The results of a Department of Education Survey showing limited desire for changing catholic school patronage has been welcomed by the Irish bishops’ education agency.

While school-specific results were shared privately with individual primary schools in early June, all school-level reports were published on Tuesday alongside a national summary report.

Catholic Education Partnership (CEP) Chief Executive, Alan Hynes-Cendrzak, said, “A simple reading of the results shows majority support for change in a little over 14% of schools.  However, this figure falls to just under 7% once schools with a low response rate (below 40%) are excluded”.

He added that only 77 schools nationally meet the Department’s own criteria for signalling a likely majority of parents being in favour of change of which 51 are in Dublin or Cork.  If you exclude schools with a response rate under 40%, that figure falls to around 40 schools.

The survey assessed parental preference on school patronage, language and co-educational provision in over 3,000 primary schools nationwide.