School in row with bishop over co-educational status

A BITTER standoff is looming between a Cork school and its patron, the Bishop of Cork and Ross, ahead of a High Court showdown over its co-educational status.

The board of management of Scoil Naomh Terese in Bishopstown is planning to take High Court proceedings within weeks against the Department of Education in an attempt to be designated a co-educational school.

The department said, however, that the matter is between the school and its patron, Dr John Buckley, who has refused to grant the school co-ed status in the first place.

The board of management of the three-teacher, 32-pupil Gaelscoil decided in 2002 to allow boys to enrol in the girls-only school following many requests from local parents.

This was despite opposition from Bishop Buckley. The change in status was agreed without his approval.

There are 12 boys on the roll today. However, the school is still recognised as a girls-only school by the department.

And despite operating as a de facto Gaelscoil, there is still a question mark over the school’s Gaelscoil status.

School principal Ciara Cronin said the legal proceedings being taken by the board of management would raise important issues about the role of Catholic patrons in the management of schools.

She also criticised the diocesan office for its stance on the issue, which has been dragging on since 2002.

“The diocesan office does not appear to have the interest of the children here at heart,” she said.

Bishop Buckley was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The Department of Education said the ongoing enrolment of boys constituted a change of status of the school.

“Such change of status is subject to the approval of the patron on the first instance and if the patron approved, must subsequently be sanctioned by the Minister of Education and Science,” said a spokesperson.

“As the patron has not given his approval to the board for this change in status of Scoil Naomh Terese to allow the enrolment of boys, the board is therefore operating contrary to the patron’s wishes.

“There is no issue before the minister for approval, nor could there be, unless the patron elected to seek the approval of the minister for a change in status.

“In any contract with the patron, the department has received no indication that the patron wishes to alter the existing status of the school as a single-sex girls’ school,” the spokesperson said.