Catholic schools’ extensions at risk

CATHOLIC primary schools could have planned extensions delayed or cancelled if there is demand for other types of schools in an area, under policy recommendations to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.

The proposal is contained in a major report on how to decide the patronage, language of instruction and other factors for new primary schools.

Its publication comes as the question of how Catholic schools in areas of settled population numbers might be transferred to a different patron to cater for parental demand by the recently-established Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector.