Over a third of Louth parents want achange in religious primary schools
According to the results of a Department of Education and Youth Primary School Survey, 40% of parents in religious-run schools nationally would prefer a multi-denominational primary school and 36% of families in County Louth would prefer a multi-denominational education.
Educate Together has welcomed local engagement on patronage for Louth school as 36.2% of parents surveyed in Louth seek change to multi-denominational education in their local school.
The survey was the first of its kind in Ireland, giving parents the chance to have direct input on how their local school should be run.
Schools received their survey results in June and have been asked to engage with parents and other members of the school community before deciding if they want to express interest in changing patronage.
According to the results, 40% of parents in religious-run schools nationally would prefer a multi-denominational primary school and 36% of families in County Louth would prefer a multi-denominational education.
‘Multi‑denominational’ means involving, including, or intended for members of more than one religious denomination.
Demand for multi-denominational / equality-based education in County Louth is not currently being met. There are currently three Educate Together primary schools in County Louth, along with a single community national school.
This means that of the 69 primary schools in the county, only four have a multi-denominational ethos. Parents in many parts of Louth have no choice other than to send their children to a denominational primary school.
Edward Platt, Schools Development Officer for Educate Together said: “The data from the Primary School Survey has given schools an insight into what their parents want, but it doesn’t tell the full story.
“We are encouraging all schools to engage with the parents to get a more rounded view of what the school community wants and what their vision is for the future of the school. If your local school is consulting parents, we strongly encourage parents to get involved”.
“At the moment we are encouraging all schools to take this unique opportunity to examine the future they want for their local school.
“Once the deadline has passed and schools have expressed interest, we are very much looking forward to engaging with these schools and supporting them in patronage transfer.
“We are very excited to be able to engage with schools where demand for change exists and bring school choice to communities around Ireland.”
The Department of Education and Youth recently published guidance for schools on how best to engage their school community.
Specifically, the Department has advised that: “Schools know their communities best, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
“The suggestions below are intended to provide a structure for engagement while still allowing schools the flexibility to choose what works best for their community.
“A more detailed engagement process may be particularly important where survey results are very close, for example, where around half of respondents favour keeping the school’s current arrangement and around half favour a change."
The government’s current action plan outlines the upcoming process for change:
- Schools have been asked to consult with their school community, using the Primary School Survey data to inform the conversation
- Primary school boards of management have been asked to hold a special meeting to discuss the survey and the opinions expressed by the school community
- Schools hoping to be involved in the first group of schools should communicate their interest to the DEY before the new November 30th deadline.
- Once the deadline has passed, the Department will appoint facilitators to support schools in choosing a new patron and initiating the transfer process.
Find out more information on the process of school patronage transfers here.