The parents of three school children who were refused admission to a secondary school in Derry city have begun a High Court challenge in Belfast aimed at overturning the decision.
The three girls were initially offered places at St Cecilia's College in the Creggan area of Derry.
The pupils, who where due to start at St Cecilia's at the beginning of the new term, attended the school's induction day only to be told later their places were being withdrawn because the school was oversubscribed.
Their parents believe they were denied places in favour of other pupils who were living in Donegal, but who gave addresses of relatives in Derry so they could meet the admission criteria, a practice that has become known as 'grannying'.
At the High Court in Belfast this morning lawyers for the girls said the St Cecilia's College Board of Governors did not properly apply the admission criteria because they made no effort to verify the addresses of applicants.
A lawyer said that the advice given to the Governors to take the addresses at face value was irrational.
