Dept of Education rules 'could lead to double discrimination against non-Cathloic children'

Department of Education rules could lead to "double discrimination" for some schoolchildren, it was claimed today.

The comment comes after the release of correspondence between officials and the Educate Together organisation about the group's enrolment policies.

Educate Together operates on a "first come, first served"' basis - however, the Department wants children from the local area to get priority in any school opened since June 2011.

CEO of Educate Together Paul Rowe says that if the rule is enforced, children looking to attend his schools could be put at a disadvantage twice.

"If they're not Catholic and they don't have a baptismal certificate, then they will be at the bottom of the list in any case within a particular catchment area," he said.

"And now they are being discriminated against if they want to access an Educate Together school, they will be at the bottom of another list."

Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan introduced the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015 this year, which critics say gave further legal protection to the current 'Catholics First' system of admissions in the overwhelming majority of Irish schools.

The Humanist Association of Ireland recently launched a campaign against what it regards as discrimination in State-funded schools.

Educate Together has previously described ‘Catholic first’ enrolment policies as "an unacceptable situation in a modern democratic republic".