Kathleen Funchion: Urgent appeal over Kilkenny secondary school places
Kathleen Funchion raised concerns about the lack of secondary school places in Kilkenny City, citing three boys who cannot secure places for September. She urged the minister to investigate their appeals, review transport entitlements and to explore establishing an additional secondary school in the city.
Specific cases raised
She named three individual boys — Zach, Cahill and Aboudie — all attending St Canis' Primary School who have not been offered a secondary place for September and whose families have given permission for their cases to be raised.
Appeals and timing
Funchion said the families were advised they could appeal, but the Department replied the appeals were out of time. She highlighted that usual place notifications in February and March were disrupted by COVID-19, increasing stress and uncertainty for pupils finishing primary school.
Transport and access difficulties
When families considered schools outside Kilkenny City they were told they were not entitled to transport because placements would be outside their catchment area. Funchion stressed this creates practical barriers for parents who do not drive or who work irregular hours.
Proposal for a long-term solution
Funchion called for exploration of an additional secondary school in Kilkenny City, suggesting an Educate Together option for the eastern part of the city to relieve pressure on existing schools. She asked to meet departmental officials to develop a lasting solution and requested urgent departmental attention to the three named cases.
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Thanks very much, Chair. Thanks, Minister. I have four minutes. I have one very specific issue to raise with you, and hopefully you'll have the time to respond. So it's in relation to the lack of secondary school places in Kilkenny City, and it's in particular to three boys who I know I have spoken to yourself and your officials already about this, and I have gotten a response, but I have the permission of the families to raise this issue. Three individual families, Zach, Cahill and Aboudie, three young boys all going to St Canis' Primary School in Kilkenny City cannot access a secondary school place for September in the city. Now, they're in a situation where their families, in two of the cases, mothers don't drive and fathers are working away from home, and in one of the cases both parents are working in the hospital and are on call and have difficult hours and other kids. So the idea of sending your children outside the city, first of all, for schooling is not ideal. However, when we raised this issue, Minister, I got a reply back to say that they were entitled to appeal the decision. So we went through that process, and they received replies from the Department of Education to say the appeals weren't accepted because they were out of time. Now, bear in mind, we had the whole COVID situation and school places for secondary are usually announced in February and March. So the stress that these three families are under, and I stress that it's only three because I imagine there's a lot more, because every year in Kilkenny we have this issue. There is a need for a secondary school. So the two things I want to ask you are will you please give a commitment to look into these three individual cases. Your department has the information. I did ask them last week what happens when they are told they cannot appeal now. I didn't get a reply to that, but I don't really want them to just go through some, you know, appeal process if it's not really going to result in anything. So can something be done to help these three families? You have this three kids who, like all the other kids who are in sixth class, have not got the opportunity to have the whole finishing up and saying goodbye to friends. They're at a stage in their life where they should be excited about the next chapter. They don't even know what school they're going to. We're in June now. Secondary school is restarting in some shape or form at the end of August. So they really, really need some sort of help and intervention. I mean, you have one of these children saying to me, he's nervous, he'll have no friends, he's not going to know anybody. And the other thing to say is when they did look into schools outside the city, they were told they were not entitled to transport, because you're seen as technically sending your children outside the catchment area, and that causes a whole bunch of problems. The other thing I want to raise about this is I would like to explore how we get another secondary school in Kilkenny City. On the eastern part of the city, there is no second level education. We don't have an Educate Together secondary school. I think this could be a good opportunity for something like that, and I think it would take pressure off all the secondary schools in the city. And I don't really want to have to be talking about this, and I'm sure you don't want to have to be talking about this year in, year out. So I would like to be part of the long-term solution and see is there some way that I can meet with people in your department around how we explore another secondary school in the city. That will not help these three children, Zach, Cahill and Aboudi. And I would like somebody from the department to please look into this and realise the stress, the worry, the anxiety that parents and these kids are under. And it's not a nice time. My own son started secondary school last year. I know the nervousness that's there anyway. And that's when you know everything about your school and your uniform and all the rest of it that goes with it for that age group. And it does seem to, unfortunately, be particularly affecting boys in the primary schools in Kilkenny City that there is not enough secondary school places. So I would just ask if you could please look into that, Minister. Thank you.
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