Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dail Éireann" and substitute the following:

"notes that: — the Government recognises the importance of parental choice; and

— the Government is committed to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education, in line with the Programme for Government commitment; further notes that: — enrolments in mainstream multi-denominational and inter-denominational primary schools rose by 87.5 per cent (from 23,721 to 44,476) over the 10-year period from 2013/14 to 2023/24;

— there are 172 primary schools with a multi-denominational or inter-denominational ethos (2024/25 school year), this includes 32 multi-denominational primary schools which transferred patronage and/or changed ethos to multi-denominational and schools established under the patronage divesting process;

— 51 of the 52 new primary schools established to cater for increased demographic demand since 2011 have a multi-denominational ethos;

— the Programme for Government, includes a commitment to 'increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education';

— as part of delivering on the Programme for Government commitment, the Minister for Education and Youth has indicated that she intends to launch an online school specific survey of parents and school communities on what type of education they would like to see for their child and their school;

— in tandem with the proposed survey, the Department of Education and Youth will be providing clear information for parents and guardians to enable them to make an informed decision in relation to the different types of primary school patronage options;

— denominational schools have played an important role in primary education in Ireland for over a century, and they, along with other primary schools, have a strong history of inclusivity in serving their local communities and accept children of all faiths and none;

— under the Constitution, the provisions of article 44 recognise the rights of children to attend school without attending religious instruction at that school, the Education Act 1998 also provides that a school shall not require a student to attend instruction in any subject which is contrary to the conscience of the parent/guardian of the student or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student;

— for historical reasons, most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local Bishop as patron;

— it is recognised, including by the Catholic patrons, that more diverse provision is required to cater for our changing society;

— the Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity process has been developed in order to accelerate the delivery of multi-denominational schools, and this process supports transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons, in response to the wishes of local communities;

— when a school transfers from the patronage of one patron to another, the school remains open with the same roll number, operating from the same school property and with the same school staff and pupils;

— all State-funded primary schools follow a common national curriculum and are subject to the same Department rules and regulations;

— the Programme for Government commits to holding a convention bringing together all stakeholders in education; and

— nationally, at post-primary level, 48.6 per cent of students are enrolled in multi-denominational or inter-denominational schools, 47.6 per cent are enrolled in schools with a Catholic ethos and 2.9 per cent are enrolled in schools with a Church of Ireland ethos, and the remaining 0.9 per cent is accounted for by post-primary schools with an ethos other than Catholic, Church of Ireland, inter-denominational or multi-denominational; and calls on the Government to: — take any necessary steps to ensure that patronage transfers are facilitated, where parents and school communities support this;

— establish the level of parental demand for the primary school their children attend now or will attend in the future to change to a multi-denominational ethos by commencing the planned survey of primary school communities;

— continue to progress the reconfiguration process, with the goal of establishing a strong process, that has the support of patrons and local communities, and which will enable us to continue to increase the number of multi-denominational primary schools across the country;

— ensure that the Department of Education and Youth continues to engage with key stakeholders on the reconfiguration process; and

— continue to support school communities when schools are transferring patronage.".

I thank the Social Democrats for tabling the motion and enabling this important debate. It is important that the issue of parental choice and multidenominational primary school provision is discussed. I understand the issues that are being raised in the Private Members' motion tonight.

School communities are reflective of the rich and diverse society in which we live. Parents decide on the school to which they will send their children for a wide variety of reasons and, of course, ethos can be an important factor, if not the main factor for some. Currently, 88.3% of primary schools have a Catholic ethos. Catholic patrons have indicated they are supportive of an educational landscape which will reflect the reality of the increasingly diverse society in our country. Of the remaining 11.7% of primary schools, 6.2% have a religious ethos other than Catholic, mainly Church of Ireland. These schools are catering for minority faith communities and add to the diversity of the primary school landscape. The remaining 5.5% of primary schools have a multidenominational or interdenominational ethos. Multidenominational schools provide choice for parents. They provide primary schools which are under the patronage of non-religious patrons to allow children to learn about all faiths and belief systems through a multidenominational programme.

In our programme for Government, we clearly commit to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring families can access multidenominational, nondenominational and faith-based education. This work is a priority for me and the Government. As Minister and as a parent whose children will attend school in the coming years, I recognise the importance of increasing choice for parents when it comes to the education of their children. The number of children attending multidenominational schools has increased, albeit not as quickly as people might have liked, from just under 24,000 to over 44,000 students in the past decade, while 51 of the 52 new primary schools established to cater for increased demographic demand since 2011 have had a multidenominational ethos. There are currently 172 mainstream primary schools with a multidenominational or interdenominational ethos out of the total of 3,082 schools. A number of counties have no multidenominational schools and many others have only one option available for parents. For me, this certainly does not equate to choice for parents. Society has changed and continues to change. It is important that we reflect on what those changes mean for the education system. For example, just over half of people getting married now do so in a religious setting. While this is not a direct proxy for what type of school parents may wish to send their children to, it requires us to discuss and consider the type of school provision we have and how we meet parents' expectations and demands of us as policymakers. It is important we understand what demand actually exists and, crucially, what parents want for their children, which will allow me and all of us working together to plan accordingly. It is recognised, including by Catholic patrons, that we need more diverse provision to cater for that changing society and meet the expectations parents have for themselves and their children.

