Changes to school enrolment appeals

A new appeal system for children refused school enrolment is still planned, but Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is to consider concerns raised about his idea to restrict it within schools.

There was strong opposition to his planned replacement of the current system which allows parents appeal to the Department of Education against a school which turns down a child for enrolment. In the outline of a forthcoming school admissions bill, he originally proposed giving the decision-making power to principals and that any appeal would be made to the school board.

But there was near consensus against the move at hearings of the Oireachtas Education Committee earlier this year from groups representing parents, principals and school management, with the likelihood of more cases ending in litigation among the most serious concerns. In its report to Mr Quinn ahead of the final drafting of a bill, which he wants passed by summer, the committee recommended retention of an appeal system independent of schools.

At the annual conference this week of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents 380 secondary schools, Mr Quinn said he still plans to remove appeal hearings on admissions as currently provided for from the 1998 Education Act. But he is considering possible alternative approaches.

“At the same time, I am conscious that there is a desire to retain all decision-making on these matters at school level, to avoid infringing on school autonomy,” the minister said.

“I would be particularly interested in hearing the views of the JMB, on how best to balance school autonomy on one hand, and access to an external statutory appeal mechanism that would impose decisions on schools on the other.”

JMB president Fr Paul Connell told the minister he failed to consider the organisation’s case that the forthcoming school admissions bill would overburden all schools with unnecessary new procedures, even though only one-in-five schools do not have enough places to meet demand.

At a briefing with JMB delegates yesterday about the planned laws and associated regulations, department officials acknowledged most schools do a good job of being inclusive, but said setting out good practice should give parents a clear picture of the standards to expect from all schools.

Assistant general secretary Martin Hanevy said the 1998 law under which enrolment refusal appeals are heard did not take account of the distinction between children turned down by all local schools, and those unable to get into their first-choice school.