Up to 16 children locally were refused a place in Scoil Mhuire
Parents in Ballymore Eustace say they have been left in limbo, after up to 16 children locally didn't get a junior infants place in the Scoil Mhuire Primary School.
The school has just one junior infants class and its admissions policy states that it can accommodate 26 pupils, however in a statement to Kfm, the school said it received historically high levels of applications and ultimately, some parents were left disappointed.
As per the enrollment policy, that was devised by the Archdiocese of Dublin in 2020 and is shared by all primary schools within the diocese, the school says it is "not allowed to prioritise children with siblings currently enrolled over children with no siblings enrolled who also live in the local area."
"Therefore we had to use the mechanism in our policy, the eldest children being preferred, to rank the applications" it said.
Kfm has spoken to a number of parents of children who missed out, and now don't know where to turn.
One parent already has two children in the school, while her third has been refused a place.
Another parent said her son was attending the pre-school, located on the same grounds, but has also been refused a place.
The school has "strongly" called on the Minister for Education to change the rule whereby schools have to wait an additional year to appoint a new teacher.
It said "to qualify for a 9th mainstream class teacher, we have to reach 215 pupils in September 2024 - a number we would easily attain if we accepted all the applications we received".
"However, due to Departmental rules, we would not be allowed to appoint that teacher until September 2025 which is a bizarre situation given that those 215+ pupils would be in the school from September 2024."
This morning's Kildare Today programme will cover this issue from 9.25am and will be repeated tonight at 10pm and podcasted on our website.
BREAKING: James Lawless & Martin Heydon Both Appointed Senior Ministers
Storm Alert: From Car Insurance, School Closures To Health Services: Here's What You Need To Know
Kildare Residents Are Being Reminded To Participate In The Irish Stoat Survey
Over 200 Children Across Kildare On CAHMS Waiting List As Of December
Pension Payments Due Tomorrow Will Not Be Paid Early, While Post Will Not Be Delivered Due To Storm
Kildare’s Grieving Families Still Waiting For Widow’s Pension Access A Year After Court Ruling
Kildare County Council Opens Applications For Creative Ireland Bursary Award 2025
Locals Advised Not To "Panic" Buy As Schools, Transport, And Retail Face Major Disruptions Ahead Of Storm
