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The Social Democrats have said the government must restore capitation rates for primary schools in this year’s Budget to ease the unsustainable burden on parents of subsidising the State’s ‘free education’. The party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD made the call following reports today of analysis by Grant Thornton which shows that parents are forking out […]

The Social Democrats today said the forthcoming review of the relationship and sexuality curriculum in schools must also lead to the introduction of support programmes for parents and guardians. Welcoming the announcement that a review of the curriculum is to be carried out, the party’s political director Anne-Marie McNally said: “Relationship and sexuality education in […]

IT USED TO be thought that Educate Together schools were niche schools for a small minority of atheist parents and immigrants. But they are not. They are multi-denominational schools that cater for parents who want to send their children into classrooms where being Catholic is not the status quo; who do not want their sons […]

The Department of Education must intervene to allow students and teachers from Coláiste Ráithín in Bray to move into their new school building which has been delayed by the Carillion collapse, Social Democrats’ councillor Jennifer Whitmore said today. Local Cllr Whitmore said: “I attended a meeting last night at which teachers, parents and students from […]

The government’s school admissions bill completely fails to deal with the problem of children being denied access to their local primary school due to their religion, according to the Social Democrats. The party has tabled amendments to remove the schools ‘baptism barrier’ – a discriminatory practice which the government’s Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 […]