In recognition of the increasing diversity of the school-going population and in order to improve the capacity of the school system to cater for that diversity, the measures I have undertaken since my appointment as Minister for Education and Skills include: The Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector — a key objective of the Programme for a National Government 2011-2016, was officially launched on 19th April, 2011. The terms of reference of the Forum are to advise me on:
how it can best be ensured that the education system can provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none;
the practicalities of how transfer/divesting of patronage should operate for individual primary schools in communities where it is appropriate and necessary; and
how such transfer/divesting can be advanced to ensure that demands for diversity of patronage (including from an Irish language perspective) can be identified and met on a widespread basis nationally.
An Advisory Group appointed to convene the Forum has held a number of meetings in public, during June and November 2011and has sought and received submissions from the public as part of its work. The Group is currently finalising its report and I expect to receive it shortly.
I have also continued the piloting of the new Community National School model of primary school patronage and I will be considering the contribution which these schools can make to the patronage options at primary level in the context of the outcome of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector.
In June of last year I announced that over 20 new primary schools and over 20 new post-primary schools are to be established in the next 6 years. At that time I also announced the establishment of new arrangements for the recognition of new primary and second-level schools.
The new arrangements provide a balanced approach to allow for applications to be made from prospective patrons of schools for the establishment of schools where the Department has identified that there is a demographic need for the school. The new arrangements will result in applications for patronage of new schools being considered having regard to criteria. The criteria place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage. The new arrangements involve applications by patron bodies for the establishment of new schools in areas identified by the Department. Department officials will draft a report to be considered by the New Schools Establishment Group and it will submit a report with recommendations for my consideration. This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or reformed church background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
With regard to the fee-charging Protestant secondary schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is paid to the Secondary Education Committee, an organisation run by the churches involved in managing the schools. The Secondary Education Committee then disburses funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of boarding fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. Funding amounts to €6.5 million annually.