Children can't get places in Laois school just 40 yards from home
Cllr Aisling Moran has called for a review of admission policies in rural schools. File image
FAMILIES living in some rural areas of Laois cannot get school places for their children, despite living only yards away from the school.
Cllr Aisling Moran made the comment at a council meeting, when she called for school admission criteria in rural areas to be reviewed by the Department of Education.
Describing the current criteria as “topsy-turvy”, she said: “Some people who are calling me cannot get a place in their local rural schools. It’s not just about the school - it's about community spirit and kids forming relationships.”
At the latest monthly meeting of Laois Co Council, Cllr Moran gave an example of one rural housing estate where several families can’t get a place in the local school, although it is only 20 to 40 yards away from their homes.
She said the proximity of the school was their motivation for putting down roots there, yet now their children couldn’t get a place.
Outlining the current order of priority in rural school admissions, Cllr Moran said she agreed with the first priority, which is for students who already have siblings in the school.
She said the next priority is students who have had, at some point, a sibling in the school. Third is if the parent or guardian is a past-pupil or resident in the parish, with the parish including the urban and rural area.
Fourth priority goes to the children of school staff, while fifth place is awarded to children who actually live in the immediate area of the school.
The Independent councillor said that, in some cases, families were driving up to 15 or 20 kilometres to get their children to school. This had a damaging effect on rural sports clubs, ranging from football and soccer to athletics, as children naturally preferred to play in the urban sports club where their school and classmates were located, rather than the rural one closer to home.
Cllr Moran said: “There is something fundamentally wrong with this and someone needs to step in. The department needs to step in.”
The council will forward Cllr Moran’s request to the Department of Education.
