16 minute read
EDITORIAL
UP FRONT
TRÍONA DOHERTY
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September 1 marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, an ecumenical period that unites Christians to pray and take action to care for our common home.
The theme for this year’s season is ‘Listen to the voice of creation’. Pope Francis invites us to “pray once more in the great cathedral of creation” and to revel in the “cosmic choir made up of countless creatures, all singing the praises of God”.
However, when we listen to creation, there is a dissonance: “On the one hand, we can hear a sweet song in praise of our beloved Creator; on the other, an anguished plea, lamenting our mistreatment of this our common home.”
As most of us are aware, we are living through a devastating environmental crisis. Some 70 per cent of the earth’s wildlife has been destroyed in the past 50 years due to human activity. The continuing rise in toxic greenhouse gas emissions is fuelling a climate crisis that is making parts of our world uninhabitable for human beings.
As Tomás Insua, executive director of Laudato Si’ Movement (LSM), commented recently: “The sweet song of creation is mixed with its bitter cry, as evidenced by the intense heat wave that is experienced in much of the northern hemisphere and that has already killed, only in Spain and Portugal, more than 1,000 people or has left 5 million people without water in Monterrey, Mexico.
“The crisis is no longer a hypothesis of a distant future but a tangible reality that is costing human lives.”
This message is at the heart of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home, which continues to inspire and mobilise the global Catholic community to care for our common home and to work for climate justice. Worldwide networks such as LSM and the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform are encouraging people to take action, whether in their family, community, organisation or business.
What is clear is that the ecological crisis is no longer a peripheral concern but at the heart of our Christian calling and a summons to interior conversion:
I urgently appeal for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. (LS 14)
We are invited as a Christian community to embrace the challenge of caring for our common home. The Season of Creation is a time to “listen to creation”, to spend time in nature and come to a deeper awareness of the beauty of our world.
It is a time to listen to “the cry of the earth” and particularly to “the cry of the poor” who are most affected by climate change and biodiversity loss.
It is a time for action, to examine our lifestyles and our choices as consumers and to make some changes. We start with small actions: plant a native tree, develop a wildflower area, cut out single-use plastics. Why not start your journey with a visit to the online Laudato Si Action Platform and explore what your community can do?
The Irish church is joining with the global efforts. Five Irish dioceses were among 35 Catholic institutions that recently announced their intention to divest from fossil fuel companies, given their harm to the environment. Last year, Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell published a pastoral letter The Cry of the Earth, The Cry of the Poor in which he talks about promoting a “culture of care”, a new vision for living and sharing our world. He recommends that the Season of Creation be used a springboard for parishes, schools and religious congregations to embrace a spirituality that encourages greater contact with the natural world, and to embrace small actions which can have a ripple effect across our communities.
“In the climate crisis,” he says, “God asks us not only what type of environment we want to inhabit, but also what type of life do we wish to embrace.”
We are at a critical moment as a global community, and these are big questions that deserve our time and reflection during this Season of Creation as we live out our call to protect and care for our common home.
Tríona Doherty Editor
THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION
A GROWING NUMBER OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN IRELAND ARE CHANGING PATRONAGE FROM CATHOLIC TO NON-DENOMINATIONAL OR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS. THE TRANSFER PROCESS TAKES CAREFUL PLANNING AND COOPERATION BETWEEN PARISHES, PARENTS, SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES BY ANN MARIE FOLEY
Thousands of report pages and as many more surveys litter the path to change in Ireland’s primary education system. Pilot projects have been undertaken, and more are currently underway to facilitate the change to more diverse patronage of schools. A notable common denominator in changes of patronage is cooperation. Bishops and dioceses, parish communities and priests, parents, school boards and trustees have consulted and cooperated and come to practical decisions for education in their local communities.
In Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, this September sees the launch of a new multi-denominational Community National School (CNS) as the formerly Catholic St Mary’s Boys Junior School changes patronage and opens to boys and girls. It is also to become a fully vertical national school with classes from junior infants to sixth class. Two other Catholic schools are becoming coeducational too, a sure sign that the face of primary education is changing in this modern, multicultural, rural town.
In Tallaght, Dublin, Scoil Chaitlin Maude Gaelscoil has new patronage and management support provided by An Foras Pátrúnachta. Pupils at the school have the choice of an ethics and morality programme or a Catholic programme. The change means that there are now three Irish-medium schools in Tallaght and surrounds, offering three ethoses.
In Kerry, five years ago, the previously named Cahorreigh National School became Two
“Parents are the first and primary educators of their children. It follows that the State should be responsive to the rights of parents to have their philosophical and religious beliefs supported during their children’s education” – Irish Catholic Bishops Conference
Mile Community National School under the patronage of Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI). The only multidenominational school in the Killarney area, it has seen parents bring their children from further afield and an increase in the once declining numbers.
FRUITFUL DIALOGUE
These recent pragmatic developments are different in tone from when divestment came to the fore in 2012, when the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector first issued a report. Surveys in 2012 and 2013 by the Department of Education and Skills showed that there was enough parent demand to merit changes in school patronage in 28 areas. However, several other survey results remained unpublished or were questioned over the years.
For example, in 2019, the parents’ association at St Oliver Plunkett’s School in Malahide warned that the loss of the school’s religious ethos could lead to the cancellation of Nativity plays and carol services. At that time the Department of Education had asked that one Catholic school out of eight in the Malahide-Portmarnock-Kinsealy area would divest its Catholic patronage. For many years, the easiest way to have multidenominational patronage was to open a new school. Educate Together schools and other multi- or non-denominational schools that were up and running were often over-subscribed.
More recently, the Programme for Government set a target of 400 multidenominational primary schools by 2030 and highlighted towns and cities which have no multi-denominational schools (see panel). Some say that this is not ambitious enough, while others argue that there are no annual targets and that there is a lack of political will to progress it.
Recent statistics show that 89 per cent of all primary schools remain under Catholic patronage; newspapers often refer to this as under “Catholic control”. However, principal of the new multi-denominational CNS Nenagh, John Gunnell, who has gone through the process of divestment, says that there is “no row between church and state” as regards education.
The Irish Catholic Bishops in their role as patrons continue to affirm their commitment to the reconfiguration of patronage of primary schools. During the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference general meeting in June 2021, they stated: “Bishops, as patrons, are committed to proactively
engaging with the Department of Education in relation to reconfiguration of patronage and are supportive of an educational landscape which reflects the reality of the increasingly diverse society in our country.”
The bishops also commented:
Parents are the first and primary educators of their children. It follows that the State should be responsive to the rights of parents to have their philosophical and religious beliefs supported during their children’s education. One of the great strengths of faith-based primary schools has been their rootedness in local communities. Bishops as patrons are very conscious therefore that any move to divest must involve a meaningful engagement at local level, supported by the
Department of Education, with parents, teachers and the wider parish communities served by existing Catholic schools. Parental choice is paramount, and that choice must be given full expression in any reconfiguration process.
They want a “fruitful dialogue” about the best way of ensuring that the school system reflects a diversity of provision.
The Catholic Communications Office told Reality that since the summer 2021 statement, representatives of the Catholic school patrons continue to engage with officials in the Department of Education.
COLLABORATION IN NENAGH
Engagement is a key word. Alan Hynes of St Senan’s Education Centre, who was involved in the Nenagh reconfiguration, states: “You have to exercise an enormous amount of sensitivity. Schools are part of the community and the community have a large sense of investment and even ownership. So it is a process that has to be done not through a blunt assertion of authority but through a process of consultation.”
In Nenagh, change was already happening. St Senan’s and Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe had been working on changing the boys’ and girls’ Catholic schools to co-education. So, they went one step further to consider the reconfiguration of patronage as Nenagh has a significant population of families from Eastern Europe, Syria and elsewhere, and that plurality signposted the need for change. Once they identified and approached St Mary’s school and found it was willing to look into changing patronage, they contacted Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB).
