Efforts to boost school patronage poll awareness

A wider information campaign is planned to promote a survey of parents on primary school choices after a mixed response to a trial survey before Christmas.

The Department of Education will send leaflets to every home in each of the 38 towns and suburbs where they want to find out how much demand there is for alternatives to the current provision of primary schools almost exclusively under religious patronage.

A more extensive campaign of radio and newspaper advertising is also planned after between 25% and 44% of eligible parents took part in the three-week exercise during November. It resulted in a recommendation that the Catholic bishops in all five areas make one of their local school buildings available for multi-denominational group Educate Together.