Schools watchdog calls for ban on refusing admission on religious grounds

Schools should be legally prevented from refusing admission on the basis of a child’s religion, the State’s rights watchdog has said.

The call by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission comes as parent and campaigner Paddy Monahan handed in a petition to the Government, signed by 20,000 people, demanding an end to “religious discrimination” in education.

In its observation on the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015, the IHREC recommends: