to a staff or board member at the school, or who is related to a past pupil; who have been on a waiting list the longest; who attended a particular pre-school; where a deposit or booking fee has been paid, though this may be permissible in fee-paying schools; the academic skill of the child and the linguistic ability of the parents,” said the Minister.

The paper also suggests sanctions that could be imposed on a school or management board that was not compliant with new regulations.

The document can be viewed at the department website, and submissions of not more than 5,000 words are welcome by October 8th, 2011.

When demand exceeds supply: options to be considered

Edited excerpt from the Department of Education’s summary of the consultation document:

Age of applicant. Schools could give priority to children who are older.

Remove waiting lists. This is seen to disadvantage newcomers to an area.

The practice of giving priority on a first-come first-served basis ,which can result in long waiting lists in schools or even queues forming outside schools at the time of enrolment. However, if such a decision was taken, consideration would have to be given as to how to deal with existing waiting lists.

Siblings in the same school. It would seem reasonable to continue to give priority to students who already have siblings in a school.

Remove the practice of giving priority to a student on the basis of being a relative of the staff, board of management, past pupil or benefactor of the school.

Faith. Continue the right of denominational schools to give priority to children of a particular faith.

Give priority to pupils on the basis of proximity to their schools.

Ensure that admission to a school is not based on a pupil’s academic or other skills.