The Department of Education has announced plans to increase the number of multi-denominational primary schools.
It will be first engaging with certain school communities in Arklow, Athlone, Cork, Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick and Youghal - where only Catholic schools are available.
It will engage with schools in these regions with a view of changing their ethos.
Minister @NormaFoleyTD1 announces the commencement of arrangements in a number of pilot areas aimed at increasing the number of multi-denominational primary schools - https://t.co/aobFp5iBQv
— Department of Education (@Education_Ire) March 11, 2022
The Educational Training Board run 27 multi-denominational Community National Schools.
The ETB's Director of Schools Seamus Conboy says spending class time preparing for religious sacraments can be distracting.
Conboy says thousands of Catholic families send their children to multi-denominational schools because they want their children to be educated in "progressive" settings.
At present, the vast majority of schools in Ireland are State-aided parish schools, with the local bishop as their patron.
Just three schools so far have successfully made the change in patronage, however, the number of Educate Together schools across the country has grown exponentially in the last two decades.
Any primary schools that are interested in moving away from the Catholic ethos are being asked to contact the Department of Education.
