Primary schools not told of funding criteria

The Department of Education has yet to tell primary school of its U-turn on linking school funding to compliance with a pupil database, according to a solicitor who is to bring a complaint to the European Commission over the initiative.

The department had instructed schools to compile information on students as part of the primary online database — the records of which were originally planned to be kept for 30 years. The department had warned parents that if they decided to opt out of the scheme, it “may have funding and teacher allocation implications for your school”.

Solicitor Simon McGarr, who has aired concerns over the length of time the primary online database seeks to hold onto pupils’ information, has sought documents relating to his complaint from the Data Protection Commission and the Department under the Freedom of Information Act.