Audit finds schools are using restrictive admissions policies
8 Dec 2009
Audit Finds Schools are Using Restrictive Admissions Policies
IRISH TIMES 8 DECEMBER 2009 SEÁN FLYNN
A 2006 AUDIT by the Department of Education found many schools were using restrictive admissions policies to exclude certain categories of students, including those with special needs and the children of immigrants.The audit found that in one (unnamed) Dublin area, fewer than 1 per cent of students in one secondary school had special learning needs, compared with 17 per cent in neighbouring vocational schools. It said some schools were using elaborate pre-enrolment procedures, such as waiting lists, that could exclude some students.
The audit covered 1,572 primary and 426 secondary schools - but not the more than 50 fee-paying secondary schools in the State, some of which have been criticised for "cherrypicking" students.
Schools are not named and shamed in the 79-page audit. Instead, the State is divided into regional "clusters" where the enrolment of special needs pupils, Travellers and "newcomer" children is detailed.
In response, former minister for education Mary Hanafin has accused some schools of using subtle practices like waiting lists and sibling policies to exclude some students.
Last night, Peter MacMenamin, general secretary of the Teachers' Union of Ireland, said the new list showed how some schools were "doubly selecting".
"They are positively selecting those students they want and at the same time refusing to accept any student with difficulties, such as would require special needs assistance.
Irish Times 8.12.09