merrion street

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn today announced that parents of all children aged 0 to 12 years in 38 areas across Ireland are being asked what patrons they would like to see operating their local primary schools.  

Surveys are going live today  and are an expansion of pilot surveys on primary school patronage which were conducted late last year in five towns.  

The survey can be accessed on line via

and parents or guardians of primary school going children and 0 to 5 year olds in the 38 towns and suburbs are urged to fill it in.

The aim of the survey is to establish the level of demand from parents for diversity of school patronage in each of the towns.  At present, some 96% of primary schools are under church patronage, with more than 90% or approximately 3,000 schools under the remit of the Catholic Church.

This survey initiative follows on from the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary sector.  If parents indicate they would like a wider choice of patron, then the Department of Education and Skills (DES) will ask existing patrons to come up with a plan to transfer some schools to other patron bodies. 

Minister Quinn said:

This is an historic opportunity for parents to have a real say in the type of school they wish to send their children to, be it denominational, multi-denominational, all-Irish or other.

In the 38 towns and suburbs where the surveys are taking place, there is little prospect of any new schools opening as the population remains stable and there is enough capacity within existing schools.  However, if parents demonstrate through this survey that they want a greater choice of primary school then we will work with existing patrons to transfer patronage to ensure they can send their children to a school which best reflects their own ethos and beliefs.

The bodies which have indicated that they would like to become patrons of any divested schools in the identified areas are the VECs, An Foras Patrúnachta, Educate Together, and in a small number of areas the National Learning Network and the Redeemed Christian Church of God.