Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with much of the motion from the Fianna Fáil Senators. It chimes with a lot of the issues I have been raising directly with the Minister in here. I wrote an opinion piece about it in The Irish Times yesterday. It is a huge issue in Dublin West. It is about capacity but also about having a better system for admissions and enrolment. There are parents in Dublin 15 who will apply for three schools and get letters back telling them they are on a waiting list of hundreds and they do not secure places for months on end. There is a better way. It is good to see the Minister acknowledge that today and see its merit.

Within the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, in section 9, there is a provision for the Minister to direct boards of schools to co-operate with each other in relation to admissions processes. The Minister acknowledged that it is a good idea, particularly where there is duplication of admissions, where there are schools that are very popular and you get a lot of people crossing over in catchments and driving up those waiting lists. I think the Minister should take the step to set up exploratory talks with the patrons and boards of management because their role in this is key.

The Minister spoke about admissions policies. The individual admissions policies do not need to be an issue here because she can introduce a common applications process for secondary schools that complements the schools admissions policies. You are just streamlining the system so that they have a common application system, common form and common date where they make their submission. They can still retain their admissions policies but prioritise the children who have specifically stated a preference for that school. There is a way to do this but it will involve exploratory talks.

The problem with relying on schools to do it is that we have 11 to 13 different schools in Dublin 15, if you include the private schools. Their admissions policies are fragmented and confusing. By the Department playing a role in setting this up and creating a committee, it would allow co-ordination and streamlining and would speed up the whole system. It would also allow the sharing of information that is required about special classes and the transition from primary to secondary school.

There is an issue with capacity and demand for particular schools. Those things are incredibly important but so too is rectifying the disjointed and chaotic lottery system of the admissions process.