The schools reconfiguration for diversity process has been developed in order to support the transition or transfer of schools to multidenominational patrons in response to the wishes of local communities. When a school transfers from one patronage to another, it remains open, has the same roll number and operates from the same property with the same staff and pupils. All State-funded primary schools follow a common national curriculum and are subject to the same departmental rules and regulations.

While progress has been slow, it is important to say that progress has been made towards increasing the number of multidenominational primary schools, with the number of multidenominational or interdenominational schools increasing by 65 in recent years. This has been driven by two factors, namely the opening of new multidenominational schools in response to demographic needs and the reconfiguration of schools from a denominational ethos to a multidenominational ethos in response to parental choice. The opportunities for the establishment of new multidenominational primary schools have declined. Demographic trends and projections at primary school level nationally have peaked, so the focus has to be on maximising the use of the existing school estate. That means transferring from one patronage to another. The school reconfiguration for diversity process allows us to do that. It is designed to maximise the use of the existing school estate, as it involves the transfer of patronage of existing schools. Any changes in this area should be done hand in hand with parents and school communities. In that regard, I intend to publish a framework and action plan on multidenominational education shortly.

In order to make progress, it is important to know what the demand is. That is why central to the plan is a survey of primary school communities. The survey will give my Department a greater picture of parental preference to enable it to plan into the future. It will ask parents or guardians of children in primary school or of children who will start primary school in the coming years for their preferences on important aspects of school provision and choice, including the future patronage and ethos of their school.

As well as parents, the voice of teachers and staff is important in this conversation. We have heard, and it is referenced in the memo, that the INTO did a survey recently and the results of that were clear. It is important that a separate survey will be made available to staff and boards of management. I will announce details of the survey, the framework and the action plan in the coming weeks. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of parental preference in any conversation regarding patronage. The Government and I will support the transfer of patrons of schools where this is supported by the school community. We can pick a figure of 400 but most important is whether there is a lower or higher demand and where that demand is, as well as how we identify that and how we go out to those communities, say it is clear there is a demand, engage with the school and the patrons and get involved in the process that is already there and has worked for other schools. If that is what people want, we will bring about that change. If the survey shows in certain areas there is not a demand or requirement, then I do not think it is for any of us to make that change or force it on anybody. It is important we get the survey right and everybody supports it and encourages people to take part in it because the better the picture we have and the more people engage in the survey within a community, the easier it is for us to make those choices.

Denominational schools, including Catholic schools, have played an important role in primary education in Ireland for over a century. Along with other primary schools, there is a strong history of inclusivity and of serving their local communities, accepting children of all faiths and none. I can attest to that from looking at the local community schools and primary schools in my area. They have been welcoming to students with special educational needs and those who suffer from educational disadvantage. That is down to the leaders in the schools, the teachers, the management bodies and all the staff. That is clearly reflected across the thousands of schools in this country. Article 44 of the Constitution recognises the right of children to attend school without attending religious instruction at that school. It is expected that this right will be upheld by schools on foot of a parental request. The Education (Admissions to School) Act 2018 requires that where schools provide religious instruction, they must clearly set out in their admissions policies arrangements for students where the parent has requested that the student attend the school without attending religious instruction.

On the education convention, the programme for Government sets out clearly that we will hold a convention bringing together all the stakeholders in education. The last conversation of this kind happened about 30 years ago. It was a hugely inclusive conversation and resulted in many of the agencies and bodies that now support our schools being established. It was an important step at that time but I want to go beyond that and have a larger conversation on education that will include school communities, the wider public and all the voices of stakeholders in education. The convention will deliver that and I intend to launch this early in the new school year later this year.

As we speak today, let us remember that just over 900,000 children and young people are in 4,000 schools being taught by 70,000 teachers, special needs assistants, special education teachers and many more. They are looked after by school secretaries and caretakers and many are looked after by special needs assistants. That is close to 1 million people involved directly in our schools. They have friends, families, grandparents and neighbours. Hardly a day goes by where a group of people are not talking about a school, preschool, college, university or apprenticeship. Education matters to every person in this room and in this country and it matters to our nation's social and economic well-being and progress. As we enter our second century of independence, it is only proper that we give all of our citizens a chance to talk about education for themselves and to be involved in this, not just now but for those who come after us as well. That is why I believe the convention will reflect the Ireland of today, incorporate all of those different views and make sure everybody, particularly children, have a say in what education looks like in the future.

I consider progress has been made but I accept and fully support the need for greater change and increased parental choice in education. Increased options need to be made available in order that a greater number of parents can choose the patronage at primary level that suits them and their children. Key to this work is the survey and I look forward to working with colleagues and school communities across the country to make sure we get a clear picture of what parents want, where the need is and how we take the information, because information is key, and we provide choices in the places where they are required. I look forward to working with colleagues as we start this progress in the coming weeks.

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