Scottish Catholic Observer

by Amanda Connelly

“A number of our schools have high occupancy levels,” a report to the council’s education committee reads. “There continues to be an increase in the number of pupils attending schools in the east of the council area, particularly those pupils following a denominational (Roman Catholic) education.”

Among the increasingly popular Catholic schools is St Ninian’s High School, Giffnock, (above) one of Scotland’s best state secondary schools.

The council have noted the school is currently oversubscribed with pupils from the catchment area for the new intake of first year pupils, and will discuss plans on Thursday surrounding the issue of oversubscription.

A report to the council said: ‘In effect subject to consultation, new admissions arrangements including new priorities for placing requests and new arrangements for P7 to S1 transfer would be applied from January 2017 which would prioritise places in denominational (Roman Catholic) schools for those children in the school’s catchment with a Roman Catholic baptismal certificate when Roman Catholic schools are oversubscribed’.

The report details a number of options considered by officers, setting the proposal out as the ‘preferred approach’ to make sure the council meets its duties.

“We have repeatedly warned the council that, because of an increasing Catholic population, more denominational school places will be required,” said Jim Swift, East Renfrewshire Scottish Conservative Councillor. “It has had several opportunities to get this right, and each time it has messed up. Labour and the SNP haven’t listened, and now children in East Renfrewshire risk missing out on being educated at one of Scotland’s best state schools unless they can produce a Baptismal certificate.”

“Across Scotland, many non-denominational pupils are happily taught in denominational schools. But now that’s in jeopardy because both Labour and the SNP failed to heed the warnings. What’s more, it may not be straightforward for eastern European Catholic families to get their hands on one of these certificates. This worrying state of affairs could have been avoided had the council just listened.” He added.