Similar policy would help at second level - Cllr McDonald
THE SUGGESTION of a common enrolment policy for secondary school places is one that has been proposed to the Department of Education according to local councillor Lisa McDonald.
Cllr McDonald has been proactive on the issue of school place shortages in Wexford town since the problem became evident in recent years.
She welcomed the decision by town primary schools to incorporate a common enrolment policy and said it was something that she, and party colleague and TD James Browne had proposed to the Department of Education.
‘It has been done in Limerick, where they operate a CAO-type of application process and it has worked very well, alleviating a lot of pressures. It has been put to the Department but there has been no response.’
She said there would still be a shortage of places but such a policy would help in terms of sorting through duplication of names. She said she was aware of one student who went from being in the 90s on a school waiting list but was now in the 30s, pointing out that while some of those people may have got a place in that particular school, the majority of them probably got spaces in other schools.
For many, she said, the initial panic and upset was unnecessary because some people got numerous offers while others got none.
‘Something like this would give certainty to schools and families, and reduce the chaos that they are having to deal with. There has been a huge amount of multiple offers this year and not everyone is sorted with school places for this coming September.’
She believed that the schools would also be in favour of such a scheme that would streamline the process across the board.
‘I think the schools are dealing with it the best they can but they are crying out for leadership from the department.’
She added that with the Education (Admission to Schools) Act due to be enacted ahead of the 2020 school year, she felt there was an opportunity for schools to submit their new admission policies and to request that Wexford be looked at in a special way.
‘Not everywhere has this problem but Wexford does,’ she remarked.