The Programme for Government commits to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education.
The recently published Primary School Survey provides 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 co-education or single-sex school provision, patronage/ethos and language (education through Irish or through English).
Decisions about the future direction of primary schools arising from the Primary School Survey should be led by school communities themselves. It is important that schools are given the time and space to reflect carefully on their results and to engage fully with parents and the wider school communities before making decisions.
There are 26 mainstream primary schools in the Killester Raheny Clontarf school planning area. 2 of these schools are under multi-denominational patronage, the remaining 24 schools are under denominational (religious) patronage. Responses to the survey from parents with children in primary school indicate a preference for a change to multi-denominational patronage in 12 of these (24) denominational schools.
11 of the 26 mainstream primary schools in Killester Raheny Clontarf are co-educational. Responses to the survey from parents with children in primary school indicate a preference for a change to co-educational education in 14 of the remaining 15 single-sex schools.
Schools have been asked to inform my department and their patron by 31 October 2026 if the school requests to be included in the first group of schools to action the survey results.
At national level, there is a significantly more diversity of provision at post-primary level compared to primary level. My department’s main focus in relation to reconfiguration is therefore at primary level in the first instance. However, my department will be looking at the outcomes from the primary school survey process in due course to determine if there is any feedback and learnings that would be relevant and applicable for post-primary level in the future.
