Far fewer Catholic schools oversubscribed than previously estimated

11th February 2016

Far fewer Catholic primary schools in Ireland are oversubscribed than we previously estimated, The Irish Catholic reports.

Despite routine claims by politicians and commentators that one in five primary schools are oversubscribed in an ongoing debate around Catholic schools prioritising the children of Catholic parents in the event of over-enrollment, an exclusive report in The Irish Catholic newspaper has revealed that 46 schools nationwide – just 1.6% – are in fact, oversubscribed.

There are 2,900 primary schools under the patronage of the Catholic Church.

The paper claims that the true figure is “a blow” those campaigning against the admissions policy of Catholic schools.

Of the total of 46 oversubscribed schools, 17 are located in the Archdiocese of Dublin – just 5% of all schools in the area – while the remaining 29 are mostly located in the east of the country in ‘commuter belt’ areas.

Fr Michael Drumm of the Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP) said the newspaper’s research showed that the problem of oversubscription is “not nearly as widespread as what a lot of commentary has suggested”.

“There is no evidence any September that there is any pupil in Ireland that has failed to find a school place and that is the ultimate test of the system,” Fr Drumm added.

Dr John Murray of the Iona Institute, who lectures in religious education, expressed surprise at the “stark discrepancy” between The Irish Catholic’s research and the wider media’s reporting. Based on the 1.6% figure, he argued that school oversubscription “definitely shouldn’t be an election issue”.