Removal of faith from schools is moving at a snail's pace
Teacher Gary Coughlin from Lyreacrompane Community National School in Co Kerry, which will reopen in September under the patronage of Kerry ETB. Picture: Domnick Walsh
Three primary schools, formerly under the patronage of the Catholic Church, are to reopen this September as multi-denominational Community National Schools (CNS).
The schools, as they are currently named, are: Fedamore National School in Limerick; Lyreacrompane Primary School in Kerry; and Kyle National School in Cork.
The change in patronage follows a promise made by the government to the United Nations in 2016 to have 400 additional non-denominational and multi-denominational primary schools open by 2030.
The Department’s statistical report 2023 details that 88.4% of schools still have a Catholic ethos.
This means that children are taught faith formation (including preparation for sacraments) during the school day, something that has been criticised by human rights groups within and beyond the country.
The promise made in 2016 followed the meeting of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector in April 2012.
The report stated that reconfiguration would not be enough to protect children’s rights and that even within denominational schools, curricular and timetabling changes would have to occur.
In 2017, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office repeated the need for structural changes.
More recently, in May 2023, a study carried out for Education and Training Board Ireland (ETBI), the umbrella body for the State-run Community National Schools, reflected an increased demand for multi-denominational schools in Ireland.
The survey showed that more than three in five adults (61%) show a preference for multi-denominational schools, meaning schools that are inclusive of all religions and systems of belief.
There is a mounting impatience that the reconfiguration of schools is not happening fast enough.
Most notably, earlier this month, Educate Together, a multidenominational patron, called on the government to commence a national parents’ survey promised by the Government, and to ramp up the provision of Educate Together schools.
To understand the significance of three Catholic Munster schools reconfiguring, we must first understand how schools are run in Ireland.
Although schools are predominantly financed by the Department of Education, they are run by patrons, who set the ethos of the school.
The board of management, comprising representatives of the patron and community volunteers, oversees the day-to-day running of any given school.
For historic reasons, the Catholic Church is Ireland’s biggest educational patron.
Smaller patrons include denominations like the Church of Ireland, ETBI, Foras Pátrúnachta, and Educate Together.
These three schools — in Cork, Kerry, and Limerick — will all now fall under the patronage of their local Education and Training Board (ETB). Community National Schools are the primary school model offered by ETBs. They are State-run, co-educational, and multi-denominational.
In these reconfigured schools, the Church continues to own the site and the State enters into a lease agreement.
According to a Department of Education spokesperson: “The ownership and control of school property can be a complex issue, both constitutionally and in terms of property law and rights.
"Typically, ownership can involve religious trusts, trustees, religious orders, bishops, both as landowners and school patrons, and the State.”
The curriculum remains the same, bar the teaching of religion, which is replaced by a multidenominational ETB syllabus, through which students learn about all religions and systems of belief. Preparation for the sacraments occurs after school and is facilitated by the new patron.
The Department is prioritising this form of transfer to an ETB model.
According to their spokesperson, when there is an interest in a transfer, the local ETB is invited to talk to the school community about their educational model and presents to the school.
"Where the school community so requests, other multi-denominational school patrons are invited to present to the school about their educational model.”
With the three Munster schools, An Foras Pátrúnachta, the Irish language patron, was not asked to partake in the process.
They responded to the transfer announcement saying: “We believe that going forward, other patrons, including An Foras Pátrúnachta, will be involved at an earlier stage in discussions with the school community.”
Similarly, Educate Together, the largest multidenominational patron, where ethics is taught instead of religion, was not invited to partake in the process.
A closer look at the three schools changing patronage offers a unique insight into the reconfiguration process — these are small schools, already struggling for numbers.
The government’s commitment to changing the patronage of 400 schools does not come with any stipulation as to the type of school to be transferred.
The Department has since included inter-denominational schools in their calculation of 400 schools by 2030. Interdenominational schools are religious schools with more than one stated denomination.
The first school is Kyle National School in Co Cork, currently under Catholic patronage, which will reopen as a Kyle Community National school in September under the patronage of Cork ETB.
