Support equality-based education: Help fund school transfers

This fundraiser is organized by Educate Together/Ag Foghlaim Le Chéile.

We believe that every family in Ireland should have access to school choice, that every child should have the option to attend an Educate Together school if they wish.

At Educate Together, we’re working hard to ensure every child has access to an inclusive and equality-based school, no matter where they live in Ireland. That’s why we’re enthusiastic to support the Government's plan to increase the number of equality-based schools in Ireland through a new process called ‘school reconfiguration’.

But we need your support! If you believe in education equality for every child like we do, you can support us to help transition religious-run schools to Educate Together patronage in towns, cities and villages up and down the country.

Why this matters:

This Government project will identify and transfer religious-run schools to multi-denominational / equality-based patronage, to reflect the diverse needs of Ireland’s communities. In early 2025, the Government will conduct a nationwide survey of parents on education and school patronage. This national survey will help us expand equality-based education and provide real school choice across Ireland.

Educate Together schools are:

Equality-based: diverse worldviews are respected, and no single religion is prioritised over others.
Child-centred: putting children at the heart of decision-making at the school.
Democratically-run: active participation by parents, students, and teachers together.
Co-educational: equal opportunities at school for boys and girls; challenging gender inequality.

Success stories

In April of this year, St. Mary's Primary School became the first-ever Catholic school in Ireland to transition to Educate Together patronage, marking an exciting milestone in Irish education! Now named Paradise Place Educate Together National School, this school has set a precedent for how schools across Ireland can adapt to better serve diverse communities.

Educate Together is working hard every day to facilitate more patronage transfers, to expand the network of inclusive, equality-based schools across Ireland.

We need your help:

Your donation helps us bring equality-based education to more students and communities across the country. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Please share our campaign with friends and family to help us reach our goal!

Contact us:

For more information, visit our website

Hear from some of those who have experienced the journey first-hand:

Paradise Place ETNS school principal, Éadaoin Kelly:

“We are pleased to be making this transition to Educate Together patronage. The children are at the centre of all our work and we are responsive to their needs. We will continue our inclusive, restorative and supportive practice as an Educate Together school and look forward to sharing and learning with and from other schools in the network.”

Parent and past pupil at Paradise Place ETNS:

“At first, when I heard [about the proposed change], I was like, 'oh God,' but the school gave us a lot of information. It's the same school. The only difference is that the Communion will be done outside."