The survey, launched in November last year, aimed to assess the appetite amongst parents for multi-denominational, co-educational and Irish-medium education.
Asked about the results on Morning Ireland, Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton said there was a “high level of engagement” from parents and guardians of children about to go to primary school or currently attending primary school.
Some 41% of affected households responded to the survey. Over 200,000households submitted validated responses.
According to the Department, the survey indicated:
Approximately 60% of parents in denominational schools wish to retain that ethos
Approximately 73% of parents in the 276 single‑sex primary schools favour a move to co‑education
Approximately 87% of parents in English-medium schools support maintaining English as the primary language of instruction
Co Wicklow saw the lowest percentage of parents who wished for their child’s school’s ethos to remain denominational at 50.5%. Donegal was highest at 70.9%, closely followed by Longford and Monaghan at 70.5%.
Co Galway saw the highest number of surveyed parents whose children attend a single-sex school say they would prefer their child’s school to transition to a mixed school, at 87.8%. The county with the lowest desire for this was Waterford, on 62.7%.
The Department noted that the figures are depicted at a county level, but it is parental preferences at an individual school level that show the actual demand for change or otherwise.
The schools will receive their individual school-specific report in early May. The reports will contain guidance and information. Based on the school’s survey results, they will be asked to consider if they wish to be included in the first tranche of schools to action any changes needed.
Naughton said: “What we’re going to do now as a department is share the information at a school level, so schools will be given the results of their individual surveys, which may look very different at a community, at a local level.”
She continued, “So it’s giving parents and guardians the choice, and the department then will be able to facilitate them if they want to make changes in relation to the ethos, in relation to whether their school is co-ed, for example, whether they want an Irish medium school.”
She said the survey was “really important to give that local choice to parents and guardians and local schools to say what it is they want in their local area”.
However, voluntary human rights organisation Education Equality, the mission of which is to “end religious discrimination in State-funded schools”, said the survey headline “understates demand for multi-denominational education and risks reducing children’s rights to a popularity test”.
“The widely reported 40% figure relates only to parents whose children are currently attending religiously managed primary schools and therefore does not reflect the full views of participating families,” the organisation said.
It called on the Department to publish a full breakdown of the survey results across all respondent groups, including parents of preschool children and parents of children already attending multi-denominational schools.
Catholic Education Partnership and the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) had a different response, and said it was “gratifying” to see there is still a “high level of confidence” in Catholic schools.
“While a proportion of parents expressed a preference for change, this represents approximately 16% of all eligible households, with the majority signalling support for the current model of provision,” it said.
General Secretary of CPSMA Seamus Mulconry said although he welcomes the “strong support” for Catholic schools, “the right of the 16% who want change must of course also be respected and vindicated”.
“It is now essential that the Department swiftly publish the survey in its entirety so that schools can have clarity around their future,” he said.