The country’s Catholic bishops are to establish a commission to examine how divestment of more Catholic primary schools to other patrons can be assisted. At present, the vast majority of primary schools come under Catholic management, and the bishops acknowledge this is not sustainable in a more secular and multi-cultural Ireland.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic Jonathan Tiernan CEO, of the Jesuit Education Trust said that “The most constructive approach is to engage with the Department of Education to develop a comprehensive agreement on rebalancing patronage at primary level. This should not be framed as a simple transfer of schools or a strategy of contraction, but as the starting point for renewing those schools that continue under Catholic patronage.”

The Department of Education recently conducted a survey of parents of primary and pre-primary school children to determine how many want divestment. The results have not been published yet.

When divestment of particular schools has been attempted in practice, parents have often pushed back.