How will school waiting lists ban change admissions policies?
Márta 7, 2017
On the way to their first pregnancy scan, the parents stop by the local school. Places are scarce, and they’re here to put the name of their future child down on a waiting list.
Actually, this is an apocryphal tale and usually told as a joke – schools require a name and a date of birth to enrol a child or put them on a waiting list – but it’s nonetheless one that rings true for many parents.
And in some parts of Dublin, Cork and other pockets of the country such as Wexford, it bitterly illustrates the crisis in the availability of school places. It tells of a frustration that waiting lists can exclude newcomers to an area.
Around 20 per cent of schools are oversubscribed, and waiting lists are one way for them to manage numbers. But, along with a school baptism barrier which creates difficulties for the children of non-religious parents in a system where over 90 per cent of primary schools are controlled by the Roman Catholic Church, it seems that school waiting lists may be on the way out.
This is as part of a suite of changes planned by Minister for Education Richard Bruton, which will also see a ban on school admission fees and a 25 per cent cap on the number of school places that can be reserved for the children of past pupils.
The legislation, due to re-enter the Dáil this month, is due to be passed in time for the coming school year. (Separate legislation aimed at limiting or removing the baptism barrier is due to be debated later this year).
The rationale for the change is that waiting lists can discriminate against immigrants or people who have relocated within Ireland; it is especially bad for business if, for instance, the CEO of an IDA-supported company moves their family to Ireland but cannot get their children into a local school.
Meena Baskarasubramanian, who is originally from India, moved to Ireland when her child was aged three. She is now on the board of Educate Together.
“The waiting list was a big disadvantage for me in accessing schools,” she says. “As a newcomer it was very discriminating. It also discriminates against people who are new to an area and may have to move for work. I’d like to see an end to putting the child’s name on the list as soon as they are born; a year or two before entry would be better.”
Catherine Martin is a Green Party TD for Dublin Rathdown in south Dublin, a constituency with a high number of oversubscribed schools. She is also the party’s education spokeswoman.
“My child was four weeks old in 2007 when I was told it was too late to put their name down for a [secondary] school in 2019. That is wrong. There needs to be sustainable access to a school for your child near your home. Primary schools are announced in an area without a corresponding announcement for a second-level.”
However, the proposed past-pupil limit is controversial. Bruton’s two predecessors, Labour ministers for education Ruairí Quinn and Jan O’Sullivan, proposed similar legislation but never got it through the Dáil.
O’Sullivan’s proposal to cap the number of reserved places at 10 per cent faced particular opposition.
Back in 2014, the past pupils’ union of Blackrock College and Belvedere College, two prestigious fee-paying schools in Dublin, had urged its members to fight the legislation.
Opponents accused Labour of being ideologically-driven and deliberately targeting wealthier parents who might want to send their child to the fee-paying school they and perhaps even the child’s grandparent went to.
It is harder now to levy the same accusation at Fine Gael’s Bruton, although there is some internal opposition and concern within the party. Fianna Fáil has yet to be convinced.
Three years on the Blackrock College Past Pupil’s Union declined to comment on whether it would oppose it again. However, there does seem to be less implacable opposition than before, although this may change as the Bill comes closer to law.
Until now schools have had fairly wide discretion to set their own admissions policies. Schools were unwilling to go on the record for this article but privately many are concerned that there may be legal difficulties in situations where a child’s name was placed on a waiting list “in good faith” a few years ago, only now to lose their place with the abolition of lists.
However, The Irish Times understands there will be transitional provisions put in place which means that parents whose children are already on waiting lists will be afforded some level of protection, and that the appropriate time period for phasing in the new rules will be discussed and teased out.
Wexford town has five second-level schools in the vicinity and all are oversubscribed. Research carried out by Wexford Council suggests this will continue until 2021.
“Part of the challenge is that they all operate their own waiting lists and, because places are scarce, they understandably apply for every school they can, which exacerbates the situation,” says local FF TD James Brown.
Although his party has not yet reached a decision, Brown is broadly supportive. He believes that a centralised school applications system could help alleviate the problem.
However, in Co Louth local FG TD Peter Fitzpatrick says schools have no choice but to operate a waiting list if they are oversubscribed.
“There is real concern at local level among parents that they will be unable to send their children to a school they have attended if a restriction is placed in legislation, and I support this concern.”