Then there were discussions with the board of management, staff and parents, and it was confirmed that St Mary’s would go under the patronage of Tipperary ETB, as a CNS.
“I was fully supportive and 100 per cent behind the move in Nenagh,” Bishop Fintan Monahan told Reality.
The parish was central to the move and open to working with the school to provide religious instruction in preparation for the sacraments for pupils who want it. That will take place outside of school time, but most likely within the school building.
The new CNS in Nenagh is one of several state co-educational and multi-denominational schools, which state their values as: excellence in education, care, equality, community and respect. CNS’ ethical programme ‘Goodness Me, Goodness You!’ is a multi-belief and values education curriculum with four strands: identity, values, philosophy and multidenominational religious education (rather than the religious faith formation used in denominational schools).
Fr Des Hillery, then co-parish priest of Nenagh parish, was involved in the discussions about changing patronage and facilitating faith formation for children who want it in the new CNS.
“It really reflects the changing nature of our society and of our community and that people are given a choice, and that choice is theirs to value and support,” he says.
He explains that the faith formation classes will be co-ordinated by the parish with all the resources that it can call on. Earlier in the
summer, when plans were being finalised, he expected that a fully qualified teacher will take those classes.
“We have all learned a lot to date and we will all learn a lot more in September. At the end of the day, what is motivating us is what is best for the families who live in Nenagh. It is the same all over Ireland; we have a diverse multi-cultural multi-ethnic community, and our schools represent that. The teachers [in Nenagh] have done extraordinary work in accommodating families who have come from other countries and children who have had to start school in a new country. It has been extraordinary, and they have done a mighty job,” says Fr Hillery.
Ireland’s multi-cultural population is just one factor in changing patronage, but another development has been the change of approach reflected in the language used. There is now very little talk about ‘divest’, as the word ‘reconfigure’ is used instead.
“I suppose it is a milder word, ‘reconfigure’,” says John Gunnell. He tells how the consultation process was non-adversarial. It was important to have a detailed plan of how the change of patronage would work, to present to parents. In the past, he said, some surveys of parents had been done in a vacuum and in one instance the ensuing discussion was likened to the heated Brexit debate.
“There is always consultation with parents, but it was letting parents know what was happening, what was on the table,” he says.
He is happy that many parents have enrolled their children in the new Nenagh CNS. “Junior infants and the new second class are oversubscribed. Around half of the first class pupils stayed on in our Community National School (CNS) for that second class, but the tradition was that they moved to the Catholic CBS from what was a junior school,” says John. He expects that many towns in Ireland will see similar changes in the coming years.
“Parents want choice and if you want a Catholic school in Nenagh you have three of them. You have an Irish school, you have Church of Ireland and now multidenominational as well.”
SLOW PROGRESS
However, in terms of numbers, progress with reconfiguration has been slow to date.
The 2010/11 statistics (see Table 1) show that there were 2,841 of a total of 3,169 schools, or 89.65 per cent, under Catholic patronage. Under Church of Ireland patronage were 174 schools or 5.59 per cent. Gaelscoileanna under An Foras Pátrúnachta numbered 57 or 1.8 per cent. Back then, Community National Schools were under Vocational Education Committees and numbered 5, or 0.29 per cent.
The 2020/2021 statistics (see Table 2) show that 2,757 out of a total of 3,108 schools, or 89 per cent, were under Catholic patronage. Church of Ireland came to 172, or 6 per cent while Gaelscoileanna numbered 36, or 1 per cent. These latest figures from the Department of Education showed that there are 28 Community National Schools (including Nenagh).
