
Admission Act 2018: a major stumbling block for divestment - w/ Alan Hynes
From Education Nation by State of the Nation
April 15, 2026 · 1h 41m · Season 2 · Episode 7
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 on school admissions and divestment from Catholic schools.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 has undoubtedly improved fairness and transparency. The Act for the first time required that every school publish a clear, nondiscriminatory admissions policy and that they follow an agreed common national timeline. There is no doubt that parents now have greater confidence in how places are allocated. But one unintended consequence means that Catholic schools can no longer give priority to children of Catholic families. In the opinion of Alan Hynes this is the decisive factor that has prevented communities from supporting divestment. Parents are reluctant to relinquish a denominational school if they cannot be assured that their children will have priority access to the remaining Catholic option.
People in this episode
Guest: Alan Hynes
Topics covered
- education policy
- admissions
- divestment
- fairness
- transparency
- Catholic schools
Keywords
- Admission Act 2018
- school admissions
- divestment
- Catholic families
- fairness
- transparency
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Catholic schools
Books & works: Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018
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