Parents themselves are divided on the proposed changes. The National Parents Council (Post Primary) has not yet formulated a policy because waiting lists suit some parents more than others, although they are engaged in discussions.
Its former public relations officer Lynda O’Shea last year said that the immediate abolition of waiting lists would frustrate many parents, and that they should be phased out over a longer period.
John Curtis is general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body, which represents school management in over 400 secondary schools. It believes that the siblings and children of past pupils should be given priority where oversubscription applies.
“Only about 20 per cent of schools are oversubscribed so this is not a huge issue,” he says. “Schools are community-based, so there is a case for [giving space to] the children of past pupils and siblings.
“The practice of prioritising siblings and children of past pupils arose from a concern for continuity of family experience and parental choice.
“Schools, like families, are not solely operational entities; they thrive on relationships, values, continuity, local community cohesion and loyalties built up over time and, indeed, generations.
“No matter what happens, you won’t come up with a system that suits everyone where a school is oversubscribed. Neither this draft legislation, nor indeed any legislation, can address the fact that in some areas throughout the country there is a shortage of school places. We would prefer a regulatory framework, not a legislative one.”
Case study: “Six weeks after my son was born I started sending in school applications”
Sadhbh Kurzawska is all too familiar with the difficulties of securing a school place for a child. Six weeks after her son was born, she started sending in school applications.
“At the time I was living in Clonskeagh [Co Dublin] which is oversubscribed. We knew we would be buying a house somewhere in the next five years, but we didn’t know where, and this compounded our problem. I kept a spreadsheet of the 12 schools I applied to.
“They had different rules: in some you could only apply two years before entry, whereas in others you could put the child’s name down from birth. Only about half of them actually gave me a receipt.”
Kurzawska spoke to her friends and found that many of them were in the same boat. She realised that she could help alleviate the problem so she set up PrimarySchools.ie, an online national enrolment system for Ireland’s primary schools which is aimed at simplifying the process for both parents and schools, and also provides an “audit trail” for the process.
They launched last September, and in that time Kurzawska says her conversations with parents suggest Dublin is the most oversubscribed area. “They say that the use of waiting lists causes problems by excluding newcomers, while schools giving preference to children from certain preschools also disadvantages them.
“They raised concerns about admissions fees, and overly intrusive data requests such as parental occupation. But the most contentious issue is religion. We need more schools and more choice.
“People who are not denominational have no choice but to send their child far away if they’re in an oversubscribed area. The schools admissions Bill will go some way to addressing some but not all of the inequities.”
Time for a centralised enrolment system?
Luke O’Shaughnessy * of Educate Together points out that individual schools have different enrolment policies based on diverse criteria, and there is no co-ordination between schools or patrons, with the State completely outside the process. The organisation is calling for a centralised enrolment system. How would this work?
“An independent State authority, managed independently of the school patrons, would write to all parents of school-entry age the year before their children are due to enter school to seek their preference of school and school type,” he says. This would alleviate an administrative burden on schools, decrease social segregation and impose transparent criteria.
It is already being piloted in the Lucan area in Co Dublin, where five Educate Together schools have come together to develop the Lucan Common Enrolment System. O’Shaughnessy says this is working well, but that there needs to be wider changes to school admissions in Ireland.
Educate Together is particularly concerned that new Educate Together schools must give preference to children in a given geographical area, whereas religious-run schools do not have the same restriction.
Márta 7, 2017
Education through the Medium of Irish 2016
‘Stáisiún Raidió na Bliana’
Márta 3, 2017
Dhá ainmniúchán ag Raidió na Life do Ghradaim na Meán Ceilteach 2017:
‘Stáisiún Raidió na Bliana’, ‘Irischlár na Bliana’ do An Bricfeasta Blasta
Tá ríméad ar fhoireann Raidió na Life a fhógairt go bhfuil siad ainmnithe ar ghearrliosta ‘Stáisiún Raidió na Bliana’ do Ghradaim na Meán Ceilteach 2017, a tharlóidh i mbliana i nDubhghlas Oileán Mhanainn idir an 3ú – 5ú Bealtaine. Ábhar mórtais mhór don stáisiún an t-ainmniúchán atá faighte freisin ag a gclár bricfeasta An Bricfeasta Blasta i rannóg ‘Irischlár na Bliana’.
