Since 2020, there has been a notable increase in the number of schools adopting a co-educational approach in Ireland.
The Ireland Department of Education has verified that 25 schools have transitioned from single-sex to co-educational, signalling a significant shift in the educational landscape post-pandemic.
This policy change stems from parental demand, as many parents prefer their sons and daughters to attend the same primary school and progress to secondary school together.
The move towards co-education is driven by a need for a wider range of subjects for students. Some single-sex schools may not offer certain subjects such as home economics, woodwork, or construction studies. In addition, parents find it more convenient to drop off their children at one school instead of dealing with two separate institutions.
However, there are communities where parents are satisfied with their single-sex schools, particularly if they are performing well. Any application for a change of status must receive approval from the school patron, often the local Catholic bishop. The Department of Education cannot alter the status of any school from single-sex to co-educational without the agreement of the patron.
Generally, the department views requests for schools to transition favorably, but there are cases where requests can be declined if the change leads to a shortage of places for boys or girls in the area. For instance, if a town has two boys’ schools and only one girls’ school, a shift to co-education by one of them could result in a lack of places for girls.
It’s crucial to note that there is usually a consultation process to gather the views of local parents before approving any change of status. Acknowledging the trend towards co-education, Education Minister Norma Foley visited a school in Dublin transitioning to co-ed status in September 2022.
According to the “find a school” service on gov.ie, there are 132 boys’ national schools, 96 girls’ national schools, and 2,895 mixed national schools. However, after age 12, there is a noticeable change in the number of single-sex schools. There are 97 boys’ post-primary schools, 124 girls’ post-primary schools, and 514 mixed post-primary schools. Notably, all 137 special schools in Ireland are co-educational.
© 2024 m10news.com Media
