The Department of Education is refusing to meet a demand by parents for extra places in a Catholic school in the Co. Meath town of Ashbourne.

Instead, it is insisting that the parents send their children to a new Educate Together school which does not teach denominational-specific education during school hours.

The parents do not want to send their children to the Educate Together school.

In the Ashbourne area there are approximately 260 baptisms annually but only 150 places in the local Catholic schools at junior infant level.

However, despite this, the Department of Education refused to increase the number of places at one of the local Catholic schools.

According to this week’s Irish Catholic, 120 parents attended a meeting last week to voice their feelings on the matter.

“My child has a right to be brought up in a Catholic school. This isn’t right what’s happening here,” one mother told the meeting, which was also attended also by representatives of Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil.

Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty, who chaired the meeting, revealed to parents that a request to extend St Declans National School had been presented to the Department of Education but had been rejected on the basis that there is enough capacity for all children in Ashbourne currently”.

This is despite the discrepancy between the number of baptisms and the number of places in the local Catholic schools for junior infant age children.

The revelation from Deputy Doherty drew an angry response from families who don’t back the Educate Together model of teaching religion.

One insisted: ” I want my kids to say their prayers in school, before lunch, before class, as I did.”

Fr Derek Darby, curate in the Ashbourne parish, told the Irish Catholic that he was happy with the outspoken stance being taken by parents.
 
He said that he and his fellow priests were currently “looking at structures on how best to prepares children for the sacraments with the [schooling] model we currently work with”.

He said he was very encouraged “by the level of interest from parents in terms of ethos and that they are taking a stand”.

Louise Carey, who organised the meeting and gathered signatures of those parents wishing to bring their fight directly to Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, said the meeting showed that families are currently not being heard on the request for Catholic places.

“We have to fight as parents,” Ms Carey said.