Education Minister to unveil new school places plan

Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan could face Cabinet pressure and campaigning from schools as she plans to put much tighter limits than previously proposed on the number of places schools can reserve for past pupils’ children.

She would prefer a limit of just 10% of places in over-subscribed schools being set aside for students whose parents also attended — far less than the 25% restriction suggested 18 months ago by her predecessor, Ruairi Quinn.

He did so to give children of new families to an area a fair chance of attending the school of choice, but groups representing Travellers and others said any past-pupil enrolment rules were discriminatory. After a series of public hearings, the Oireachtas education committee recommended a year ago that no places should be reserved for children of past pupils.