I was on South East Radio with John Moynihan this morning talking about the results of the Department of Education’s school survey.

We talked a good bit about the results, which as most people know are that 40% of parents whose children are already in religious-run schools said they would prefer a multi-denominational school.

We talked about some of the weaknesses of the survey. Parents were forced to make binary choices: Irish or English-medium, co-ed or single-sex, religious or multi-denominational. There was no “I don’t particularly mind” option.

We also talked about the reaction from the patron bodies, including the suggestion from some that parents may not really have understood what they were being asked.

But my main point was “Why are we still framing this entirely around parental choice rather than children’s rights?”

As far as I’m concerned, every child should have the right to attend their local primary school and be treated equally, regardless of their religion, background or ethnicity.

Whether 40%, 16% or 100% of parents prefer a particular ethos doesn’t change that principle. I argued that the solution doesn’t need to be particularly revolutionary. If parents want faith formation for their children, it can happen outside school time, just the same way it was until the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Thanks to John Moynihan and South East Radio for having me on. https://www.southeastradio.ie/