Government rules out review of school catchment boundaries

The Government has ruled out a review of the catchment boundaries which govern transport to and from schools, despite calls for flexibility to be introduced so that more students could attend the school of their choice.

The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Síle de Valera, yesterday said that while there may be some merit in reviewing boundaries in places where new schools had been added and others had closed, more thorough changes would "create more problems than they solved".

"Yes, it is entirely reasonable for parents to exercise educational choice. However, expectation as to the extent to which choice can be facilitated must be tempered with realism," she told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education.

"To revise boundaries in order to provide school transport for pupils to the school of their choice would not be appropriate and it is not my intention to undertake such a review."

The catchment boundaries system was established in 1967. Every county was divided into geographic districts, each with several schools.

Transportation to these schools was only guaranteed, with some exceptions, if a student attended a school in his or her boundary area.

Critics of the scheme say it is outdated and that urban sprawl and changes in settlement patterns in recent years mean the boundaries should be reviewed and redrawn.

Labour TD Jan O'Sullivan said demographics had changed so much since the late 1960s that it was "illogical" to continue with the current system.

Olwyn Enright of Fine Gael said the system was putting the future of some schools at risk.

She knew of one school in Co Laois which was in danger of closing because of a shortage of pupils.

However, pupils from the locality who wanted to attend the school were not able to because they lived in the wrong catchment area.

Ms Enright also said Garda vetting of people who drive school buses should be prioritised, following a recent case involving a convicted child sex offender who was driving a school bus for special needs children.

"This could be happening anywhere else in the country, but we just don't know about it," she said.

Ms de Valera said a vetting unit of up to 30 gardaí would be in place by November and that these would be backed by administrative staff. It would provide services to more than 900 groups and agencies.