By Sean Ryan - 02 October, 2016
Two Scottish boroughs are considering asking parents to prove that their children are baptised Catholics as a method of enrolment to two oversubscribed Catholic denominational schools.
Inverclyde Council is the latest borough in Scotland to consider the move following huge demand for enrolment in Notre Dame High School in the Western Scottish town of Greenock.
The changes are part of a wider reform of school entry policy in Inverclyde Borough, which will also see children who have attended feeder primary schools for the longest time given priority when applying to an associated secondary school.
A council spokesman told the local Barrheadnews.com, “It is important that we hear the views of parents and young people about criteria in place when examining placing requests and in the exceptional circumstances where a school is at capacity. I would urge parents and carers to review the proposal and to let the council know their views on this consultation.”
Speaking about the proposed move, Inverclyde Council’s education and communities convener, Councillor Terry Loughran, said, “It is very important that we hear the views of parents and young people about criteria in place when examining placing requests and in the exceptional circumstances where a school is at capacity’’. He added, “I would urge parents and carers to review the proposal and to let the council know their views on this consultation.’’
Inverclyde looks set to become the second borough in Scotland to introduce such a move. In August, East Renfrewshire Council announced a consultation on a similar proposal to deal with overcrowding at St Ninian’s High School in Giffnock, on the outskirts of Glasgow. St Ninian’s regularly comes top of the school league tables and is a magnet for Catholic families as well as those of others faiths or no faith. The school counts current Republic of Ireland soccer international, Aidan McGeady, amongst its alumni.