Arsa Muiris Ó Fiannachta, Bainisteoir Stáisiúin Raidió na Life:
“Táimid thar a bheith bródúil as an dá ainmniúcháin seo a fháil inniu. Is éacht a bheith ainmnithe taobh le taobh le fathaigh mhóra na craoltóireachta Cheiltigh – ár gcairde i RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta agus scata mór stáisiúin réigiúnacha an BBC – BBC Radio Ulster, Radio Foyle, Radio Scotland, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru agus Radio nan Gàidheal. Ar ndóigh tá buiséid na milliúin Euro agus foirne mhóra taobh thiar de na stáisiúin úd, áit gur foireann bheag bídeach de chúigear agus buiséad an-bheag atá taobh thiar de Raidió na Life. Táimid thar a bheith, thar a bheith bródúil inniu.”
“An rud atá chomh hiontach is chomh spleodrach sin faoi Raidió na Life ná an fhoireann fuinniúil díograiseach atá againn, na héisteoirí dílse a thacaíonn linn, agus an dream thar a bheith speisialta sin a choinníonn an stáisiún ar aer – na craoltóirí deonacha ar fad a oibríonn linn saor in aisce. Ba mhaith liomsa buíochas speisialta a ghabháil go háirithe leis an bhfoireann agus leis na hoibrithe deonacha as na hainmniúcháin seo a bhaint amach.”
“Ba mhaith linn comhghairdeachas speisialta a dhéanamh inniu chomh maith lenár gcairde i Raidió Fáilte i mBéal Feirste, stáisiún a reáchtáiltear cuid mhór mar an gcéanna linn féin, as ucht a n-ainmniúchán do Stáisiún Raidió na Bliana fosta.”
Arsa Niamh Ní Shúilleabháin, Clár Reachtaire Raidió na Life agus Láithreoir is Léiritheoir An Bricfeasta Blasta:
“Tá foireann mhór dheonach ag obair ar An Bricfeasta Blasta gach aon lá. Bíonn na comhláithreoirí Aindriú de Paor, Oisín Mistéil, Laura Gaynor agus Niamh Ní Chadhla linn ar laethanta éagsúla i rith na seachtaine agus tuairisceoirí rialta ó mheitheal saorálaithe Raidió na Life a chabhraíonn linn clár bríomhar siamsúil a chur ar fáil don bpobal éisteachta anseo sa phríomhchathair gach maidin.”
“Is éard atá ar bun againn ná rogha eile a chur ar fáil don bpobal éisteachta, ina bhfuil treochtaí úra, ábhar cainte ón idirlíon agus an saol sa chathair á bplé i mbealach fuinniúil spleodrach a léiríonn cé chomh bríomhar is atá pobal uirbeach na Gaeilge sa príomhchathair.”
Bíonn An Bricfeasta Blasta le cloisteáil ar Raidió na Life Luan-Aoine idir 8-9 r.n.. Más mian leat an clár a leanúint ar na meáin shóisialta bain úsáid as an haischlib #Bricblasta
Tá liosta iomlán na n-ainmniúchán do Ghradaim na Meán Ceilteach 2017 le feiceáil anseo.
Tá fáil ar Raidió na Life ar 106.4FM i mBaile Átha Cliath, beo ar www.raidionalife.ie agus ar an aip An Seinnteoir Raidió.
Le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais, déan teagmháil le:
Tuilleadh Eolais faoi Raidió na Life:
Tá Raidió na Life ag soláthar seirbhís raidió pobail lán-Ghaeilge do mhórcheantar Átha Cliath ar bhonn oideachasúil & pobail ó 1993. Faigheann an stáisiún tacaíocht airgeadais ó Fhoras na Gaeilge a chuireann ar a chumas foireann bheag de thriúr lánaimseartha agus beirt pháirtaimseartha a fhostú. Is ar bhonn deonach a oibríonn gach éinne eile sa stáisiúin, le idir 100 – 150 duine ag glacadh páirte ann ar bhonn deonach chuile sheachtain. Tá Bord Stiúrtha deonach ag an stáisiún chomh maith.
Tá breis agus 2,000 craoltóir tar éis taithí chraolacháin a fháil i Raidió na Life le breis is scór bliain anuas, ina measc craoltóirí aitheanta ar nós Sharon Ní Bheoláin (RTÉ News), Sinéad Crowley (RTÉ News), Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (RTÉ), Cormac Ó hEadhra (‘Cormac ag a 5’ RTÉ RnaG, ‘The Late Debate’ RTÉ Raidió 1), Aedín Gormley (RTÉ Lyric FM), Rónán Ó Muirthile (Láithreoir ‘Splanc’ ar Newstalk) Barbara Nic Dhonnachadha (Classic Hits 4FM) agus neart eile nach iad.
