Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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144. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the process of divesting primary schools of religious patronage; the number of schools that have been fully divested relative to targets; the number that are at an advanced stage in the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62497/22]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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145. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the action that is being taken to expedite the process of divesting primary schools of religious patronage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62498/22]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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146. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps that are involved in the process of divesting primary schools of religious patronage, including, but not limited to, the way that schools are selected; the steps that are taken to consult with stakeholders; the legalistic parts of the process; the way that her Department deals with resistance to plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62499/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 to 146, inclusive, together.

In March 2022 I announced that arrangements are being put in place in a number of towns and areas of cities that have no multidenominational primary schools at present as part of a pilot reconfiguration arrangement.

In this context, my Department, with the co-operation of the relevant Catholic Bishops, is conducting a ‘pilot’ programme in areas where possible demand for more diversity in school type has been identified. The process, which is called the ‘Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity Process’ seeks to create an educational landscape that reflects the reality of Ireland’s increasingly diverse community.

My Department aims to create more choice for parents who do not wish to send their children to a denominational (religious) school. However, any change of patronage will only take place with the agreement of the local community.

Where a school transfers from the patronage of one patron to another, the school remains open with the same roll number and operating from the same school property. All State-funded primary schools follow a common national curriculum and are subject to the same rules and regulations.

The Council for Education of the Irish Episcopal Conference (representing the Catholic patrons) and relevant Bishops have confirmed their willingness to engage and co-operate fully with the Department in seeking to facilitate a more diverse school patronage in these towns and cities. The pilot areas are:

*parts of these cities

My Department has made available a number of independent facilitators across the pilot areas to work with the school patron and relevant school authorities at a local level:

- to progress the reconfiguration pilot initiative;

- to assist in identifying potential school(s) in this regard; and

- to engage with stakeholders including school authorities, school staff and parents

with a view to agreeing on a transfer of patronage and change of ethos, where there is sufficient demand for this in the pilot areas.

As part of the structured engagement process, the relevant facilitator engages with the school Principal and Board of Management Chairperson (or full Board as appropriate), school staff and parents of children in the school. In respect of parents, the structured engagement process involves the facilitator inviting parents to an information meeting where the facilitator makes a presentation to parents providing information on the schools reconfiguration for diversity process initiative, including information on what this may mean for parents and pupils and setting out the steps in the engagement process. At the information meeting with the facilitator, parents have the opportunity to raise any questions and to share their views.

Following this, the facilitator and patron/patron’s representative where appropriate, reviews the engagement as part of each of the information sessions with the school community and the facilitator writes a preliminary report reflecting the engagement with the school authorities, staff and parents and submits this to the patron.

In pilot areas where the engagement has already progressed to this stage, the facilitator’s preliminary report to the patron was circulated to the full school community and a reconfiguration e-mail address was provided so that the school community, including parents, could provide any feedback/views and the Department collated this and provided this to the relevant facilitator.

An information pack for school communities, including parents, on transfer of patronage was published in March this year and can be accessed from www.gov.ie/schoolsreconfiguration

Parents in the pilot areas can contact my Department directly by e-mail to ask questions or share their views on reconfiguration@education.gov.ie.

The process is ongoing in the pilot areas. While in the case of some pilot areas the process is very well advanced, none have gone through the full process with the patron’s decision communicated to the school community.

Separately to the ongoing process in the pilot areas, a patron may transfer patronage under section 8 of the Education Act 1998. A number of patronage changes have taken place in recent years in this context, resulting in the provision of an additional 12 multi-denominational Community National Schools (three of which already had a multi-denominational ethos). In addition in 2021, an Irish-medium gaelscoil transferred patronage from its Catholic patron to An Foras Pátrúnachta. This school offers parents of junior infants the choice of undertaking an Ethics and Morality Programme or a Catholic Programme. Also in September 2022, an Irish-medium gaelscoil changed its ethos to multi-denominational.

12 primary schools have been established under the patronage divesting process, all of which have a multi-denominational ethos.