Catholic bishops concerned about school admissions policy change

3rd January 2023

Catholic bishops have expressed concern over the ability of Catholic primary schools to preserve their ethos following the removal of the right of Catholic schools to admit baptised children first in the event of over-enrolment. The policy is called the “baptism barrier” by critics. Minority faith schools can still admit children of their own religion first in the event of over-enrollment.

The concerns are contained in records of meetings with Department of Education officials.

The Bishops “made it clear to the department that they are concerned about their ability to cater for the many parents who wish to continue to enrol their children in schools of Catholic ethos and the ability of those schools to be true to that ethos and their characteristic spirit”.

“We understand that this concern exists in relation to existing schools which, in accordance with the provisions of the Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018, cannot prioritise applicant children on the grounds of religion, and that where a school is oversubscribed, this can result in some Catholic children not getting a place in school while children who are not Catholic do get a place.

“We understand also that there is concern that such a situation could arise more frequently should the availability of places in schools of Catholic ethos in a given area decrease on foot of a reconfiguration of a school from Catholic to multi-denominational.

“While there are other challenges concerning curricular development, the admissions issue is a key issue for the IEC [Irish Episcopal Commission],” the record adds.