Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 March 2017
147. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consultations will be carried out with children and young persons, parents and the wider community with regard to the new plan for reconfiguration of the denominational school system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14508/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra148. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an independent mechanism will be established, with the necessary resources, that will act transparently to oversee the transfer of patronage and the reconfiguration of the denominational school system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14509/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra149. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if any working group has been established to discuss the details of the reconfiguration plan for primary schools; and if so, the details of the membership of this group and its terms of reference. [14510/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 147 to 149, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware I have announced 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.
I believe that the Education and Training Boards, as the State’s local education authority, is precisely the right organisation to undertake the consultation with pre-school parents in this process. One of the criticisms of the last process was that it did not take sufficient account of local communities and local stakeholders. The ETBs, as statutory education authorities, present in every county, with representation from local groups on their boards, are ideally placed to carry out this process. The protocols surrounding how the consultation will be carried out will be carefully designed by my Department, in consultation with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and each ETB will submit a report to the Department showing the results of these consultations, including details of how they were carried out in accordance with the protocols.
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 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.