Principal Joanna Kelly explains that her small school was on the brink of closure, precipitating the change.
“Our school was founded in 1870 and is steeped in tradition, being a very integral part of the community. Our address is in Youghal, but we are in the parish of Killeagh, and within the parish of Killeagh there are four denominational schools.
"Several years ago, we just felt we were struggling for numbers. The bigger schools were getting bigger, and the smaller schools were getting smaller.
Joanna felt strongly that it needed to be about community and bringing people together, so she was pleased with the idea of calling it a Community National school.
In the multidenominational model, instead of faith formation and preparation for the sacraments during school time, students would study the Goodness Me, Goodness You programme, a study of different beliefs.
“It’s really lovely and we felt our values were really aligned to the ETB model.
"The pillars of respect, care, and excellence in education resonated with me. The fact that we are keeping our name is important too. We have a uniform too, not crested, and that is something we don’t have to change. For students, it will all look relatively the same. I imagine it will be a very smooth transition from one to the other.”
The school is going from two to three teachers next September.
At the moment Junior Infants to Second class learn in one room and Third to Sixth class in another. We got a new school building in 2008.
“At the moment we have 39 students and that will go up to 48 next September. That increase was happening without this change. Post-covid the school saw an increase of interest, so we feel we are a vibrant, viable school.”
Joanna Kelly looked into reconfiguration a number of years ago, but it took the government’s recent pilot scheme to get it over the line.
She said her parish priest was very proactive and supportive.
“The bishop sent us a lovely message and there was a lovely message in the parish newsletter acknowledging our longstanding relationship.”
The priest also asked Cork ETB chief Executive Denis Leamy if they would be interested in giving a presentation on the ETB and the Community National School model. On one night three presentations were made to staff, parents, and the board, all together.
“We didn’t want to drip-feed misinformation,” she says.
“We had different questions, so we have three separate sittings, but since our first engagement with Cork ETB before the pilot, the feedback has been very positive. Everyone understands the rationale.”
The principal wasn’t drawn to other patrons.
“I associate Educate Together with being a huge organisation. I spoke to another principal who had moved to ETB with only 9 students. It seemed like the right choice for us. There is a very big Educate Together in Midleton and Gaelscoileanna in Youghal and Midleton also."
While the school day will for the most part remain the same, one benefit of joining ETB, says the principal, is the support she will receive.
“I had a team meeting with Cork ETB where staff from the various Departments in Head Office attended to set out the supports available; Finance and Procurement Department, Corporate Services Department, HR, Buildings and ICT Department.
"Up until now, I am all those departments. I am a teaching principal. I do all my own administrative work on a Monday because nothing trumps the time I spend with children in the classroom. Their support is going to make a big difference.”
Joanna Kelly says reconfiguration is not about pushing the sacraments out of the school. It is about keeping the school vibrant.
“You can’t have four schools offering the same thing within the locality. From a sports point of view, for instance, it’s very hard to compete. As a school, we will never exceed sixty students.
"We will run the sacraments after school and the parish will support that. The main cohort is still Catholic. Catholic parents still want to celebrate Communion and Confirmation.
"There will be arrangements made. Parental volunteers already help run communion and confirmation on Wednesday nights. I think the church is trying to involve parents more in the sacraments anyway.”
The second school to reconfigure is Lyreacrompane Primary School, which has been under Catholic patronage.
This school will reopen in September under the patronage of Kerry ETB.
It currently has just 18 students, with a hope for 23 in September.
Eilish Lyons describes her school as being “like a little family, a home away from home.”
She became principal five years ago but has been teaching there far longer.
The process started in February two years ago, she explains, when a webinar for community national schools sparked the interest of the board.
“The board decided we should go further with it, so I contacted the diocese, and they allowed us to contact ETB. Anne O’Dwyer came out and met me and the Chair in Listowel."
"She met the board casually, again just trying to get a sense of it. For me, it was always about community. It had to be a whole community decision, and the board felt the same."
The principal arranged a meeting with parents.
The church was supportive throughout, says the principal. As a mother of two Catholic children in the school, the sacraments are also of personal significance, she explains.
“My little boy will be taking a sacrament next year. The teachers will liaise with the parish, and it will happen after school. It could be a deacon helping; it will be just as it is in school with a teacher leading them through the preparation.
"After parents and staff had met, we had a community meeting, and that was really important. We had huge attendance, including past pupils and grandparents. ETB gave a presentation. They left and the church gave their take. It wasn’t them and us; they came together.
"The ETB and church seem to be having meetings themselves.
"We have just opened a pre-school, funded by the local community, and I would have been discussing a change with those parents; they were all very happy, with no one saying they wouldn’t enroll their child in an ETB school.
"We have great diversity with lots of students who are Polish, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian. We also have lots of Irish families who want to learn about different people and religions.
"I teach the older children and they are so interested to know about everything.
"The ETB programme allows all children to express their own beliefs. You want them to be nice and kind and caring when they meet different people. You want to teach them that it is ok to be different.”
Eilis says there is not that much difference in terms of ethos.
“It is still all about respect and kindness, and it is just lovely to learn about differences but also so many similarities. They get more thinking time, time to argue their point, to question things.”
Communication is key, she says.
“Everyone needs to have the right information. Questions were asked like can we not have Christmas. Of course, children can. Everyone needs to hear the same message to avoid confusion and misinformation.”
The change of ethos also makes no difference to the finances of the school.
“The church doesn’t fund anything; the only difference is that ETB has a finance area so my work will be much more streamlined. They’ll print off everything for me in my account. If I’m looking to buy a laptop, they will check the research, get the best value, they will do that.”
This is a huge draw for teaching principals, she explains, as the school will have more robust ICT supports and human resources.
Another benefit will be that they will finally get a school bus so that children can avail of the multi-denominational choice on offer.
“We haven’t had a school bus in 15 years. Because we’re changing patronage, if a child wants to attend a multidenominational school, they are entitled to get a bus. We hope to get an increase in students. We have two children coming from Listowel. Because we’re rural, the bus will make it more accessible.
“We don’t want to become a huge school. We have been worried about attendance which is why we put in a pre-school. We want to maintain our school for the community."
The third school reconfiguring will be called Croí na Coille Community National School, scheduled to open on 1 September 2024. It will be in Fedamore, Co Limerick.
In a sense, this is a new school opening at an existing site. There are only 7 students officially enrolled here currently.
According to the Director of Schools with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Donnacha Ó Treasaigh: “The new Community National School will be child-centred, inspired by the principles of Steiner and forest school education, while also delivering the entire national primary curriculum in accordance with the Department of Education.”
It is expected that children currently enrolled at the Croí na Coille independent primary school located at Buttercup Farm in Croom will transfer to the new Croí na Coille Community National School in Fedamore.
Also welcoming the announcement, Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick, said: “I am pleased that Fedamore will continue to have a school serving the community, as it has done for many long years. I wish the ETB well as it becomes the patron body and I know the Catholic community will look forward to exploring ways of co-operation and collaboration in the years to come."
Mr Ó Treasaigh added: “There are a number of families in the area who have expressed an interest in having a multi-denominational option inspired by a Steiner-informed ethos and philosophy as some of the prospective pupils and parents are attending a private Steiner school close to Fedamore."
Limerick and Clare ETB are patron to two Community National Schools since 2019 which are Steiner-inspired — Raheenwood Community National School in Tuamgraney, Co Clare and Mol an Óige Community National School in Ennistymon, Co Clare.
Both schools have significant student populations.
Steiner schools take a holistic approach to learning, starting with the child, and put great emphasis on creativity.
Across the three Munster schools reconfiguring next September, there are no more than 70 students, which might make up three medium-sized classes in a bigger school.
According to to human rights advocacy group Education Equality: “While the Catholic Church's control of primary education has fallen slightly to somewhere around 88.6% of schools, over 90% of Irish primary school children attend Catholic schools. So, school percentages don't actually tell the full story.”
Examining enrolments in other schools that have reconfigured from a Catholic school to a multidenominational patron, up until early 2022, only two schools had a school population of more than ninety students.
