Parents ‘vital’ to issue of patronage

THE importance of consultation with parents is stressed by the Commission on School Accommodation when it comes to deciding who will be the patron of any new schools that are to be opened.

“A system of establishing new schools must protect and optimise the resources of the state but should not make assumptions regarding the values and choices of parents without proper consultation,” it says.

The expert group which compiled the report, led by the commission, says the principle of parental input into the type of school to be provided should be preserved. It noted the survey undertaken by the Department of Education in Gorey, Co Wexford last year to help decide who should be patron to a new second-level school in the town.