Dr. David Doyle was invited by the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to make an opening statement and contribute to the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny meeting on the Education (Admissions to School) Bill 2020. The Private Members’ Bill 2020 here, sponsored by Mr. Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, T.D., if enacted, would delete paragraph (b) of s.62 (10) of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 (Act can be found here), which states that: “a parent or grandparent of the student concerned having previously attended the school, provided the maximum number of places filled pursuant to that criterion does not exceed 25 per cent of the available places as set out in the school’s annual admission notice for the school year concerned”. The effect of this would be that schools, when oversubscribed, would no longer give priority to children of parents or grandparents who attended the school (up to 25% of available places). The debate received media coverage in the Irish Examiner, Irish Independent, Irish Times and RTÉ.
Dr. David Doyle is Associate Professor of Law at Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology, where he teaches a module on Education Litigation on the Master of Educational Leadership and Management.