Mixed reaction to Richard Bruton’s plan to tackle school enrolments

Education Minister Richard Bruton’s plans to tackle problems caused for parents by links between religion and school enrolments have received a very mixed reaction.

Campaign groups have welcomed his commitment to deal particularly with the “baptism barrier”, which forces many families to baptise children to ensure access to local schools, although uncertainty remains over the timeframe.

However, the removal of religious persuasion as a possible criteria for over-subscribed primary schools to select pupils is one of just four options on which the minister is seeking submissions over the next three months.

The Catholic Primary Schools Management Association welcomed the consultation process, but played down the extent of the issue.

“The vast majority of Catholic schools are not oversubscribed, and enrol all applicants. The issue mainly arises in areas of Dublin and in small pockets of the commuter belt surrounding the capital,” said the CPSMA general secretary, Seamus Mulconry.

Mr Bruton said one approach would be to adopt catchment areas, outside of which a denominational school could not enrol children of its own faith if children of a different religion, or none, had also sought admission. Two variations would be to limit the proportion of places reserved for children of the school’s religious ethos, or to give preference to those living nearest to a school.

“Another approach is that you take religion away altogether. But even as we heard here this morning that does throw up problems and we need to tease out those problems,” the minister said after outlining the process at a seminar in Dublin.

Concern was raised on behalf of Church of Ireland primary schools, that they might no longer be able to cater for pupils who have to travel longer distances for a faith-based school of their family’s preference.

Mr Bruton said this highlighted the merit of using catchment areas, and that different catchment sizes could be used for different religious denominations.

The Church of Ireland General Synod board of education welcomed the minister’s acknowledgement of the important position of religious minority schools, and said it is vitally important their key role in educational provision is safeguarded.

“The board looks forward to reiterating at [the] consultations the importance of the ability to prioritise entry for students from Church of Ireland, Protestant and other minority religious traditions into the relatively small number of religious minority schools that exist in the State,” it said.

Michael Barron, director of campaign group Equate which organised yesterday’s seminar, welcomed the minister’s commitment to deal with the issue. However, he said, the matter is really urgent for parents who are unclear of the situation for children approaching school-going ages.

“We still believe the act can be amended to remove the baptism barrier, and that it could be done in time for [enrolments] next September,” he said.

Humanists Association of Ireland spokesman Brian Whiteside said removing the baptism barrier entirely would be the best move towards Ireland becoming a truly secular society. “The other options may be open to a wider interpretation and possible manipulation.”