Non religious school

[Chickenkeev]

My daughter is going into 6th class next year ( apologies, i don't know the British equivalent, but it's the last year before secondary). I'm lost as to whether i should hold out for the non religious secondary school which is the other side of the city, or just send her to one over this side that is religious. We went above and beyond to get her to non catholic primaries so it seems crap to throw that away but equally it wouldn't be great to foist a long commute on her. Help please!

@TwirlBar no that has all changed. The only things that matter are catchment area to even apply first and foremost. If a child has a sibling in the school they will get a place but after that it is a lottery. It changed some years ago.

Fee paying schools may have a different policy though.

@Shurleyknot
Just checked...it seems rules were changed in time for 21/22 school year. Among other changes, the number of children of past pupils who could be given priority was reduced rather than abolished. Now, not more than 25 percent of places can be set aside for children or grandchildren of past pupils. There have been further calls to abolish this advantage, but this hasn't been followed through on yet as far as I'm aware anyway?
I think the rule changes applied to fee paying schools too.

That is strange as I was on the BOM a few years back and that is when the changes were meant to have come into full friuition. I know for my kids it definitely came in at least 3 years ago as i was on the board then and that is what we were told. I left the board to be fair knowing I had got my youngest a place in the ET due to his older siblings already being in the school but surprised to hear some schools still going on older practices. Maybe just because ET secondary are so new they did not have lists like waiting lists etc to abolish?

I think changes did come in, but the advantage of having a past pupil as a parent was only reduced, not abolished.
One of mine has just finished first year and past pupils were definitely part of the admissions selection process in her school at the time she applied. That was around Oct 21 for Sept 22 start, so less than 2 years ago.
The calls for the complete abolishment of past pupil advantage were being discussed in the Dail early last summer (22) as well...not sure what's happened since then though.