I want to reassure you that ensuring every child has access to a suitable school place is a top priority for the department. This includes meeting the needs of children and young people at post-primary level, as well as those with special educational needs.
To support families during the post-primary admissions process for the 2026/27 school year, the department has put several measures in place, particularly in areas where demand is high, such as Galway City. As part of these measures, the data-sharing arrangements between schools and the department have been put in place again for the 2026/27 admissions process. This allows the department to better understand application patterns and respond where overlap between schools is causing delays.
The admissions process can take time, as families may accept an offer from one school and later receive an offer from another. When this happens, places become available and are then offered to other students. As in previous years, the department is working closely with school patrons and principals to make sure that every child in Galway City receives an offer of a post-primary school place.
While parents have the right to choose which schools to apply to, school admissions are managed by individual schools in line with their published enrolment policies, as required under the Education Act 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. Under the provisions of the Act, school admission policies are approved by the Patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending the school. The school’s admissions policy is published on the school’s website. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area.
The number of first-year places available in each school is published in the schools’ annual admissions notices, which are available on the individual school websites. Where a school has more applications than places, a fair and non-discriminatory selection process must be used, which can mean that not every child is offered a place in their first-choice school.
There are 11 post-primary schools in the Galway City school planning area. Departmental analysis for the 2024/25 school year shows that overall, there were more first-year places available than the number of sixth-class pupils, over 3% of places remaining unfilled.
I want to assure you that the department will continue to work closely with schools and patrons to ensure that every child in Galway City is offered a school place.
