Catholic primary schools will not be able to give priority access to children of Catholic families from September next year, following the passage of the so-called “Baptism barrier” legislation in the Dáil on Tuesday night.

The School Admissions Bill prohibits Catholic denominational schools from giving enrolment priority to baptised children in cases where they are over-subscribed. However, minority faiths will still be allowed to prioritise members of their religion in order to protect their ethos in cases where they are over-subscribed.

There is also a provision to allow all-Irish primary and secondary schools to give enrolment priority to Irish-speaking children. Mr Bruton said this would set a “high bar” for children who use Irish in their daily lives and not just at school. Parents would have to provide evidence of this.