Scoil an Ghleanna in Ballinskelligs, to give one example, has only 22 students enrolled this academic year.
From late 2022, as part of a recent pilot, a handful of other schools, beyond these three small Munster schools have reconfigured.
A Dublin school of 146 students and an Athlone school of 293 students have made the transfer.
St Mary’s in Nenagh moved from a Catholic ethos to a multicultural ETB. St Mary’s is the smallest of three Catholic schools in Nenagh (166 enrolled) with both St Mary’s Convent Primary School (393 enrolled) and CBS Primary School (243 enrolled) becoming co-educational schools.
Reporting on the reconfiguration at the time, RTÉ referred to St Mary’s as “the first thriving urban primary school in the country to be transferred from Catholic to multi-denominational patronage,” noting that all other transfers were “tiny rural schools on the brink of closure due to dwindling numbers.”
Only one school in the country, what is now called Paradise Place Educate Together School, moved from Catholic patronage to Educate Together.
A final school, under Foras Pátrúnachta, is currently navigating a staggered move from an interdenominational to a multidenominational model.
Where more dense school populations are involved, the transfer of patronage from Catholic patronage has proven more difficult.Last year, plans to reconfigure schools in Raheny, Dublin, fell through. The area has only Catholic schools.
The process across all three schools was reportedly ‘doomed from the outset.”
In a letter home to parents, the board of one school warned that "celebrations such as the Nativities, carol services, stories of the First Christmas, Easter, Irish Saints would no longer be possible in our school".
The talks facilitator, Don Mahon, said in relation to one of the three schools:
In 2019, an attempt to reconfigure Catholic schools in another north Dublin suburb — the Portmarnock/Malahide area — also failed.
David Graham, Press Officer with Education Equality was in attendance at a meeting to discuss the plans.
“Essentially, the entire process was presented as a threat to the school community,” he said. “Parents were told that 100% of the staff, and 100% of the board, were opposed to it.”
Slides were shown at the information session, including an outline of what might get lost if the transfer were to take place.
One bullet point mentioned the loss of hope in times of crisis.
Commenting on the reconfiguration of the school in Nenagh in 2022, Minister for Education Norma Foley said: "The voice of everyone is equal around the table here and when a decision is made by the entire community to move forward in a new direction then it will move forward in a new direction."
The existing patron has the loudest voice, legally speaking, and change can only be achieved if there is agreement from the outgoing patron.
Under the Education Act 1998, the legal responsibility for transferring patronage rests with the current school patron in the first instance.
A school patron may write to the Minister to request a voluntary transfer of patronage under Section 8 of the Education Act 1998, in relation to the particular school and requesting that the patron register is amended accordingly.
Without a certain push from the patron, it appears the pull to another patron is less likely.
In July 2020, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) told the UN Expert Committee on the Rights of the Child that “while the Commission has welcomed commitments by the State to establish more multi-denominational schools, it shares the [UN] Committee’s concerns about the slow progress to date”.
Education Equality believes the entire process is “a non-event, generating much heat but little action". David Graham from Education Equality noted:
A removal of faith formation from state schools, regardless of patronage, continues to be their suggestion.
Minister Foley has also expressed the view that the process is not moving as quickly as she would like.
“The Government’s goal,” according to a spokesperson from her department, “remains to establish a strong process, that has the support of patrons and local communities, and which will enable us to continue to increase the number of multi-denominational primary schools across the country.”
Educate Together says: “To date, we have had significant interest from school communities in larger towns and cities, and our team is enthusiastic to engage with schools with a view to significantly increasing the amount of equality-based Educate Together school places available.”
With respect to the three Munster schools looking forward to a fresh start this September, ETBI general secretary Paddy Lavelle said: “ETBs are committed to increasing the number and profile of CNSs nationwide over the coming years.
"I am delighted to welcome three additional primary schools to the Community National School family this year. Our current CNSs are thriving in the areas they serve, and I have no doubt these schools in Cork, Kerry and Limerick will also flourish as Community National Schools.”
