CLONAKILTY’S two secondary schools have been selected to pilot a new online application system for post-primary school admissions designed to streamline the admissions process and make it easier and clearer.

Clonakilty Community College and Sacred Heart Secondary School are piloting the system which is available at applytoschool.ie, and allows parents and guardians to apply for first-year places, including special class places using a single application form until October 22nd.

Round one offers will go out on November 12th, round two offers will go out on December 4th.

‘A major benefit of the pilot will be that after a parent accepts an offer in round 1, any other school in which that parent has accepted a place will be notified. These parents will be contacted directly by the schools and asked to choose their preferred school, allowing those other schools to offer those places to other children in round 2. This will ensure significantly greater transparency for schools and ensure that school places are allocated more quickly and efficiently,’ said Minister for Education and Youth, Helen McEntee.

‘The move from primary to post-primary school can be stressful for families and the aim of this new online pilot application is to ease the burden on families around the application phase.

‘This pilot is a first step to introducing a more streamlined approach for families and schools, including those looking for a special class placement, and will offer valuable insights as we work towards a nationwide roll-out,’ she added.

The minister thanked the two Clonakilty schools participating ‘for their leadership and commitment to the pilot who have worked with parents and the department to prepare for this launch.’