Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 May 2026
287. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number and percentage of parents of preschool children who indicated a preference for a multi-denominational primary school option in the recent national primary school survey. [33576/26]
View answer288. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number and percentage of parents whose children are currently attending multi-denominational schools who indicated a preference for a multi-denominational primary school option in the survey. [33577/26]
View answer289. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number and percentage of all parents surveyed who selected the multi-denominational option as their preferred model of primary school patronage. [33578/26]
View answer290. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for the Department's decision to publish survey findings focusing primarily on the preferences of parents whose children attend denominational schools, rather than presenting a comprehensive analysis reflecting the views of all respondents. [33579/26]
View answer291. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will commit to publishing the full dataset arising from the survey, or at minimum a more detailed breakdown of responses across all demographic categories, in order to ensure transparency and maintain public confidence in the consultation process. [33580/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 287, 288, 289, 290 and 291 together.
On 4 November 2025, my department published a 'Framework and action plan for delivery of increased choice for parents on education provision at primary level'. The main focus of this framework and action plan was an online, school-specific survey. The survey ran from 4 November to 16 December 2025.
Through the survey, my department is obtaining clear information on the preferences of parents and guardians about the primary schools which their children currently attend, or will attend in coming years, on a number of important areas of primary school provision, including patronage/ethos, co-education or single-sex school provision and language of instruction (English or Irish).
The results of the survey will help my department to plan how education at primary level is provided.
As set out in the framework and action plan, initial high-level summary results are to be published in early 2026, with a Q2 2026 timeframe for the school-level data.
In line with this commitment, I recently announced the high-level national and county summary results in respect of the preferences of parents with children currently in primary school. My department is continuing its detailed analysis of the survey data and is preparing finalised school-specific reports. These school reports will also include the preferences of parents and guardians of children who are not yet in primary school and will be issued to all primary schools, including multi-denominational primary schools, soon. This will be in line with the Q2 2026 timeframe that was previously stated by my department.
