Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2017
132. Deputy Michael D'Arcy asked the Minister for Education and Skills whether there are grounds for opening a national school in an area in which a lack of choice has been identified; and if so, the steps a community interest group should take to establish such a school. [7469/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra146. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reconsider the proposed divestment process and establish an independent working group with representatives of all the patron bodies to formulate a transparent process that puts parents' wishes at the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7669/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra147. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reconsider his decision to give the Catholic Church the final say over which patron to divest schools to, in view of the existing disproportionate influence the church has over primary education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7670/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 132, 146 and 147 together.
As the Deputies will be aware I announced last week new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area.
This will involve the Education and Training Boards in the initial phase, as the State’s local education authorities, identifying areas where there is likely to be demand for greater diversity and they will work with pre-school services to establish evidence of this demand among the cohort of pre-school parents. There will then be discussions between individual ETBs and the existing patrons/landowners concerning the possible transfer of schools to accommodate this demonstrated demand for diversity.
Each ETB will then prepare a report for the Department outlining the levels of demand within their functional areas and the responses of the existing patrons as to how this might be accommodated through the reconfiguration of existing school provision.
In the subsequent implementation phase, where the level of demand for multi-denominational schools is sufficient to justify transfer of a school from denominational to multi-denominational patronage, a process will commence to give effect to that. There will be a role for the existing patron/landowner in consulting with local community and school interests and taking into account proposals from different prospective multi-denominational patrons. It is envisaged that transfers will largely be by way of voluntary transfer of live schools by existing patrons.
This new process for supporting transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local families is based around principles of transparency and cooperation. Therefore, there will be a very substantial level of consultation of local communities in the process, both with the ETBs’ in the initial phase to establish evidence of demand by consulting pre-school parents and subsequently through the requirement for the existing patron to consult with local community and school interests in proposing to transfer patronage of an existing school to an alternative patron body. In that process, the existing patron will also take into account proposals from all prospective multi-denominational patrons that wish to be considered. I would urge all parties to engage in this process constructively, with a view to reaching solutions to meet parental preferences.
In addition to progressing the reconfiguration of existing school provision to provide greater choice to parents nationwide, the Government is committed to ensuring that parental preferences will continue to be key to patronage decisions on new schools established in areas of demographic growth. When it is decided that a new school is required to meet demographic needs in an area, my Department runs a separate patronage process to decide who will operate the school. It is open to all patrons and prospective patrons to apply for patronage of the school under this process and the level of parental preference for each patron in addition to the extent of diversity already in the area, are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of the process.
