School cap crisis leaves West Mayo families in limbo

It’s been a week from hell for 72 children and their families in Westport this week.

The dreaded email landed in their inboxes early last week from Rice College - they were on a waiting list for a place with little hope that they would be going to school there in September.

The Mayo News has spoken to a number of the families facing huge uncertainty over where their children will be going to school next year.

The impact of the school caps on the children involved has been described by one parent as “absolutely horrendous.”

“The children of Westport are the casualties of a broken system,” added the parent.

Many of the pre-teen boys and girls on the waiting list are experiencing a feeling of rejection from the whole process, with one child telling their parents that “the school doesn't want me.”

For many on the waiting list, it was only after the information evening for parents, which took place after the children had already attended the school's open day, that they became aware that there mightn't be a place for their children.

Nearly all of the 600 chairs were filled by prospective parents in the school's sports hall for the event. There were audible gasps when they were told for the first time about the cap on school places imposed by the Department of Education and the Catholic school patron body, CEIST.

Parents question why their children were invited to Rice College's open day to sample school life and given false hope when it would have been clear to the school that there wouldn't be enough places for everyone.

They say that as adults its difficult to navigate the whole ordeal, let alone for eleven year olds, who are facing into the huge transition from primary school to secondary school.

The fear of their children being separated from friendship groups is also consistently raised, with one parent lamenting that their child is the only one from their sports team not to get into the school.

Why has Westport school waiting lists?

The short answer is a combination of school places being capped and children applying to multiple schools and therefore creating duplication in the system. The spectre of school waiting lists and schools being oversubscribed is new to Westport. The introduction of co-education in Westport has led to a surge in popularity for Rice College over the two other schools in the area.

Parents and guardians are feeling the sharp end of a policy cap on school places imposed by the Department of Education to and CEIST, on both Rice College and Sacred Heart have led to a situation where both schools are oversubscribed.

Rice College, which went co-ed last year, has emerged as the clear preference for a majority of families as 216 children applied to join next September. The school was limited to offering 144 places, despite having capacity for 168 first years last year. In a historic move, 60 girls entered first year in the school last year.Meanwhile, the knock on impact for next-door neighbour Sacred Heart was that its first year intake shrunk from nearly 100 to just 34.

Department response

The Department of Education and Youth explained its rationale for the school place cap by telling The Mayo News that: “The Department’s ongoing engagement with the patron bodies of the post-primary schools in Westport will ensure that there are sufficient post-primary school places across the two schools and to support the sustainable provision of high-quality post-primary education in the town.

“Both schools opened their admissions processes in October and the Department has requested information on applications to both schools for first-year places for 2026/2027 to aid its understanding of capacity requirements in Westport.”

The Department plans for school provision by analysing the relevant demographic data and uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

“In order to cater for Westport’s longer-term educational provision at post primary level, the Department is investing in two substantial capital projects in the town.

“A large-scale major capital project was approved for Sacred Heart Secondary School which will provide a new replacement school for 600 pupils including special educational provision. Rice College was approved a significant additional school accommodation project to provide appropriate accommodation for 600 pupils also including special education provision.”Criteria

One of the most controversial criteria of Rice College's oversubscription policy has proved to be “Category D: Sons or Daughters of past students who completed all of their second level Education at Rice College, Westport.”

Parents feel this is unfair as it ignores the mother's link to the town and disadvantages fathers from outside the town.

One of the children on the wait list told their parents that “it is not my fault that I don't have an older brother. It's not my fault that my dad didn't go to this school.”

Others question this category in the light of going co-ed and equality being given to both male and female students when the mother is left out.

Its a criteria that Sancta Maria Principal Dr Áine Moran has described as acting as a barrier to people who are new in the area and “it just doesn't seem fair to us.”DuplicationThe uncertainty has led for families to apply to multiple schools causing a duplication of applications across the schools. The Mayo News understands that there are in the region of 300 children in the Westport catchment area who are due to start secondary school next year. The combined school places of Rice College, Sacred Heart and Sancta Maria is 340. Therefore, between the three schools, there are enough places.

The panic caused by the school cap crunch has led parents and guardians to apply to multiple schools with the affect being that all three schools are currently oversubscribed.

Sacred Heart has 100 places available for first years and was able to offer places to all of the students who applied within the original enrolment period. However, it is now operating a short waiting list as people applied after the Rice College informed 72 children that they would not be guaranteed a place.

Sancta Maria College had 96 places on offer this year and currently has a waiting list of 15 students.Sacred Heart’s acting principal Kevin Malone told The Mayo News that “it is unfair on schools if people are holding place in both schools and then possibly not allowing other people then to be offered a place.”

He also explained that he is in contact with his counterpart in Rice College and says that it is within their admissions policy that schools can come together so they can 'see where things lie.'

It is understood that the Principal of Sacred Heart School is due to return during the school year.

Impact of school cap

The impact of the school cap could be that secondary school children in Westport will have to leave the town for their education and head for Louisburgh or Castlebar.

The prohibitive cost of the school bus to Louisburgh of €850 per year per child is a big talking point, as well as the need to have the child in town for 8am to get the bus to Sancta Maria.

Sancta Maria Principal Dr Áine Moran told The Mayo News has been campaigning for the cost to be tackled and says the current oversubscription of schools in Westport is further justification for offering a free bus from Westport to the school as “it's cheaper to provide a bus than to build a school.”

Deputy Keira Keogh has outlined that many distraught parents have been contacting her office by phone and email, expressing deep concern that their children may not be able to attend school with their friends or teammates. In response, she has proactively engaged with local schools to understand their current enrolment numbers and waiting lists. She has encouraged them to maintain open and frequent dialogue with families and where possible collaborate with each other.Additionally, she has raised this matter with the Department of Education to ensure they fully appreciate the sensitivity of the issue.

Separately, Deputy Keogh emphasised that Sancta Maria School is also a preferred choice for many local children in this area and she has strongly advocated for a waiver on the “second nearest school” requirement, which imposes an additional cost of approximately €850 for school transport on many families.

With deadlines to accept or reject school places falling this week, the picture will become clearer for both the school and the prospective students. Rice College declined to comment for this article and CEIST did not respond.