Enrolment ruling may affect school admissions rules

THE quashing of a Department of Education order compelling a community college to enrol a pupil allegedly effectively expelled by another local secondary school is expected to have significant implications for schools’ admissions policies.

Co Westmeath Vocational Educational Committee had claimed the appeal system allows some schools to “cherry pick” and offload difficult pupils in the local vocational college.

At the High Court yesterday, Mr Justice Daniel O’Keeffe quashed the department’s appeals committee decision that required the college to enrol the pupil after finding the committee exceeded its jurisdiction in two of the four reasons it gave for its decision.