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Advice on the General Scheme of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2013
- November 2013
- Type: Advice
- Topic: Education
The Minister for Education and Skills published the General Scheme of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2013 on 2 September 2013. The aim of the proposed legislation and associated regulations is to provide a new framework to govern school admissions policies for all primary and post-primary schools.
The OCO broadly welcomes the General Scheme. Many of the concerns we previously expressed to the Oireachtas and to the Department of Education and Skills have been addressed, such as: consistency between admission policies; transparency in admission procedures; communication of reasons for refusal to parents; soft barriers to enrolment; and central oversight of cases in which children cannot access a school place.
However, there are a number of areas in which the legislation could be enhanced to serve the interests of children, namely: admission and oversubscription criteria; appeals mechanisms; and oversight and monitoring.
- November 2013
- Type: Advice
- Topic: Education
