WAITING LISTS for post-primary schools should be abolished and applications for admission accepted from sixth class pupils, according to second-level school principals.
The move by the National Association for Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) could have serious implications for parents. Many fee-paying schools operate waiting lists from birth.
The NAPD proposal is made in a submission to the Department of Education on enrolment policies. Last month, a department audit found provision for special-needs students, foreign nationals and Travellers was often concentrated in community and comprehensive schools.
The audit led to allegations some schools were operating a form of “educational apartheid”.
In its response, the NAPD points out that schools cannot predict when newcomer students will present for admission. If the school is oversubscribed, the NAPD’s view is that “it is legitimate for a school to consider enrolment priorities . . . Priorities such as siblings already in the school, family links, primary schools which traditionally send pupils to the school etc, are valid criteria on which to rank applications.”
The association says it is debatable whether any initiative will completely eliminate inconsistent activity – “The Irish psyche is very much based on tradition, public opinion and previous experience in deciding the relative merits of local schools.” It says the department’s plan for local co-operation between schools on enrolment issues may be desirable. But it is “probably unattainable in Ireland because schools throughout the country are competing for the ‘better student’”.
The NAPD also says applications for admission to post-primary should be accepted from sixth-class pupils only, in the September and October prior to first-year admission. Offers of a place in a school should be made before Christmas each year.
