Girl given green light to enrol in Cork boys’ school

A GIRL will be allowed attend an all-boys second level school for the first time, following a Department of Education decision to overturn the board’s refusal to enrol her.

However, the ruling in favour of the girl’s appeal is not likely to lead to all single-sex schools opening their doors to boys and girls, as it was based on a technicality.

Nagle Community College in the Cork suburb of Mahon last March refused to enrol the local girl for first year in September, on the grounds that it had been a boys’ school since it first opened in 1981, a decision backed by City of Cork Vocational Education Committee (VEC).

The mother of the girl, who has learning difficulties, appealed the decision to the Department of Education, claiming that it restricted her right to choose the school which her child should attend. She said the nearest girls’ second-level school, the Ursuline Convent in Blackrock, is a 35-minute walk from her home and is not on the bus route from Mahon.

She expressed delight and relief at the department’s decision in her favour last night, and now hopes the school will be open to other girls in future.

“My daughter has been in a mixed primary school all her life, so half of her pals are boys who will be in Nagle College anyway. It’s crazy in this day and age that parents can’t have a choice of schools in their own community because of gender,” she said.

The case was heard in late May and the department yesterday issued its decision to uphold the appeal, because it said the school’s enrolment policy did not specifically state it is for boys only.

VEC chief executive Ted Owens said the decision was surprising, as it had argued that the college was designated as being for boys only by the department, but said it will not be appealing the decision to the High Court.

While no other girls had formally applied to enrol at the school, it is understood that a number of families had made enquiries about enrolling their daughters.

However, the school will, be amending its enrolment policy and procedures immediately to reflect its designation as one which only enrols boys.

Mr Owens said that if a desire for change emerges from planned consultations with parents, local schools, the Catholic diocese and the department, the VEC will apply to amend its designation as a boys-only school for September 2009.