Bishops’ Council for Education welcomes survey of parental opinion
The Department of Education & Skills announced today an online survey of parental opinion on school patronage in five pilot areas. The Council for Education welcomes this process. A paper-based questionnaire issued through schools to parents, as recommended in the forum report, would have been preferable as there are parents who do not use and/or do not have access to computers. It is the responsibility of the New Schools Establishment Group to guarantee the integrity of the survey process so that all parties can have confidence in the outcomes.
At present, it is unclear what, if any, demand there is for additional school patronage in a particular area. Hopefully, this process will provide a true sense of what parents actually want. It should be noted that this is not a plebiscite on any particular school. Rather, it is an area-based survey seeking to surface the real interest in additional patronage.
The Council for Education encourages those who wish their children to attend a Catholic school to go online and express this view. The Catholic Church is committed to parental choice with regard to education and will continue to provide schools for parents who want such schools. It is important that all parents take this opportunity to express their opinion.
ENDS
For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444