The new community national schools will be located in the Phoenix Park and in Phibblestown, Dublin, and will open in September 2008.

A further school - Scoil Choilm in Diswellstown, Dublin 15, which opened in September 2007 under the temporary patronage of the Catholic Church - will move to the new community national school model after a two-year period. Ninety-five per cent of the children in the Diswellstown school are not Catholic, the Minister said.

"The new schools will be open to children of all religions and none. They will be inter-denominational in character, aiming to provide for religious education and faith formation during the school day for each of the main faith groups represented," Minister Hanafin said.

“A general ethics programme will also be available for children whose parents opt for that, and the schools will operate through an ethos of inclusiveness and respect for all beliefs, both religious and non-religious.”

"The schools will operate under an independent board of management and their operation will be closely monitored. If successful the scheme will be rolled out throughout Ireland in the coming years.

“In introducing it in two new locations from next September, with a third location to come on stream after a two year period, we will be able to test a range of practical implementation challenges and draw good lessons for its long-term success,” the Minister said.

According to Minister Hanafin, the new schools are an effort to deal with the changing shape of Irish society. Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, she said that up to 100,000 new children would come into primary schools over the next six to seven years, and that there would be a demand for diversity.

“In many of our new communities, there is a need for an additional choice that can accommodate the diverse preferences of parents for varying forms of religious education and faith formation during the school day, in a single school environment that includes and respects children of all religions and none,” she explained.

“This new model of community national school provides that option and can be a rich addition to the range of primary school provision already offered by the existing patronage bodies.”

The new model was developed after consultation with the main education partners and church groups, she said.

Bishop Leo O'Reilly, chair of the education commission of the Irish Bishops' Conference, welcomed the announcement.

"These schools are being provided at a critical time and will assure a wide variety of access to primary education in accordance with the wishes of parents. The Catholic Church welcomes choice and diversity within the national education system," he said.

"We believe that it is important to accommodate the rights and needs of people of different faith backgrounds, and of none, to an education which reflects, as far as possible, their sincerely held convictions and values."

He said the Catholic Church had a "firm intention" to continue to provide Catholic schools and to establish new schools where there was a need.

The multi-denominational group, Educate Together, expressed surprise at the sudden change of plans for this initiative, which was first announced in February 2007.

A spokesperson for the group said that the consultation referred to in the Minister’s announcement had not realistically extended to Educate Together. As a recognised patron body that had indicated its intention to apply to open new multi-denominational primary schools in the three precise locations mentioned in the Minister’s announcement, this was regrettable, he said.

He added that from the information supplied, it appeared that this model would require the regular separation of children on the basis of their family’s religious identity.

But “requiring children to be divided according to religion can be extremely hurtful and affects their socialisation, their self-esteem and their sense of identity ... Separating children by religion during the compulsory school day also poses major issues for teachers and management,” he said.

Local Labour TD Joan Burton noted that Minister Mary Hanafin had remained tight-lipped on the issue of what enrolment policies would operate in the schools.

“The minister is silent in relation to the thorny issue of enrolment policy in respect of both the existing schools and the new school model,” she said.

“It would be extremely damaging if the new VEC community primary schools were to be identified as being primarily for those children who fail to gain admission to one of the more traditional primary schools.

“The minister talks about this new school model being developed following a period of consultation with all of the main education partners and church groups.

“The reality is that there has been precious little consultation with the principal stakeholders in education in the area - the parents of the children in the area.”

Fine Gael Education spokesman Brian Hayes called on the Government to provide Dáil time for a major debate on the announcement of the establishment of new community national schools in Dublin.

“This is a major development on Irish education policy," he said

“The Minister initially promised one school but today she has announced three new schools in Dublin which will effectively come under the patronage of County Dublin VEC.

"I believe that the Minister needs to explain why she has excluded other VECs, outside of Dublin, from participating in this new model of primary school education.

“It’s crucial that we get this new model of education right. Segregation in education cannot be allowed to take root in Ireland. These new schools cannot be allowed to become exclusive schools for new immigrant communities or poor Irish children,” Mr Hayes said.

It is understood that enrolment policies at the new schools will be at the discretion of the management authority of each school. However, the policy must be in line with the Education Act.  (Sources: Irish Times and others)