Tá cáil ar RnaL as ard-chaighdeán na gclár cainte do réimse leathan aoisghrúpaí & sainspéiseanna i bpobal na Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath agus aithnítear é freisin as ucht a réimse eicléictiúil ceoil.
“Raidió na Life delivers vibrant radio to all age-groups and interests while striving to play every genre of music under the sun. In this respect, they stand out from the crowd and provide the best mix of music you’ll hear on radio.” – Hot Press (Márta 2014)
Déanann an stáisiún obair luachmhar le pobail mhionteangacha eile sa phríomhchathair freisin, le dornán clár á gcur i láthair i dteangacha phobail inimirceacha ar nós an Spáinnis is an Phortaingéilis, mar aon le mionteangacha cosúil leis an Chatalóinis leis.
Raidió na Life nominated for ‘Radio Station of the Year’, ‘Magazine Programme of the Year’ in 2017 Celtic Media Awards
The team at Dublin’s Irish Language radio station Raidió na Life are delighted to announce that the station has received nominations for ‘Radio Station of the Year’ at the 2017 Celtic Media Festival which will be held this year in Douglas, on the Isle of Man from 3rd – 5th May, as well as a nomination for ‘Magazine Show of the Year’ for its breakfast show An Bricfeasta Blasta (The Tasty Breakfast).
Muiris Ó Fiannachta, Station Manager of Raidió na Life says:
“We’re extremely proud to have received these nominations today. It’s a momentous feat for us to be nominated alongside the behemoths of Celtic broadcasting such as our friends in RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and a plethora of regional BBC stations – BBC Radio Ulster, Radio Foyle, Radio Scotland, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and Radio nan Gàidheal. These stations have budgets of multiple millions of Euro as well as large staff numbers behind them, whereas Raidió na Life operates with a tiny staff of five employees and a very small budget. We’re very, very proud today.”
“What is amazing about Raidió na Life is the fantastic energetic and dedicated team we have, as well as our loyal listeners who support us, and very importantly, that very special body of people who keep the station on air – the volunteer broadcasters who work with us on a completely voluntary basis. I personally wish to especially thank our staff in particular, as well as our volunteers for all their hard work which has led to us receiving these nominations today.”
“We’d also like to extend a special word of congratulations to our friends in Raidió Fáilte in Belfast, a fellow community station which is run very much in the same vein as ourselves, for their nomination for Radio Station of the Year also.”
Niamh Ní Shúilleabháin, Raidió na Life’s Programme Co-Ordinator and Presenter and Producer of An Bricfeasta Blasta says:
“An Bricfeasta Blasta is a collaborative effort with a large team of volunteers working on the show every day: co-presenters Aindriú de Paor, Oisín Mistéil, Laura Gaynor and Niamh Ní Chadhla contribute on different days during the week along with regular reporters who help us deliver a lively offering to our Dublin-based audience.”
“The show aims to provide another choice to the listenership – one which reflects contemporary city life, where regular trends and online content are part of the conversation and one which reflects the daily life of the dynamic Irish language community in our capital city.”
An Bricfeasta Blasta is broadcast on Raidió na Life 106.4FM Monday to Friday from 8-9am. To follow the conversation on social media, use the #Bricblasta hashtag.
The full list of nominations in the 2017 Celtic Media Awards can be seen here.
Raidió na Life broadcasts on 106.4FM in Dublin, live online at www.raidionalife.ie and on the smartphone app An Seinnteoir Raidió.
Siansa 2017!
Márta 3, 2017
Ar an dara lá d’Aibreán, sa Cheoláras Náisiúnta, beidh ocht ngrúpa thradisiúnta in iomaíocht do dhuaischiste €4,500. Tá Siansa Gael Linn ar cheann de phríomhchomórtais cheoil agus amhránaíochta na tíre, a chothaíonn dlúthcheangal idir an Ghaeilge, an ceol agus an óige. Tháinig na grúpaí a bheidh ar ardán anocht trí chóras réamhbhabhtaí ó mhí na Samhna seo caite. Tosóidh an oíche ag 7.30 agus beidh Áine Hensey ina láithreoir.