ETBI states that the two sets of figures show that progress is “exceptionally slow”. “Many argue that a target of 400 (out of over 3,000) primary schools by 2030 is extremely un-ambitious considering the social and demographic changes which have taken place in Ireland in recent decades. However, ETBI does not anticipate the current target being met by 2030. To meet this target, approximately 250 primary schools would need to reconfigure over the next eight years. Unless there is a radical change in the government’s/department’s commitment to achieving this, this will not happen at the rate required,” states Séamus Conboy, director of Schools, ETBI. He adds that the schools which “We have all learned a lot to date and we have reconfigured to become will all learn a lot more in September. At CNSs have all thrived as a result. He attributes this to the CNS the end of the day, what is motivating us ethos and the supports available is what is best for the families who live to CNS schools that are not in Nenagh. It is the same all over Ireland; we have a diverse multi-cultural multialways available to other school types, such as human resources, information technology and ethnic community, and our schools school buildings. represent that” “While there are challenges for schools in convincing parents about a change of patronage, once schools transfer, the vast majority of parents are extremely happy with the decision,” he concluded. John Gunnell is happy with the changes in Nenagh, and states: “The country has changed; we could have said ‘no we don’t want to do it.’ But the big question from our board was ‘What is right for Nenagh?’ rather than for us a church school with Catholic teachers. We are only passing through, we’ll only be there for a few years and then it will be someone else, and so, was this the right thing to do for the town? That was the big question, and ultimately it was. Hopefully time proves that it is, but so far it is.”
THE RECONFIGURATION PROCESS
ETBI states that, to date, all reconfigured Community National Schools have transferred patronage under the ‘early movers’ provision. ETBI has developed a pack that could guide schools considering becoming a CNS and ETBs. This pack is available at: cns.ie/changing-schoolpatronage
To begin the process, the principal or a parent may informally engage with the local ETB or ETBI to find out more before bringing this information to the attention of the board of management (BoM). However, the local ETB or ETBI do not engage with the wider school community, staff or parents until the BoM has received permission from their existing patron for the ETB to provide information to the wider school community.
“It is the responsibility of the school to consult with its community,” says Séamus Conboy, director of schools, ETBI.
For more information on the ethos of CNSs see www.etbi.ie/about-etbi/primaryeducation
PILOT TOWNS
On March 11, 2022 Minister for Education Norma Foley published a list of towns and areas of cities that have no multidenominational primary schools. The aim is to find potential schools and engage with school authorities, staff and communities to agree a transfer of patronage, where there is sufficient demand.
The statement added that the Council for Education and relevant bishops have confirmed their commitment to reconfiguration and their willingness to engage and co-operate fully with the Department of Education in seeking to facilitate a more diverse school patronage in these areas. The pilot areas are: Arklow, Athlone, Cork, Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick and Youghal.
TABLE 1 NUMBER OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS BY PATRON BODY (2010/11)
PATRON BODY NO OF SCHOOLS PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL
Catholic
Church of Ireland
Presbyterian
Methodist
Jewish
Islamic 2841
174
17
1
1
2
Quaker 1
John Scottus Educational Trust 1
Lifeways Ireland Ltd
An Foras Pátrúnachta na Scoileanna Lan-Ghaeilge Teo
Educate Together Ltd (national patron body)
Educate Together Network (own patron body) 2
57
44
14
Vocational Education Committees + 5
Minister for Education & Skills ++ 9
TOTAL 3169
89.65
5.49
0.54
0.03
0.03
0.06
0.03
0.03
0.06
1.80
1.39
0.44
0.16
0.29
100%
+ Community National Schools under interim patronage of Minister while legislation to confirm VEC patronage was being processed ++ Minister for Education & Skills is patron of model schools
TABLE 2 MAINSTREAM PRIMARY SCHOOLS BY PATRON 2020/2021
PATRON SCHOOLS NO OF SCHOOLS
Catholic 2757
Protestant 172
Educate Together
An Foras Pátrúnachta 95
36
Education & Training Boards (CNS) 25
Other 23
TOTAL 3108 PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL
89
6
3
1
1
1
