New schools application system piloted in West Cork is a 'gamechanger', says McEntee

Education minister Helen McEntee has defended a new post-primary schools applications system which began piloting in Clonakilty last week as “a gamechanger”.

The West Cork town is one of five across the country — alongside Athenry, Celbridge, Greystones, and Tullamore — where the applications process is being trialled.

Instead of applying to schools individually, families will fill out just one form, online.

Under the new process, parents or guardians have until Wednesday, October 22, to apply for first-year places, including places in special classes, by completing an application at applytoschool.ie.

However, some parents in Clonakilty have expressed disappointment that the new system does not allow them to list in order of preference the schools they want their child to attend.

Adjustments

Speaking to reporters after the official opening of Dromahane’s new national school building on Friday, Ms McEntee stressed that the new process was being introduced in a pilot scheme, and adjustments could be made as necessary.

“I really do think that this can be a gamechanger when it comes to applying to a new school, the whole intention here is that you’re removing so much of the stress and the time and the frustration that parents go through when they have to apply, potentially, to multiple schools,” she said.

“The intention here is that we will learn from the pilot, but obviously if a parent applies to a particular school and they get accepted, it’s open to them to accept that.

“The quicker we can make this process happen, the sooner people find out where they’re going to school, and if there are challenges arising, we can address them, but this is all about making it quicker, easier, faster — in particular for special education classrooms.

“We know parents find it very stressful and difficult having to apply to multiple schools; this is about removing that stress.”

Concerns

Addressing the concerns of parents that they could not rank their preference of schools, Ms McEntee said it was open to parents to apply to all schools, and, if they were offered multiple places, they could then choose between them.

“What’s really important here is that once they reply and respond, they are immediately taken off the system, so that other place is freed up,” she said.

“This is a much simpler, faster process, it means that for parents they only have one application to make, they get their answer much more quickly; and for the schools, it removes some of that uncertainty.”

Ms McEntee said it was her intention to extend the application process nationwide.