The country’s Catholic bishops have said parents who choose a Catholic education for their children should have access, in any new roll-out of primary schools, to an appropriate number with a Catholic ethos.

Following their summer quarterly meeting, the bishops addressed the ongoing debate over school patronage and urged the State to be responsive to “the rights of parents to have their philosophical and religious beliefs supported during their children’s education”.

They expressed the hope that the State would support parents through the provision of schools “whose ethos genuinely reflects what they want for their children”.

Their statement, which was issued following their Summer General Meeting, reaffirmed their commitment to the reconfiguration of patronage in the primary school sector and said the bishops were supportive of an educational landscape which reflects the reality of the country’s increasingly diverse society.

However, they also stressed: “Parental choice is paramount, and that choice must be given full expression in any reconfiguration process.”