Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
504. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the cost of the development of the common enrolment process for the Greystones area; the number of staff that were assigned to work on that scheme; the duration of that work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72409/25]
View answer523. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the cost of the development of the common enrolment process for the Greystones area; the number of staff that were assigned to work on that scheme; the duration of that work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72552/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 504 and 523 together.
The rollout of the pilot Single Online Application for Schools marks a significant step towards improving the school admission system and fulfilling the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a nationwide common application system. The Apply to School pilot was introduced to simplify and improve the admissions process for post-primary schools in five pilot areas including Greystones. This new system provides families, for the first time, with a single online application and introduces synchronised, streamlined timelines for schools to manage admissions, issue offers, and update a central database to record accepted places.
The development of the pilot single online application system including for the Greystones area was undertaken with existing resources from across various areas of my Department. This included ICT and administrative staff to support stakeholder engagement and support parents and schools in operating the new system. The work undertaken by the team also included preparatory and planning work towards the future nationwide common application system. The total cost for the roll out of the full pilot across the five areas is estimated to be in the region of €60,000, acknowledging the overlap between work to deliver the pilot and work to plan for future developments. The pilot cost includes a small amount on targeted communications to parents in the relevant areas. The work was carried out by staff in conjunction with other duties over the course of 2025 leading up to the system going live on 1 October.
My department is committed to ensuring that any new system produces the optimal outcome for children and I can assure the Deputy that officials in my Department will continue to work in consultation with stakeholders to develop an evidence-informed, tested, equitable solution for a nationwide Common Application System and to deliver this in an incremental way that ensures the admissions process safeguards the best interest of children.
