Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

My Department is examining a range of issues relating to patronage at second level, including the issue of an independent process for the recognition of new patrons. Given the current trend of an increasing student population and the need to ensure maximum benefit from the financial resources available to me, my Department is considering a number of broad policy issues relating to the recognition process for second level schools. These broad policy issues are not confined to the current applications from Educate Together but relate to how we deal with the establishment of new schools across the entire second level sector. The application from Educate Together to be recognised as a patron body at second level is being examined within the context of the relevant legal, financial and other factors.

It is important to bear in mind that the establishment of any new post-primary school involves a very substantial investment by the State in terms of the initial capital costs, including the acquisition of land and also the subsequent operational costs of the school. Before any new post-primary school can be established, regardless of the patronage model envisaged, my Department must be satisfied that the long-term enrolment potential of any such school justifies the level of investment. New post-primary schools must be capable of catering for as broad a spectrum as possible of the community they are intended to serve in order to be viable and to provide the wide curricular range rightly demanded by parents in modern times. As a consequence, all factors must be carefully considered, including the implications for enrolment patterns at existing schools, before approval can be given to further expand the present range of post-primary patron models.

At a meeting last year between officials from my Department and representatives from Educate Together, there was a wide-ranging and constructive discussion about the issues associated with Educate Together's application to become a patron at second level. The discussion also focused on the blueprint for post-primary education published by Educate Together in June of last year. This blueprint outlines the approach by Educate Together to providing an inclusive education where all young people, whatever their ability, will be provided with learning opportunities and classroom practices that explicitly take account of the different ways students learn.

In view of the range of issues involved, it has not been possible to bring this matter to a conclusion as quickly as I would have liked. However, it is my intention to finalise this matter and convey a decision to Educate Together at an early date.

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