Patrick Costello
Question:143. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education the legislation, Act and section, which governs the bidding process for school patronages. [8640/22]
View answerWednesday, 16 February 2022
Questions (143)
Written answers
Historically, school patrons monitored demographic increases at local level and sought approval from the Department to extend existing schools or provide new schools where a significant level of demand could not be met within existing school capacity.
Since 2011, new arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on demographic exercises carried out by the Department. New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase so as to ensure that every child has a school place.
The arrangements also give an opportunity to patrons to apply for the patronage of new schools. The criteria used in deciding on the patronage of new schools place a particular emphasis on parental patronage and language preferences and an analysis of existing provision in the areas where the schools are being established.
This approach is underpinned by a 2011 Government Decision.
The patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. An Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) has been in operation under my Department since 2018 and provides objective information to parents in the relevant school planning areas to assist them in making an informed choice about their preferred model of patronage and language of instruction for the new school.
A prospective patron can chose the school(s) it wishes to apply for and complete an application form in that regard for each school, for submission to my Department. The Department provides details on the OPPS of the school(s) and the list of applicant patrons which have applied for patronage of the school(s). Parents can then access the OPPS website, which allows them to access the appropriate survey for their area, to input the details of the eligible child(ren) and to select their preferred patron and language of instruction (with the exception of the Irish-medium primary gaelscoileanna which have been designated as Irish-medium prior to the opening of the OPPS - in the case of these schools, parents can select their preferred patron). Parental preferences from parents of children who reside in the school planning areas concerned, together with the extent of diversity currently available in these areas, are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of the process.
The patronage process for new schools is overseen by an external independent advisory group, the New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG). This Group was set up in 2011 to advise the Minister on the patronage of new schools. Following their consideration of my Department’s assessment reports, the NSEG submits a report with recommendations to me for consideration and final decision. The assessment reports and the NSEG recommendations for all such patronage processes are made available on the education section of the gov.ie website.