Press release
Minister McHugh invites parents to express preference for patronage of four primary schools to be established in 2020
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, has today (Thursday 28 November) urged parents and guardians to give their views on patronage for four primary schools being established next year.
Mothers, fathers and guardians of children who are due to enrol in primary school from 2020-2024 in parts of Dublin and in Cork are being invited to complete the online survey.
The new post-primary schools are being established in September 2020 following on from the government’s commitment to invest heavily in education, with the establishment of 44 new schools in total between 2019 and 2022.
The online survey for parents can be accessed at patronage.education.gov.ie.
It will remain open until 22 December for the four primary schools which will serve the following areas:
| School Planning Area | School Size** |
| Carrigaline | 16 classrooms |
| Donabate | 16 classrooms |
| Newcastle_Rathcoole/Saggart – Citywest | 8 classrooms |
| Sallynoggin_Killiney_DLR/Cherrywood | 16 classrooms |
**The size of the schools is based on current identified need but will be responsive to patronage or demographic demand.
Following the recently announced measures to increase access to Irish-medium education as part of the patronage process, two of the new schools, in Donabate and Saggart/Citywest, have been designated as Irish-medium primary schools.
In the other two planning areas – Carrigaline and Sallynoggin_Killiney_DLR/Cherrywood parents and guardians can indicate whether they would prefer English or Irish as the language of instruction.
The survey also allows parents and guardians to select which model of patronage they prefer.
Inviting people to take part in the online survey, Minister McHugh said:
“It is a great opportunity for mothers and fathers and guardians to help to shape the education of the future.
“The wishes of parents and guardians, together with the extent of diversity already available in these areas, will be key to deciding the type of schools we will have in the future. I urge as many people as possible who live in the areas and have children going to primary school in the next few years to make their voices heard.”
The patronage process for new schools is overseen by the independent New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG).
This group, which was set up in 2011 to advise the Minister on the patronage of new schools, will analyse the report on the online surveys and consider other criteria before issuing a recommendation.
ENDS
Details of four new primary schools to be established in 2020 in respect of which a patronage process will be undertaken
| County | School Planning Area(s) to be served | School Size | Year of Opening | Language Position |
| Cork | Carrigaline | 16 classrooms | 2020 | To be determined after the OPPS |
| Dublin | Donabate | 16 classrooms | 2020 | Designated Gaelscoil |
| Dublin | Newcastle_Rathcoole/Saggart-Citywest** | 8 classrooms | 2020 | Designated Gaelscoil |
| Dublin | Sallynoggin_Killiney_DLR/Cherrywood*** | 16 classrooms | 2020 | To be determined after the OPPS |
** The new school will be located in the Saggart/Citywest area. It is adjacent to the Tallaght School Planning Area in which there is no gaelscoil.
*** Two new primary schools are due to open in Sallynoggin_Killiney_DLR/Cherrywood – one in 2020 and a second in 2022. One will be designated as a gaelscoil. The order will be decided following the OPPS process.
The patronage process for new schools is overseen by the New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG). This independent advisory group was set up in 2011 to advise the Minister on the patronage of new schools following its consideration of a report prepared by the department on the applications received.
The members of the NSEG are:
The new Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) website will provide objective information to all parents which will allow them to make an informed choice in expressing a preference for their preferred model of patronage and language of instruction for their child’s education. The survey will be open until midnight on the 22 December 2019.
When the survey closes, the department will compile a report for the consideration of the New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG) and the NSEG will submit a report with recommendations for consideration by the Minister.
The Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) is open to parents or guardians of children who are due to enrol in primary school between 2020 and 2024 and who live in one of the school planning areas. Parents and guardians will need their child’s Eircode and PPSN in order to complete the online survey.