Parents of primary and preschool aged children will be invited to share their preferences on what type of school they want in their local area as part of “national conversation” on school choice.
The national poll, due to take place in the coming school year, will ask parents to state their preferences on school ethos (such as religious or multi denominational), gender mix (single sex or coeducational) and language (English-medium or Irish-medium).
While there were plans to poll parents on school ethos alone, Minister for Education Norma Foley said an expanded poll is being planned to paint a more accurate picture of parental demand for types of education.
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It is unclear, however, how these parental preferences will translate into changes on the ground.
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Successive efforts to transfer patronage away from religious-run schools over the past decade have proved slow and divisive in many local areas.
Almost 90 per cent of the 3,600 primary schools in the State remain Catholic in ethos, while just 5 per cent (about 170) are multi-denominational.
The Government looks likely to miss its target of ensuring there are 400 multi-denominational primary schools (about 12 per cent of all primary schools) by the end of the decade based on slow progress to date.
There are currently 169 multi-denominational primary schools.
Ms Foley said a national poll will be a key “jigsaw” piece in responding to parental demands.
“The more information we have to hand and the more people are involved in the process, then the better that is for the system,” she said.
“The survey will reach out to parents of children in school and in preschool. That really will be key. To this point, the pilots have been localised and in certain areas. I do think we need a national conversation it, so we’re working on that.
“ ... It’s going to be quite an extensive survey. I would always say that we’re never going to get the answer if we don’t ask the question. So we’re asking the question, and we’re going to the people who are very much at the coalface here.”
Any changes in patronage and other areas, she said, will need to be community-based and collaborative.
On meeting the target of 400 multi-denominational primary schools, she acknowledged that progress was “not as quick as I would like”
“I recognise we need to do something more. We need to do other things that would facilitate us to accelerate going forward. And I think this national survey that would be a significant parts of that.”
Ms Foley was speaking at a primary school in Dublin city centre, which is to become the first Catholic primary school in the State to change to Educate Together patronage.
An event to mark the transfer of St Mary’s Primary School in Dublin 7 from the Dublin Archdiocese to Educate Together was held on Tuesday afternoon. The school name will change to Paradise Place Educate Together National School.
It came about as part of the latest Department of Education initiative to support the transfer of schools from religious to multi-denominational patronage, where demand exists for such a change.
[ Catholic primary school in Dublin switches to multidenominational patronageOpens in new window ]
St Mary’s was one of a number of schools in the Dublin Archdiocese consulted during the 2022/23 school year as part of the Government’s “reconfiguration” pilot programme.
It involved a consultation process with the St Mary’s school community, conducted by a Department of Education-appointed facilitator, and the Archdiocese’s education secretariat.
Emer Nowlan, chief executive of Educate Together, said she was delighted to welcome a “vibrant inner-city school community into the Educate Together network”.
“We are very conscious of St Mary’s long history as a successful Catholic school, which has always adapted to the changing needs of its local community, and we appreciate the support of the current patron and the local parish for this process,” she said.
“We look forward to working with parents, staff and pupils, and the local community, to support a smooth transition.”
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