First school transfers patronage from Catholic Church under pilot project

The current Government has set a target of increasing the number of multi-denominational primary schools to 400 by 2030. File picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

A national school in Westmeath is to change its ethos from Catholic to multi-denominational, the first school to do so through a pilot project aimed at improving the divestment process.

With almost 90% of Irish primary schools currently under Catholic patronage, about 5% have a multi-denominational ethos.