Irish Teacher: My son didn't get a place in our local secondary school

Children here should be able to walk to a school that will accept them regardless of their gender, religion, or ability. Those schools should also be fit for purpose.

Jennifer Horgan. Pic: Larry Cummins

Well, the letter finally arrived.

It’s official. My boy has not been accepted into (sounds gentler than rejected by) his local secondary school. No surprises there. It’s a Church of Ireland secondary and minority faith schools are fully entitled to discriminate against Godless heathens. Embarrassingly, I found myself referring to him as a "gifted" boy in his application form. As if that should matter. As if any child deserves a place over another child, for things they haven’t chosen – like a parent’s faith for instance.