Written answers
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Department of Education and Skills
School Patronage
Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools he expects to be divested of Catholic church patronage during the next three years; and his plans for those schools. [20490/14]
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Three primary schools are expected to open this September under the patronage divesting process, with Educate Together as patron. While permanent buildings are not yet available for these schools, I have given the go-ahead for them in temporary start-up accommodation in order to meet parental demand for greater choice of primary schools as soon as possible.
The transfer of a Church of Ireland school to Educate Together patronage for this coming September is also under discussion. This follows the agreement of the Church of Ireland Bishop and local parents to a change of patronage. A school building for a fifth school will be in use from September by an Educate Together school. This school opened in temporary accommodation last year pending the availability of its permanent building.
Discussions are continuing to take place with the main Catholic patrons in these and in a number of other areas to identify and secure permanent accommodation for the schools in question and to enable further start-ups in 2015 and beyond. As discussions are ongoing it is not possible to estimate the number of schools expected to be divested over the next three years.
Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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61. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of applications for new schools considered by the second level patronage advisory group since its establishment; the organisations who made the applications; and the areas in which they sought schools. [20491/14]
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Second Level Patronage Advisory Group was announced but not subsequently appointed by my predecessor. It did not, consequently, carry out any work. In June of 2011, I announced that some 20 new post-primary schools would be established over the coming years to meet demographic needs. Following on from that announcement, prospective patron bodies were invited to apply for patronage of the schools under new arrangements for determining patronage for the schools. These arrangements, which are overseen by the New Schools Establishment Group, place a heavy focus on parental choice and allow for the introduction or widening of diversity of school provision where parents want this. Full details are published on my Department's website. The details in relation to Patronage applications at post-primary level under this process and the areas concerned are contained in the attached table.
Applications for Patronage of New Post Primary Schools 2013
| - | Dublin | Galway | Kildare | Meath | Total by Patron |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patron Body | Lusk | Claregalway | Naas | Navan | |
| Kildare VEC | √ | 1 | |||
| Co. Dublin VEC | √ | 1 | |||
| Co Galway VEC | √ | 1 | |||
| Meath VEC | √ | 1 | |||
| The Redeemed Christian Church of God | √ | 1 | |||
| Educate Together | √ | 1 | |||
| Total by area | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Applications for Patronage of New Post Primary Schools 2014
| List of Patrons | Cork City/South Suburbs/ Carrigaline* | Maynooth | Drogheda | Dundalk | Blanchardstown West | Mulhuddart | Balbriggan* | Dundrum* | Ashbourne | Greystones | Total By Patron |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loreto Education Trust | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Kildare VEC | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Edmund Rice Schools Trust | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Co. Dublin VEC | √ | √ | √ | 3 | |||||||
| Co. Dublin VEC & Church of Ireland United Diocese of Dublin & Glendalough | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Le Cheile Schools Trust | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Wicklow VEC | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Muslim Primary Education Board | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Meath VEC | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Marist Education Authority | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Co. Cork VEC | √ | 1 | |||||||||
An Foras Pátrúnachta | √ | √ | √ | 3 | |||||||
| Educate Together | √ | √ | √ | √ | 4 | ||||||
| Louth VEC | √ | √ | 1 | ||||||||
| Louth VEC & Educate Together | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Church of Ireland United Diocese of Dublin & Glendalough | √ | 1 | |||||||||
| Total by area | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
*These schools will be Gaelcholáistí providing instruction through the medium of Irish
Applications for Patronage of New Post Primary Schools 2015 and 2016
| Celbridge, Kildare - 2015 | Balbriggan, Dublin - 2016 | Ballinteer, Dublin - 2016 | Kingswood, Dublin - 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educate Together | Educate Together | Educate Together | Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board(comprising the former Co. Dublin VEC) |
| Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (comprising the former Co. Kildare VEC) | Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education & Training Board (comprising the former Co. Dublin VEC) | Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (comprising the former Co. Dublin VEC) | |
| Educate Together AND Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (comprising the former Co. Kildare VEC) |
| Carrigaline, Cork - 2016 | Midleton/Carrigtwohill, Cork - 2016 | North Wicklow - 2016 | Kingscourt, Cavan - 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educate Together | Educate Together | Educate Together | Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (comprising the former Co. Cavan VEC) |
| Edmund Rice Schools Trust | Diocese of Cloyne AND Cork Education and Training Board (comprising the former Co. Cork VEC) | Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (comprising the former Co. Wicklow VEC) | |
| Educate Together AND Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (comprising the former Co. Wicklow VEC) |
Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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62. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of community national schools established here; and the number that will open in the next two years. [20492/14]
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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There are currently seven Community National Schools in operation in the country. A further new Community National School is expected to commence operation in September 2014. The Forward Planning Section of my Department is currently analysing demographics on a nationwide basis to identify areas where additional primary school accommodation might be needed beyond 2014. Should the need for new primary schools emerge on foot of this exercise, a patronage determination process, overseen by the New Schools Establishment Group, will be run in accordance with the criteria for deciding school patronage announced and published in June 2011.
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