Voluntary secondary schools, which account for the majority of the State’s second-level pupils, are far more dependent on parental contributions than other types of school, a new report has found.

ESRI research into the funding and governance of secondary schools shows 87 per cent of voluntary schools receive parental contributions compared to 62 per cent of community/comprehensive schools and 49 per cent of vocational schools.

Non-fee-paying voluntary secondary schools receive just over two-thirds of their funding from Government sources compared with 90 per cent for vocational schools and 93 per cent for community/comprehensive schools, making them more reliant on parental contributions.

The report also found that parental contributions tend to be higher in the voluntary sector, with half the schools asking for €150 or more a year, while the other sectors look for contributions of between €50 and €75.

Voluntary schools
Voluntary secondary schools make up 52 per cent of all second-level schools, catering for 58 per cent of the State's students. Vocational schools comprise 35 per cent of schools and the community/comprehensive sector makes up 13 per cent.

The sectors are funded differently: voluntary schools get per-capita grants for their students; education and training boards (formerly VECs) are allocated a block grant and then distribute funds to their schools; and community/ comprehensive schools negotiate a budget with the Department of Education annually.

The report also highlights a disparity in the costs to be covered by the different types of schools. Individual schools in the voluntary sector must cover their own insurance costs; education and training boards pay insurance centrally; and community/comprehensive schools’ insurance is covered by State indemnity.

The reliance on contributions from parents puts voluntary schools at a disadvantage in the context of the current recession, the report finds. It recommends future funding of second-level schools should take this into account.

The report also raises funding concerns about governance models in voluntary schools where lay school trusts are increasingly taking over from religious orders.

Joint trusteeship
This compares to community/ comprehensive schools, which are under the joint trusteeship of religious orders and the State; and vocational schools, which are under the trusteeship of the State through the education and training boards.

Voluntary secondary schools, the vast majority of which are denominational in character, were set up by the Catholic and Protestant religious orders, before state provision in the 19th century. Most of them became part of the free education system in the 1960s.

Recently they have faced increasing challenges due to the diminished role of religious personnel.