Educate Together urges Laois parents to complete school survey

Laois parents encouraged to have their say on school patronage

Educate Together welcomes the ongoing rollout of the Department of Education and Youth’s (DEY) newPrimary School Survey, which gives families across Ireland the chance to influence the future of their local primary schools.

Educate Together encourages all eligible parents to complete the survey and make their voices heard. Withthe survey now well underway, ensuring high participation is essential so that results truly reflect the views of whole school communities.

This survey is the first of its kind in Ireland for 3 key reasons:

Parents nationwide can answer the survey, anonymously, giving families across Ireland a voice
The survey is school specific, allowing for real change to be implemented at the local level
Parents of pre-school age children are eligible to complete the survey, meaning the opinions of future school parents are also considered

These factors make the survey unique and mid-campaign reports indicate strong engagement so far. EducateTogether is urging families in every county to take part before the survey closes.

As of Wednesday December 3rd Laois families had the lowest response rate in the country, at only 30.6%.

Earlier pilot surveys were restricted to small groups and limited context; this new approach represents a major step forward.

“The Primary School Survey is a milestone in delivering choice in education for Irish families, and it is only the first step of a longer process” said Edward Platt, Schools Development Officer for Educate Together.

“The fact that the survey is backed up by a detailed action plan, and is school-specific, means that meaningful change for school communities is now a real possibility.

It is hugely important that parents have their say, so that the results are reflective of the whole school community.

Educate Together looks forward to engaging with school communities who feel that transferring to multi-denominational patronage aligns with their values”.

The Primary School Survey is backed up by a series of key actions, including;

Appointing facilitators to schools which show a demand for change

Evaluation of the different multi-denominational patronage options, of which Educate Together is the largest and oldest
Allocation of a transfer grants to schools transferring patronage (up to €5,000)
Department of Education and Youth support throughout the transfer process

Overall, national results of the survey are expected early in 2026. Identifying multi- denominational patrons isexpected to be able to take place before the end of the 2025/26 school year.

With just over two weeks left in the survey window, Educate Together is urging parents across the country – particularly in areas with historically limited school choice – to participate before the deadline.

The Parents’ Survey on School Patronage is open to all parents of children aged 0–12 years.

Take the survey here: www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey

For more information click here.