Schools and the law: a patron's introspection

In Ireland, where education at both primary and second level is overwhelmingly denominational in character, patronage is exercised, in the main, by religious patrons. This article is an introspective analysis of current legal issues as they face one patron and schools under his patronage; it looks at the intersection of civil law with Church law; the burden of the law and access to it; the stewardship of patronage; the obligation of partnership; the constitution of boards of management; the difficulty of defining a school's characteristic spirit; the enduring aptness of denominational schools in a religious society; and the challenge of minorities in a new pluralist society. The rights of minorities balanced against the rights of those who desire education in schools of religious ethos challenge all to re-examine the contemporary educational infrastructure. At the end of the day the challenge is to determine the meaning of a good school and a good education and to attain that with the support, rather than the hindrance, of the law.