Almost half of parents would not choose Christian school for children

Almost half of parents with school-going children say they would not choose a Christian school for their child if they had a choice locally, and one fifth know of someone who had their child baptised purely so they could attend a school.

A survey conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of a newly-formed group called Equate found more than three-quarters of respondents do not believe a school should have the right to refuse admission to a child who has a different religion to that of the school’s patron, while 62% of those questioned think reform of school patronage should be a key priority for the next government.

The findings from the survey comes as Education Minister, Jan O’Sullivan, said she would scrap Rule 68, which states that “of all parts of the school curriculum, religious instruction is by far the most important, as its subject matter, God’s honour and service, includes the proper use of all man’s faculties”.