A national survey carried out by the Department of Education has found that 42% of the parents who intend on sending their pre-school child to a religious-run primary school in the coming years would prefer that school to become multi-denominational, while 58% are happy for the school to remain religious run.
Among parents whose child or children are currently attending a religious denomination school, 40.2% indicated they would like their school to become multi-denominational.
Here, our Education Correspondent Emma O Kelly takes a look at the key takeaways from this survey and the realities facing schools which may wish to change to multi-denominational.
This survey presents an overall national picture but its real importance lies in the hundreds of local stories it tells.
The purpose of this exercise is to measure demand for change, and the department has been clear that exploring any change is now down to local schools.
Where there is evidence of a desire for change from parents and future parents, the Department of Education is leaving it up to those schools to begin consulting and deliberating should they wish to.
The department has published a dashboard which gives information down to the level of more than 300 local areas nationally.
Spreadsheets published on its website break the data down further, even down to individual schools.
Some of those pictures present an immediate challenge for the system.
Read more: 42% of parents want multi-denominational schools – survey
Take Greystones in Co Wicklow for instance.
Across seven Catholic and Church of Ireland primary schools in this area, there is a majority among the parents of children attending in favour of a switch to multi-denominational.
The percentages in favour of change in the two Church of Ireland schools are 65% and 48%.
In Greystones’ three Catholic schools they are 55%, 57% and 54%.
Some 69% of parents linked to its interdenominational school favour a switch to multi-denominational.
It will be interesting to watch what happens next in areas such as Greystones, and whether this survey will lead to the change so many families want.
Greystones in Co Wicklow showed a majority of parents of children in religious run schools in favour of changing patronage to multi-denominational
Switching from religious patronage to multi-denominational is not straightforward.
Beyond consultation and agreement, there is also the issue of property.
While the Department of Education owns most such school buildings, in very many cases the land the school is built on is owned by the Catholic church.
Single-sex
The vast majority of our primary schools are co-ed and the views of parents of children linked to the small number, 13%, that remain single-sex is clear.
Three quarters want change.
There is a clear and strong mandate for change here which will be hard to ignore.
But a switch from single-sex to co-ed is not as straightforward as it may seem.
If an all-boys school decides to take in girls for example, the department needs to be sure that this reduction in school places for boys in that one school will not lead to a general shortage of boys’ places in the area.
There are also financial repercussions.
In many cases, new toilets will have to be built.
The Department of Education has said any change will be contingent on funding being made available.
Change
The whole purpose of this survey has been to measure the need for change, with a view to moving towards a more diverse primary school provision.
The department has adopted a ‘hands-off’ role, leaving it up to schools now to take any next step.
There is one external factor that could play a significant role in all of this.
Primary school enrolment is falling.
Some small schools are facing a threat of closure as their numbers dwindle and others are losing teachers as their enrolments drop.
Primary schools are now competing with each other in an attempt to maintain their numbers.
This creates an incentive for schools to look to the future and to try to provide the kind of education a currently underserved cohort of families are looking for.
Some schools may well decide that such a move may secure their own future.
The Department of Education is aware of this.