According to an article in the Irish Catholic today, the number of Catholic schools that are oversubscribed is dramatically lower than has been claimed in the media and undermines claims that one in five Catholic schools are over-subscribed and therefore forced to apply a ‘Catholics’ first’ policy.

The newspaper reports that it conducted research that shows that less than 2% of Catholic schools are oversubscribed , i.e. just 46 of the 2900 schools under the patronage of the Catholic Church are oversubscribed. 17 of the 46 schools are in the Dublin archdiocese with the remaining 29 schools mostly in the east of the country.

The Irish Catholic reports that the “figures are a blow to campaigners who are calling for the Church to pull-back from education claiming that non-Catholics are routinely discriminated against and barred from Catholic schools. However, the research now reveals that, while the issue is real in a handful of areas, just a small number of children are affected. “

Read the full article in the Irish Catholic here

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