For the first
time we have a careful measure of the number of parents who would avail
of greater choice of school patronage if such were offered to them.
The surveys provide a notable affirmation of
Catholic schools.
A very large number of parents wish to have their
children educated in Catholic schools.
Between the pilot phase and this
report, the parents in 306 Catholic schools have been surveyed. The
outcome is a recommendation for change in 28 (9 per cent) of these
schools.
This is not a survey in the ordinary sense of
the term as it is not based on a representative sample. Rather it is a
consultation process with parents. What we learned is that somewhere
between 0.6 per cent of parents (in Roscrea) and 8 per cent of parents
(in Portmarnock) with children in Catholic schools would avail of
another form of patronage.
Some of the commentary has stated that
two-thirds of parents want change. This figure is false. What the
surveys demonstrate is that there is some demand for change in
two-thirds of the areas surveyed.
Exaggerating the figures of those who
want change is of no benefit in this process. We need to convince
communities that out of a sense of shared citizenship the majority
should seek to facilitate a minority of parents who desire change.
This
is best done by accurately measuring the demand for change. It is not
helped by those with various agendas suggesting that the number of
parents who would avail of change is greater than it actually is.
The level of participation in the surveys is
very disappointing with as few as 10 per cent of parents participating
in some areas. The average level of participation is approximately 18
per cent.
This figure is lower than in the pilot phase a few months ago.
This would seem to confirm the findings of research undertaken by the Catholic Schools Partnership in 2011 that school patronage is not an issue of major concern for most parents.
The number of parents who say that they will
avail of change is lower than expected. As a result, the report
concludes that there is insufficient demand for a viable school under a
different patron in 15 areas. In the other 23 areas it recommends the
establishment of one school (in most cases with about 100 pupils) under a
new patron.
All of the partners will need to give detailed
consideration to what is best in these areas as there is no one size
that will fit all.
In Ballina, the total number of pupils in the
16 schools surveyed is 1,954. The parents of 44 children said they will
avail of an English-language multidenominational school if such is
available to them. That is 2.2 per cent of the pupils in the area.
Responding to this level of demand will not be easy because these 44
children are probably scattered across 16 schools.
In seeking to respond to this limited request
for change, attention must be given to the large majority who have
expressed no such interest.
An issue that will arise in many of these 23
areas is the level of displacement caused by trying to cater for the
views of a minority who want change. Goodwill and generosity will be
required on the part of all.
Those of us committed to Catholic education
believe that Catholic schools have an important role to play in the
future of Irish education.
Today, every Catholic school needs to
redefine its identity so that it is not just reacting to the latest
trend or fashion but that it can truly articulate its
self-understanding.
In reflecting on what it is to be a Catholic school
in 2013 account must be taken of sociological and demographic realities.
Thus such schools will vary as they respond to the needs of the local
communities in which they are embedded.
This diversity within the Catholic sector is
one of its strengths, and the Catholic Schools Partnership hopes to draw
on this diversity in heightening awareness among Catholic schools of
the need to be inclusive of all pupils who attend such schools.
* Fr Michael Drumm is chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership
* Fr Michael Drumm is chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership