{"id":514509,"date":"2026-06-23T15:12:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/514509\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T15:12:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:12:14","slug":"42-of-parents-want-multi-denominational-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/514509\/","title":{"rendered":"42% of parents want multi-denominational schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

A total of 42% of the parents who intend sending their pre-school child to a Catholic or other religious-run primary school in coming years would prefer that school to become multi-denominational, while 58% are happy for the school to remain religious run, according to a national survey carried out by the Department of Education.<\/p>\n

The percentage is similar to the proportion of parents with children currently enrolled in denominational schools who want their child’s school to change to multi-denominational, which is 40%, with 60% happy for their child’s school to remain denominational.<\/p>\n

The Department of Education has said the purpose of the survey was to measure demand for change among parents and guardians of children currently in primary school or whose child has yet to begin school, with a view to creating greater diversity of choice in the sector.<\/p>\n

As well as asking one question about school ethos, parents were also asked for their preference when it comes to language of instruction and co-education.<\/p>\n

While some preliminary findings were published at Eastertime, a comprehensive picture is being published today.<\/p>\n

The survey is the largest of its kind ever carried out in Ireland and 41.3% of all households with children under the age of 13 responded.<\/p>\n

Staff from the Central Statistics Office were seconded to the Department of Education to work on the project.<\/p>\n

A total of 485,000 eligible households with primary school age children or younger were identified. CSO staff have described the valid response rate, at 41.3% or 200,381 households, as “phenomenal”.<\/p>\n

Responses, which were anonymous, were validated in an exercise which combined eircodes with child benefit records and centrally-held school data, and only one response per household was recorded.<\/p>\n

The Department of Education has said the data provides “a robust and reliable foundation for subsequent analysis at national, regional, local and school level”.<\/p>\n

\"Minister
\nHildegard Naughton said ‘a starting point for conversations about the future’<\/p>\n

A statistical dashboard with a breakdown of the data is expected to go live today. It will allow parents and others to examine the findings in detail, including drilling into the data at county and local area.<\/p>\n

At a briefing for journalists, Department of Education and CSO officials said that for the first time it had a solid evidence base with regard to the kinds of primary education parents want.<\/p>\n

While the aggregate data is being published today, earlier this month individual schools were sent their own local figures. They were asked to share the information with parents and their wider community.<\/p>\n

The department has requested that schools now engage with their local communities to facilitate discussion at school level if a desire for change regarding ethos, or language of instruction or single-sex enrolment has emerged.<\/p>\n

It has asked schools who may wish to be among a first cohort to switch to multi-denominational patronage, or to change to co-ed or other changes to contact them by 31 October, and has promised to make facilitators with knowledge of the primary school system available to guide deliberations.<\/p>\n

Consultation<\/p>\n

The Department has also announced a consultation process to examine how children attending Catholic schools whose parents wish them to opt out of religious instruction can be best facilitated.<\/p>\n

The constitution recognises the rights of children to attend school without attending religious instruction in that school. However in practice parents often encounter great difficulty in asserting this right.<\/p>\n

“For the first time we have a detailed picture of what parents want their primary schools to look like in the years ahead”, Minister for Education and Youth Hildegard Naughton said.<\/p>\n

\"A
\nOf parents with children attending schools that are fully single-sex, 72% said they would like that school to become co-educational, while 28% wanted no change<\/p>\n

“Whether that relates to school ethos, language of instruction or the type of educational provision available to children in their community.<\/p>\n

“While the national findings provide valuable context, it is the views expressed within each local community that matter most. These results are a starting point for conversations about the future, led by the people who know their schools best: parents, students, staff and local communities”, she added.<\/p>\n

Multi-denominational preference<\/p>\n

Of the parents of children already in primary school who responded to the survey, 88% were linked to Catholic primary schools. 8.4% to multi-denominational schools, and 2.6% to schools of other religious denominations including inter-denominational.<\/p>\n

This mirrors current enrolment patterns, in a system where 88.4% of primary school children attend Catholic schools.<\/p>\n

\"
\nThe highest demand for multi-denominational education was found in Wicklow<\/p>\n

Among parents whose child or children are currently attending a Catholic or other religious denomination school 40.2% indicated they would like their school to become multi-denominational.<\/p>\n

For households with a child not yet in school, 91% indicated that they intend to enrol their child in a religious-run school. 42% of this cohort said they would like that school to change to a multi-denominational ethos.<\/p>\n

