North Mon pulls plans to enrol infant boys

The North Monastery primary school in Cork has withdrawn controversial plans to start teaching infant boys, but its board hopes agreement can be reached with local schools on future enrolments in time for September 2015.

The decision not to go ahead with enrolling junior infants at Scoil Mhuire Fatima followed a meeting with Catholic Bishop of Cork John Buckley and the boards of two other schools in the city’s North Cathedral parish last Friday.

St Vincent’s and North Presentation, two girls’ schools which both teach boys up to first class before most move on to Scoil Mhuire Fatima, had voiced concerns over the plans.

But although consensus was not agreed last week, the board of management at Scoil Mhuire Fatima met on Tuesday night to consider a proposal that had been put forward. It has now written to parents of the 171 boys enrolled at Scoil Mhuire Fatima, to tell them it would not go ahead with the infant enrolment plan because Bishop Buckley, as patron, will not allow it without the agreement of other parish schools.

School principal Carl O’Brien said the understanding last week in the meeting with the bishop was that a withdrawal of the infant boys proposal would lead to talks on a strategy for the future of the parish’s primary schools.

“We hope those talks would be well concluded in time for enrolments for September 2015,” he said.

A diocesan spokesperson said he would expect the consultation process to begin soon, to involve the boards and the trustees of the three schools

The number of pupils in all three schools has fallen significantly over the last decade, but the biggest drop has been at the all-boys’ school.

The move by Scoil Mhuire Fatima followed the withdrawal in March of plans by the three schools’ trustees that it would amalgamate with St Vincent’s on the convent school ground to form a mixed school, and that North Pres would move to a fully co-educational school on a phased basis.