Ask Brian . . . Should our son move school just after starting?

QUESTION: My son has just started secondary school. I initially put his name down in five schools near us. Unfortunately he was number 146 on the waiting list in our first-choice school after they offered places for September 2015 a year ago. He eventually got a place in another school, which means a half-hour journey to school. We bought the textbooks and uniform, and he has started first year. Now our first-choice school has just offered him a place at this late stage, because children whose parents had accepted places did not turn up. Although he has now started school, should I just absorb the costs and move him to the school we originally wanted?

ANSWER: Getting a place at second level in areas of high demand can be a nightmare. Your story is common and shows the pressure on parents. Application fees (sometimes called "registration fees") for five schools, and a "voluntary" contribution if it was demanded up front, must have involved a considerable cost, apart from books and uniform.

Each school may independently formulate its admissions policy, so there is no way to control the domino effect of schools releasing places very late in the application season, causing a wave of withdrawals from other schools.

Many parents will blatantly lie and swear blind they are not holding out for a place in another school when they accept a place at a school lower down their order of preference. Lying to a school principal may be a small price for what they perceive to be the best school for their child.

You are the victim of this annual process and can only look to your child’s long-term interests. If his friends are at the school that has now offered you a place, and his commuting time will be less, and this is yours and your child’s preferred school, I suggest you accept the place and move him, even at this late stage. This will, of course, cause problems for the school where he’s just started.

You may recover some uniform and books costs by selling them to the school you are leaving (schools get Department of Education funding for books and uniforms for economically disadvantaged children). The school might refund a portion of the price, if some students have not yet purchased all their books and uniform.

The only way to avoid other parents going through this is for the Government to ensure a fair and transparent national admissions policy covering all schools. Legislation on school admissions is promised for the autumn but this controversial proposed Bill may not pass through all stages before the Dáil is dissolved, due to huge resistance from influential parents to any restrictions on the admissions policies of elite, highly sought-after schools.

• Brian Mooney is a career guidance counsellor and education analyst. If you have a question on an education subject, email askbrian@irishtimes.com