School Admissions: Apply to School Pilot Opens for 2027/28 First-Year Places

Families in selected Irish towns will have a new way to apply for post-primary school places under the school admissions pilot. The Department of Education and Youth has confirmed that online applications for first-year places for the 2027/28 school year will open on 1 October 2026.

The applytoschool.ie pilot is designed to streamline applications by allowing parents and guardians to apply to participating schools through one online system. It will operate in selected areas only, so families should check whether their preferred school is included before preparing an application.

School admissions pilot: key dates and locations

The application system will be available to families in Athenry, Celbridge, Clonakilty, Greystones, Kilbeggan, Kilcoole, Maynooth, Oranmore, Rosscarbery and Tullamore/Killina.

• Applications open: 1 October 2026
• Application deadline: 22 October 2026
• First-year offers issued: 12 November 2026

Participating schools include community colleges, Catholic schools, Church of Ireland schools and other post-primary providers. Their full admissions policies remain the key source of information on selection criteria and available places.

How the school admissions process works

Every participating school must operate under a clear and fair admissions policy in line with the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. Where applications exceed the number of places available, schools must apply the published oversubscription criteria.

Criteria differ between schools, and the Department of Education and Youth does not decide which applicants receive places. Parents should therefore read each school’s policy carefully, particularly where distance, family connections, school ethos or other lawful criteria may apply.

Documents families need

All applications require:

• A copy of the child’s birth certificate
• Up to two recent documents confirming the family’s current address

Families applying for a special class, or for both mainstream and special-class placement, must also provide relevant professional reports and an NCSE letter confirming the child’s diagnosis and recommendation for an autism special class.

Files can be uploaded as JPG, JPEG, PDF, PNG, TIFF, TIF or BMP documents, with a maximum size of 10MB. Multi-page documents should be combined into one clear file, and every page must be fully visible.

Offers, waiting lists and special classes

Schools will assess applications using their own published criteria. A child may receive more than one offer if applications have been made to several participating schools. Parents are encouraged to accept only the place they intend to take and complete one enrolment form.

If a school is oversubscribed and cannot offer a place, the child may be placed on that school’s waiting list. Waiting lists are managed by individual schools and are used when places become available during the relevant school year.

The online system also allows parents to apply for mainstream and special-class places through the same form. However, schools remain responsible for decisions, and special-class applications must include the supporting evidence requested.

What parents should do now

1. Check whether the preferred school is part of the pilot.
2. Read the school’s admissions policy and oversubscription rules.
3. Gather the birth certificate and proof-of-address documents.
4. Arrange professional and NCSE documentation if applying for a special class.
5. Submit the online application before 22 October 2026.

The main takeaway for families is to prepare early and rely on each school’s published admissions policy when making choices. The applytoschool.ie pilot may make applications more convenient, but school admissions decisions will still be made by participating schools under their approved criteria.

Article/Image Courtesy: gov.ie