HARTE JIMMY PATRONAGE DL 2390_DL 24/01/2013 10:57 Page 1
Senator
Jimmy Harte Constituency Office: 7 Castle Street, Letterkenny Seanad Éireann Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Tel: 074 9111005 Mobile: 087 251 1037 Email: jimmy.harte@oir.ie
Working with Senator Jimmy Harte Cllr. Martin Farren Greencastle Road, Moville Tel: 074 938 2267 Mobile: 086 8496082
HARTE JIMMY PATRONAGE DL 2390_DL 24/01/2013 10:57 Page 2
LABOUR DRIVING EDUCATION REFORM PRIMARY SCHOOL PATRONAGE SURVEY IN YOUR AREA Senator Jimmy Harte has welcomed the move by Minister Ruairi Quinn, that he is to roll out the patronage on primary schools survey in 38 new areas across the country including Buncrana, Co. Donegal. Parents of all children aged 0 to 12 years in 38 areas across Ireland are being asked by the Minister for Education what patrons they would like to see operating their local primary schools.
HOW TO TAKE PART IN THIS SURVEY: The survey can be accessed on line via www.education.ie and parents or guardians of primary school going children and 0 to 5 year olds in the 38 towns and suburbs, including Buncrana, are being urged to fill it in. They will need to have their PPS number in order to complete the survey; however, these details are only being used for verification purposes. Leaflets will be distributed locally to inform people of this survey, and a free helpline (1800 303621) is also on hand to help anyone with difficulties completing the survey.
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THIS SURVEY? The aim of the survey is to establish the level of demand from parents for diversity of school patronage in each of the towns. At present, some 96% of primary schools are under church patronage, with more than 90% or approximately 3,000 schools under the remit of the Catholic Church. This survey initiative follows on from the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary sector. If parents indicate they would like a wider choice of patron, then the Department of Education will ask existing patrons to come up with a plan to transfer some schools to other patron bodies. “This is an historic opportunity for parents to have a real say in the type of school they wish to send their children to, be it denominational, multidenominational, all-Irish or other,” said Senator Harte. "I would like to commend Minister Quinn on continuing to deliver on Labour's reform agenda. Taking just a couple of minutes to complete, a parent or guardian has the opportunity to make a profound difference to our educational landscape. I urge all parents and guardians to engage with this process and complete the survey.” Parents and guardians of all 0 to 12 year olds in the 38 towns have from now until the 8th of February to complete the survey at www.education.ie. 0612