RAIDIÓ NA LIFE: Meon na mBan: sraith úr do mhná ag tosnú anocht
Márta 2, 2017
Preas Ráiteas – 1 Márta 2017
Le foilsiú láithreach
Meon na mBan: sraith úr do mhná ag tosnú anocht ar Raidió na Life
Meon na mBan is teideal do chlár bríomhar úr do mhná a chraolfar gach Céadaoin ar Raidió na Life idir 18:00 – 18.30, ag tosnú anocht 1ú Márta, an chéad lá de Sheachtain na Gaeilge 2017.
Beidh an clár ag díriú ar shaol na mban timpeall na cruinne, mná atá ar gach aois agus ó gach aicme agus cine. Beimid ag iniúchadh saol na mban in Éirinn agus timpeall na cruinne: céard atá ar siúl acu, cad atá á bhaint amach acu agus cad ‘tá á mhothú acu sa chlár nua seo.
Is í Ciara Ní Éanacháin atá ina príomhláithreoir ar an gclár agus beidh an comhrá agus díospóireacht ar an gclár faoi stiúir aici lena stíl chainteach bhríomhar fuinniúil. Ó sheachtain go seachtain, beidh aíonna éagsúla ó mheitheal ban Raidió na Life sa stiúideo ag plé na gceisteanna is mó atá á gcur ag mná in Éirinn inniu. Is file agus scríbhneoir iomráiteach í Ciara Ní Éanacháin. Sa bhliain 2012, chuir sí tús leis an leathanach Memes na Gaeilge ar Facebook. Bíonn sí ag scríobh go rialta don iris Nós agus bhunaigh sí an oíche filíochta mhíosúil i mBaile Átha Cliath ‘Reic’, ina mbíonn filíocht, amhráin agus rapcheol trí mheán na Gaeilge.
Ar an gcéad chlár a chraolfar anocht 1ú Márta idir 18:00 – 18:30 pléifear na scéalta nuachta is mó a bhain le saol na mban in Éirinn le seachtain anuas. Don chéad chlár, is í Angela Seoighe a bheidh mar chomh-láithreoir le Ciara. Caithfidh Judy-Meg Ní Chinnéide súil siar ar stair agus éachtaí Beatrice Grimshaw, scríbhneoir ó Bhaile Átha Cliath a thaisteal i bhfad agus i gcéin ag tús an chéid seo caite. Tabharfar léargas freisin ar shaol an fhuirseora le “Julie Jay”, Julie Johnson agus Bláithín de Búrca. Cuirfear an cheist: an bhfuil mná greannmhar? Agus pléifear an dul chun cinn atá á dhéanamh ag na mná a bhíonn i mbun fuirseoireachta in Éirinn.
Tá an clár léirithe ag Clár Reachtaire Raidió na Life Niamh Ní Shúilleabháin agus tá meitheal ban sa stáisiún ag tacú leis an gclár. Tá spriocanna na craoltóireachta raidió pobail i gceist go smior sa chlár seo agus é mar sprioc ag Raidió na Life go mbeidh rochtain níos mó ag mná ar na meáin agus ar ábhar cainte a bhaineann go sainiúil leo, sa chlár nua spéisiúil seo.
Bígí i gcomhluadar na mban ar Raidió na Life 106.4 gach Céadaoin idir 18:00-18:30. Más maith leat teagmháil a dhéanamh leis an gclár seol ríomhphost chuig beo@raidionalife.ie nó glac páirt sa chomhrá ar Twitter agus Facebook leis an haischlib #Meon.
Is féidir teacht ar Raidió na Life ar 106.4FM i mBaile Átha Cliath, ar www.raidionalife.ie agus ar an aip An Seinnteoir Raidió.
CRÍOCH
“Why is it so hard to get a place in a gaelscoil?”
Márta 1, 2017
“Why is it so hard to get a place in a gaelscoil? Almost 1/3 of gaelscoileanna do not have enough places to meet demand. But why this surge in popularity? And why is it so hard to find a place?”
Agallamh le Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, Ardfheidhmeannach Gaeloideachas, ar The Pat Kenny Show ar Newstalk ar maidin.
Interview with Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, CEO of Gaeloideachas, on Newstalk this morning about Irish-medium education.
Podchraoladh/Podcast anseo http://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/The_Pat_Kenny_Show/Highlights_from_The_Pat_Kenny_Show/181561/Why_is_it_so_hard_to_get_a_place_in_a_gaelscoil
Sparántachtaí Taighde
Márta 1, 2017
