Educate Together welcomes local engagement on patronage for Mayo schools
A THIRD of families in Mayo would prefer to send their children to a multi-denominational school, a survey has found.
Educate Together has welcomed the recent Department of Education and Youth (DEY) guidance to schools around the results of the Primary School Survey - 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 school specific 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. Recently, the closing date for schools to apply for patronage transfer was extended to November 30, to give schools more time to engage with the local community and consult with parents and families.
According to the results, 40% of parents in religious-run schools nationally would prefer a multi-denominational primary school and 34% of families in County Mayo would prefer a multi-denominational education.
Individual reports for Mayo schools are available here.
These numbers contrast starkly with current school provision, whereby 95.1% of primary schools nationally remain under denominational control.
Demand for multi-denominational / equality-based education in County Mayo is not currently being met. There are only three Educate Together primary schools in Mayo. This means that of the 151 primary schools in the county, only three have a multi-denominational ethos. Parents in many parts of Mayo have no choice other than to send their children to a denominational primary school.
Edward Platt, schools development officer for Educate Together, stated: “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.”
The Department of Education and Youth recently published guidance for schools on how best to engage their school community. All schools are being asked to take time to consult their parents, as the survey has offered a unique opportunity to have discussions on what parents want to see from their local school in the future.
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 30 deadline.
* Once the deadline has passed, the department will appoint facilitators to support schools in choosing a new patron and initiating the transfer process.
Educate Together is enthusiastic to support schools through the transfer process, having successfully transferred multiple schools to Educate Together patronage over the last decade.
Edward continued: “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.”
Families seeking more information are encouraged to go to Educate Together’s website to find out more about the process of school patronage transfers at educatetogether.ie.
The information from the Department of Education can be viewed online here.