Quinn plans radical alteration of school enrolment policies

School application fees, preferential treatment for past pupils and first-come-first-serve enrolment policies may be abolished under a draft bill from the Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn.

Speaking at the annual Asti conference in Wexford the Minister outlined his plans for “a radical alteration” of school enrolment policies.

Under the new proposals schools would no longer be permitted to charge parents for application to schools.

Non-refundable application fees of up to €100 are currently charged by some post-primary schools, primarily in the fee-paying sector.

Under the proposals schools will no longer be permitted to give preferential treatment to the children of past pupils.

The Minister described as “insidious” the requirement for children and their parents to attend compulsory open days or to be interviewed by schools, and said that these practices will be curtailed.

The policy of enrolling students on a first-come-first-serve basis will also be reviewed. While the practise might appear reasonable to some, he said, it can mean “that children who move to an area from other parts of the country or from other countries, can be effectively excluded from schools that have more applicants than places.”

“I do not want to unnecessarily intrude into how schools do business. My only policy objective is to ensure that the way in which school decide on applications is more structured, fair and transparent.

“The draft legislation will make it clear that some methods of controlling admissions will no longer be permitted. The draft heads of the Education (Admission to School) Bill 2013 would be brought to Government shortly, he said.

The Minister arrived at White's Hotel to placards and shouts of 'Shame on Labour', after a day of heated discussion around his proposed plans for the Junior Cert, and calls for a rejection of Croke Park 2.

Outgoing Asti president Gerry Breslin described Croke Park 2 as a “betrayal” of its members. Teachers had already delivered significant change and had undergone enormous physical and mental stress in the process, he said.

The union executive has recommended a rejection of the Labour Relation Commission’s proposals.