Combining all parents, the Department has measured overall demand for change within the denominational sector at 40.7%.<\/p>\n

Language preference<\/p>\n

When it comes to language of instruction,13% of parents with children in an English-language primary school said they would like that school to become a Gaelscoil, while 86% wanted no change.<\/p>\n

This rose to 16% of parents who intend sending their pre-school child to an English-medium school, wanting change, while 84% wanted no change.<\/p>\n

\"Irish
\nGalway, Donegal and Kerry had the highest preference rates for education through Irish<\/p>\n

Co-education preference<\/p>\n

Most primary schools here are co-educational, catering for both boys and girls.<\/p>\n

However, approximately 13% of children attend schools that are entirely single-sex or single-sex at senior level.<\/p>\n

Of parents with children attending schools that are fully single-sex, 72% said they would like that school to become co-educational, while 28% wanted no change. 76.6% of parents who intend sending their child to a school that is single-sex school indicated they would prefer that school to become co-educational, while 23.4% want no change.<\/p>\n

County by county<\/p>\n

Responses varied across different counties. The highest demand for multi-denominational education was found in Wicklow, where 56.5% of parents expressed that preference. In Dublin it was 53%, and in Kildare 49.8%.<\/p>\n

In Wicklow, 58% of parents who have yet to send their child to school said they want multi-denominational primary education. This is the highest figure nationally.<\/p>\n

The lowest shares favouring multi-denominational education were recorded in Monaghan, Longford and Donegal, where just under 30% of parents indicated that preference.<\/p>\n

Among households with children currently attending Catholic or other denominational schools, the highest desire for change was found in Wicklow, with just under half – 49.5% – stating they would like their child\u2019s school to become multi-denominational, while Donegal recorded 29% of parents in denominational schools wanting change.<\/p>\n

When it comes to preferences for education through Irish, the survey reveals a clear west and north-west concentration, with the highest shares recorded in Galway (30%), Donegal (26%) and Kerry (26%).<\/p>\n

Teachers and school Boards of Management<\/p>\n

A total of 32,901 teachers and members of school Boards of Management responded to the survey.<\/p>\n

94% expressed a preference for co-educational provision, 35% expressed a preference for multi-denominational patronage, and 13.5% expressed a preference for education through Irish.<\/p>\n

The responses of Boards of Management and staff were strongly associated with their schools’ current ethos, with 31.6% of those linked to denominational schools expressing a preference for multi-denominational patronage compared to 94% of those connected with multi-denominational schools.<\/p>\n

Catholic Education Partnership welcomes survey results<\/p>\n

The Catholic Church is by far the largest patron in the primary sector, running 88% of schools.<\/p>\n

CEO of the Catholic Education Partnership (CEP) Dr Marie Griffin said: “The key finding of this survey is the significant support for a movement from single-sex to co-ed schools.<\/p>\n

“The definitive nature of this finding stands in sharp contrast to the more tentative results with respect to divestment. Over 240 single-sex schools had a majority in favour of change, and even allowing for the full margin of error, the figure was over 210,” Dr Griffin said.<\/p>\n

With regard to school ethos, CEP Chief Executive Alan Hynes-Cendrzak said: “While the national results do not support a simple claim that there is a national mandate for widespread divestment, the survey results demonstrate clear area-clusters where support for divestment may be found.<\/p>\n

“A simple reading of the results shows majority support for change in a little over 14% of schools. However, this figure falls to just under 7% once schools with a low response rate (below 40%) are excluded.”<\/p>\n

He said there were only 77 schools nationally which met a criteria of more than 50% of parents seeking a change from religious to multi-denominational ethos. 51 of these schools are in Dublin or Cork, he added.<\/p>\n

“The pattern of support is uneven with stronger support for change concentrated in particular urban, suburban and larger-town settings, including Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway, and parts of Wicklow and Kildare, rather than being evenly spread across the country.<\/p>\n

“Within Dublin, there are clear localised clusters of support. Limerick is a notable exception among the larger urban centres, with support significantly below the national figure.<\/p>\n

“There are also a noteworthy number of small rural schools with a majority in favour of change,” Mr Hynes-Cendrzak said.<\/p>\n

He said Catholic patrons continued to recognise the State’s responsibility to provide greater diversity of school choice, and they remain willing to assist where there is clear community support for change.<\/p>\n

However, Mr Hynes-Cendrzak added any process must involve consultation at community level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A total of 42% of the parents who intend sending their pre-school child to a Catholic or other…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-514509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}