School enrolment issues were predictable yet planners chose to ignore

SIR,

Your April 10 account of concerns about secondary school places in mid-Kerry has hit the headlines because of situations that have arisen this year. Some local politicians have become agitated about these difficulties. These difficulties were predictable, and yet politicians and planners choose to ignore them.

In 2011 the Department of Education (DES) held a national consultation on school enrolments. At the time, with two girls about to apply for secondary school places, I undertook a piece of action research concentrating on enrolment policies of our six closest secondary schools.

I submitted the results of that research to the DES and shared it with some of the local schools.

Having served as principal of a London secondary school and later a rural school, I was all too aware of the range of issues that can arise, especially for newcomers to an area.

Like Ireland, under the English system, schools have their own individual admission criteria, but there the bulk of administration is undertaken by local officials.

Parents submit one form upon which they can list their preferences from one to six.

No student gets more than one offer, and most get their first choice. Greater fairness is ensured by using distance from home to school as the decider within each admission category.

When an English school seeks to change its admission criteria, it has to publish its proposed changes so that all members of the local community, including other schools, can ensure maximum input.

It is surely time for the DES to intervene and take present pressures from school managements and disappointed parents and students.

The present mid Kerry problem was predictable and will continue to grow, especially given the wellearned and growing reputation of the school, which unfairly finds itself at the centre of this year’s storm,

Sincerely,

Alan Whelan,

Beaufort