Oversubscribed Sligo school leaves families frustrated as 36 apply for 25 junior infants places

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

With the school year racing towards its finale, many families are putting plans in place for September when the cycle starts all over again and that is particularly true for parents of children entering junior infants.

However, for parents in Ballymote that planning has been overtaken by worry and stress as Scoil Mhuire gan Smál is currently oversubscribed for next year meaning the parents of 10 young children are frantically endeavouring to put plans in place to secure a school place for their child.

The issue of oversubscription in St Patrick’s, NS Calry has been well publicised in recent months, and it has now emerged that parents in Ballymote are facing a similar problem as there have been 36 applications for 25 junior infants places for the 2006/’07 academic year.

Frustration has now come to a boiling point for parents who point out this situation should have been anticipated by authorities a number of years ago and plans put in place for the expansion of the school.

The demand for extra places in Scoil Mhuire gan Smál is replicated in the locality with knockminna NS, which is 5km outside Ballymote receiving 23 applications for next year as opposed to the four applications received this time last year.

One parent who finds herself in the predicament of being told there is no room for her daughter, even though she and her husband are both past pupils of the school, outlined the situation when speaking to The Sligo Champion.

Describing the situation facing parents in the locality the parent explained, “For the 2026/2027 school year, Scoil Mhuire gan Smál capped its Junior Infants class at 25 pupils.

Thirty-six children applied meaning 11 were left without places. I understand that one child has since been offered a place from the waiting list, which still leaves 10 families in Ballymote without a place in their local school for September 2026.”

A combination of the growth of Ballymote and a significant increase in the number of children now of school going age is putting a significant strain on local resources with the concerned mother saying the situation is replicated in Ballymote for other services such as doctors and child minders.

Keen not to apportion blame to the school the parent acknowledged, “They have to follow the admissions policy,” but she insisted the current situation should have been anticipated by authorities.

“It has been obvious for years that the population of Ballymote has been growing, so why has nothing been done to increase school capacity? More importantly, what will be done now for these 10 families before September 2026?”

Outlining the difficulties faced in Ballymote the concerned parent said, “The population of Ballymote has been steadily growing over recent years, and this has been evident in the school’s enrolment numbers. The current senior infants class has 34 pupils, while the current second class has 32 pupils.

What is going to happen to the families who have been left without a school place in Ballymote for September 2026?

“The school accommodated all pupils in those years and went well above recommended class sizes. However, it is now at capacity, and the children and families applying for junior infants in 2026/2027 are the ones being directly impacted.”

The boom in newborns following covid has heightened the seriousness of the issue with the worried parent refuting government notions that school enrolment numbers are decreasing.

“That may be true in some very rural areas, and perhaps in parts of Dublin, where the housing shortage has pushed families out. But those families have moved elsewhere, including to towns like Ballymote. The housing pressure is now being felt here, and school capacity has not kept pace.”

Speaking about the governmental policy in place to ensure education is provided for all students the parent said, “The Department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. But what does “in an area” mean for a rural town like Ballymote?

“Government policy encourages families to live in towns, discourages rural one-off housing, promotes reduced car use, and talks about building communities. Yet when a local town school is full, parents are expected to travel outside their own town — sometimes to schools an undefined distance away — simply to meet their legal obligation to educate their children.”

While the child in question will be able to secure a place in a school come September, at the moment it appears as though it won’t be in the school of their choice and this will have a number of knock-on effects.

A place has been secured in a school close to Ballymote the extra time spent travelling to and from the school may make it impossible for her to continue working saying, “If I can’t get the after school care I will probably have to give up my job. You can’t do your eight hours in a day trying to drop off and collect from school at the times that the school have.”

Pointing to the consequences of not being able to send their daughter to their preferred school she said, “In most households, both parents now have to work to pay the bills. Sending a child to a school outside their town can directly affect a parent’s ability to work. Childcare services such as breakfast clubs, after-school care, and summer cover are usually centred in larger towns. These supports often do not exist in smaller rural country schools.

Pointing to an example where the Department of Education intervened to ensure a positive outcome for impacted families the Ballymote parent referred to an incident in Co Meath where action was taken to ensure a positive outcome.

“There is also precedent for the Department stepping in Dunshaughlin, when a similar issue arose, the Department of Education intervened and ensured extra resources were provided. Why can that not happen now for families in Ballymote and the west of Ireland?”

The matter was raised at this week’s meeting of the Tubbercurry-Ballymote Municpal District with a motion tabled by Cllr Dara Mulvey calling for Sligo County Council to “Write to Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton to allocate additional resources to Scoil Mhuire gan Smál Primary School in Ballymote. Considering the rising population and the lack of available school places for local children to a cap on enrolment numbers. Parents need clarity ahead of the new school year as they are having to seek places in other national schools away from the town adding to the increased worry and expense for the families concerned.”

Speaking to the motion Cllr Mulvey explained, “Ballymote is experiencing a growing population with new housing construction in the past few years and more estates currently being built and the lack of available school places for local children due to a cap on enrolment numbers is leaving parents experiencing difficulty.

“As the new school term approaches local parents have informed me that 25 pupils are the maximum allowed entry. Parents whose child is not offered a place for next year are having to seek places in other national schools away from the town adding to increased worry and expense for the families concerned.”

Cllr Mulvey also hit out at the Department of Education saying, “The Department needs to have a bit of foresight. I don’t know what it is with the Department but they don’t seem to forsee these issues.”

Cllr Gerard Mullaney also spoke in favour of the motion saying, “There is a lot of concern about this issue in Ballymote. It’s not easy on parents when both are working, having to travel outside the town to drop children off and collect them from school.”

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.