Survey on cross-border education to commence

A survey to determine the level of parental demand for cross-border education and to help future planning of the schools estate is to commence next week.
~ Tuesday, 23 October 2012

The survey, which is being conducted jointly by the Department of Education in the north and the Department of Education and Skills in the south, aims to gauge the level of demand among parents in the border area in securing a place for their child at a school in the other jurisdiction. The findings will also be used to assess the potential for cross-border planning of the respective schools estates.

Education Minister John O’Dowd said: “The nature of the lives of families in the border area continues to evolve. Many parents now live in one jurisdiction and work in the other, but their children can potentially face barriers to crossing the border in search of places in schools. Some of the barriers are legislative in nature and my Department is currently looking at this, however, in many cases, parents are just not aware of the options that may be open to them.

“Earlier this year, through the medium of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), Minister Ruairí Quinn and I agreed to proceed with a joint survey to examine how education is provided along the border corridor and whether there is scope to engage in joint planning of the respective schools estates in this area.

“Over the coming weeks a questionnaire will be issued to families in the border area. I would encourage parents to take the opportunity to respond so that we can gain a better understanding of their views, concerns, or perceptions about crossing the border to access education.

“The intention is that the results of the survey and proposals on the way forward will be considered at the first NSMC education meeting in 2013.”

The corridor is defined as being six miles wide radius on each side of the border for primary schools and twelve miles radius for post-primary schools. In the north, this involves families with children in Years 1 & 7 attending primary schools within 6 miles of the border and Year 8 children attending post-primary schools within 12 miles of the border. An equivalent survey is being conducted in the south.

The questionnaire will start to issue in the north in the final week of October with questionnaires in the south to follow in November.