In modern Ireland, the call for diversity and choice in education has never been louder. The Government’s Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity programme aims to create more school choice by supporting individual schools to transfer from one patron body to another. The overwhelming majority (almost 95%) of primary schools are run by religious patrons. As Ireland becomes more diverse and secular, many parents are looking for an alternative school ethos for their children.
As the largest and longest-serving multi-denominational / equality-based school patron in Ireland, Educate Together welcomes reconfiguration. Patronage transfer from a religious patron to a patron like Educate Together can allow schools to better respond to the needs of their communities. This process empowers parents, staff, and students to shape the future of their school, facilitating change at a pace that prioritises children’s learning and community voice.
This case study documents the successful transfer of Paradise Place ETNS (formerly St. Mary’s) and offers a practical look at how one school community navigated the journey.
Paradise Place ETNS: Their Story
Founded in 1855, St. Mary’s has a long and successful history of serving the community in Dublin inner city, building a strong reputation, and responding to local needs. In recent decades St Mary’s welcomed families from many cultural and faith backgrounds, and some from none. The staff had always done their best to honour that diversity, making conscious, deliberate efforts to ensure that whole-school practices did not exclude anyone. St. Mary’s was under a single faith patronage model, and no matter how thoughtfully the staff worked, that structure created a subtle, persistent tension. “We did our best,” Principal Éadaoin Kelly would later recall, “but in truth, it was challenging.”
The process had the support of the Archbishop and Minister for Education. Everyone was involved from the very beginning. Educate Together was invited to meet with the board of management, school staff and parents. There was no pressure – just clarity, honest conversation, and listening. The school community held a democratic vote. The community voted for change and chose Educate Together as their new patron.
The formal change happened in April 2024, but the transition was gradual. “There was no rush to rebrand overnight. Our priority was to bring people with us – to ensure that every decision reflected collective voice and that our community remained informed, included, and heard.”
With Educate Together’s support, the school formed an Ethos Transition Team. The team conducted an audit to identify areas where the school was already closely aligned with the Educate Together ethos, and areas where the school would benefit from support. Educate Together appointed two patron nominees to the board of management, and provided training for staff in Educate Together’s Learn Together curriculum. The school joined Educate Together’s Nurture Schools project, shared good practice with other schools about student participation and further developed democratic structures by inviting a team of children to speak at each Board of Management meeting.
A few months into the process, the school held an event to mark the transition. Children prepared wonderful displays on the history of the school, and the whole community came together to reflect on what was important and took this next step together.
Looking around Paradise Place ETNS today, you see a school that feels more itself. The children are still learning. The staff are still teaching. Catholic sacraments are still being prepared for, just out of school hours. No one is excluded. No one must be quietly accommodated. Everyone feels an equal sense of belonging.
“The transfer lifted the tension. It allowed our ethos of inclusion to breathe. Looking around today, I see a school that feels more authentically itself – and it just feels right.”
What happens when a school wants to change?
The transfer process is designed to be collaborative, transparent, and community-led. But what happens when a school wants to change?
Educate Together facilitates school transfers in a way that empowers local school communities, supports a change in school ethos, and prioritises children’s learning. The process is not about erasing a school’s past but about reimagining its future with democracy and inclusion at the core.
“At no point did the school feel pressured into the process.”
— Paradise Place ETNS Transition Team member
Timeline of the Process
- No pressure – The pace is set by the school.
- Democracy – Every voice matters, including the children.
- Sustainability – Changes happen gradually, not overnight.