Educate Together welcomes landmark school patronage survey results for Mayo

Educate Together has  welcomed the announcement of the results of the recent national survey on school type preference, as announced by the Minister for Education and Youth.

According to the results, 40% of parents in religious-run schools nationally would prefer a multi-denominational primary school and 33.7% of families in County Mayo would prefer a multi-denominational education.

These numbers contrast starkly with current school provision, whereby 95.1% of primary schools nationally remain under denominational control.

Demand for multi-denominational / equality-based education in County Mayo is not currently being met. There are currently only three Educate Together primary schools in County Mayo.

This means that of the 151 primary schools in the county, only 3 have a multi-denominational ethos. Parents in many parts of Mayo have no choice other than to send their children to a denominational primary school.

Newtownwhite ET NS joined the Educate Together network in 2014, transferring patronage to become a multi-denominational school.

The school has become widely known for its inclusive and welcoming school community.

The Educate Together national office hopes to work with more Mayo-based families in the future, to expand access to equality-based education around the county.

Edward Platt, Schools Development Officer for Educate Together stated: “These national results are very encouraging for the future of school choice in County Mayo.

"At Educate Together we regularly engage with families and local communities who are frustrated by the lack of multi-denominational / equality-based school places available to them.

"Now that The Department of Education has provided statistically valid data to show that 33.7% of parents in Mayo want their child to have access to a multi-denominational school, we need to see action taken to make this a reality."