Schools survey

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JoeRoberts

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RTE news : 40% of parents want multi-denominational schools - survey

www.rte.ie

40% of parents want multi-denominational schools - survey

Around 40% of parents of children attending Catholic or other religious denomination primary schools would prefer their child to attend a multi-denominational school, according to a national survey carried out by the Department of Education and Youth.
www.rte.ie www.rte.ie

In other news 60% are happy with denominational schools and wish them to continue
 
JoeRoberts said:
RTE news : 40% of parents want multi-denominational schools - survey

www.rte.ie

40% of parents want multi-denominational schools - survey

Around 40% of parents of children attending Catholic or other religious denomination primary schools would prefer their child to attend a multi-denominational school, according to a national survey carried out by the Department of Education and Youth.
www.rte.ie www.rte.ie
In other news 60% are happy with denominational schools and wish them to continue
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5% of schools are currently nondenominational. This survey was of parents in the other 95% of schools which are denominational (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic). 41% of those parents want their children to go to multi-denominational schools. 41% of 95% is 38.5%. 38.5% + 5% = 43.5%. Therefore 43.5% of parents want their children to go to multi-denominational schools but only 5% of schools fall into that category.

The survey results of parents of children who have not yet started school have not been released. It is reasonable to expect that they are probably more likely to want multi-denominational schooling.

I think that critical thinking is very important and getting more important as the internet and social media reduced the filter that used to be provided by editors of newspapers which prevented the dissemination of the sort of nonsense which is now being fed to everyone. You cannot teach critical thinking and religion at the same time.

Edit: data corrected
 
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Purple said:
Therefore 46.9% of parents want their children to go to multi-denominational schools
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Only if 100% of parents of children in multi-denominational want their children to be there. (Ahem) critical thinking at work!
 
MOB said:
Only if 100% of parents of children in multi-denominational want their children to be there. (Ahem) critical thinking at work!
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Given that they made the choice to send their children there, and there is always a local denominational choice, it is reasonable to conclude that they want it that way.
 
Purple said:
it is reasonable to conclude that they want it that way.
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Or that one of two parents did, and got their way. Or that a sibling was already there and it was too much hassle to move both to the new denominational school that wasn't available 2 years before. Or that the local denominational school was full and the next closest was just not convenient. Plenty scope for nuance in there. 100% seems unlikely....
 
MOB said:
Or that one of two parents did, and got their way.
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The same can be said of the parents of children in denominational schools.
MOB said:
Or that a sibling was already there and it was too much hassle to move both to the new denominational school that wasn't available 2 years before. Or that the local denominational school was full and the next closest was just not convenient.
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Given that 95% of schools are denominational that it unlikely.

MOB said:
Plenty scope for nuance in there. 100% seems unlikely....
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Do you think that it is a statistically significant number?
 
JoeRoberts said:
Absolutely. Reporting should be neutral.
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That's not what I asked you.
Do you think that the criteria used for the provision of education should be based on the same criteria as an election or referendum?

In a referendum it is yes or no, all or nothing. Do you think that the provision of education should use the same criteria?

If Fianna Fáil received a little over half of the votes in the next election do you think that they should then get 95% of the seats in the next Dáil?
If they did get 95% of the seats on that basis would you think it was newsworthy?
 
Purple said:
If Fianna Fáil received a little over half of the votes in the next election do you think that they should then get 95% of the seats in the next Dáil?
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It would be reported as such.
It would not be reported that a little less of half of all other parties got less than 50%.
 
JoeRoberts said:
It would be reported as such.
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Exactly
JoeRoberts said:
It would not be reported that a little less of half of all other parties got less than 50%.
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The results of the survey are that a little under half of parents want multi-denominational schools (or non-denominational schools) but 95% of schools are denominational. You said that "The real question is why it is reported from a minority viewpoint." The obvious reason is because 5% of the available resources is aligned to what little under a half of parents want.
 
JoeRoberts said:
It would be reported as such.
It would not be reported that a little less of half of all other parties got less than 50%
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Purple if FF Got over 50% of the vote it may not have got an overall Majority of Dail seats,
I suspect the heading would read if FF got an overall majority seats,
I expect the heading to read FF gets first overall majority of seats first since the 1970s,
 
@Purple, you are absolutely correct.

In the 1980s, we were 95% Catholic. In 2022 census, it was 70%. That is a huge drop. Probably lower again now.

But we still have 90% Catholic primary schools. If parental choice is to be respected then it should be closer to 70%.

Other recent studies found that about 50% of parents would like a choice of patronage in secondary schools, so this survey is not an outlier.

The story here is that there has been a big shift in Ireland over the past 30 years and in spite of 70% of people identifying as Catholic, only 60% want their children in Catholic schools. That's an even worse headline for believers.
 
Interestingly the survey did not ask parents if they wanted non-denominational education. Only single or multi-denominational.

I think.the Dept of Education is showing a lack of leadership on this issue. Their press release talks about the results being considered on an individual.school level. So in an area with several similar schools, where each polled 60:40 there will be no change as the majority in each school did not want it.

Real leadership would be the Dept saying that 40% of the schools in an area must be multi-denom and putting in a plan to make it happen.
 
csirl said:
Interestingly the survey did not ask parents if they wanted non-denominational education. Only single or multi-denominational.
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Yes, I think that would have given a more meaningful result. If I was answering I would have to choose between two options I didn't want.
 
JoeRoberts said:
The real question is why it is reported from a minority viewpoint.
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Perhaps because the underlying story is the increasing rate at which parents want multi-denominational schools. The alternative reporting would be continued drop in number of parents who prefer denominational schools.

So the reporting is consistent with other issues of shifts in societal attitudes like divorce, marriage equality, etc..
 
AFAIK, there is no such thing as a non-denominational national school in Ireland.


Bear in mind that when the Dublin diocese tried to divest national schools, the main resistance was from the parents, not from the church.
 
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