Difference between Educate Together and Community National Schools?

sareer · 16-05-2017 02:17PM #1

I recently came across community national schools. Earlier I thought the only alternative to regular Catholic schools are Educate Together schools if it's a public school. What is the difference between Educate Together and Community National Schools? Are there even more types of non-denominational schools I should be aware of?

yoganinja · 16-05-2017 03:02PM

Neither CNS nor ET are non-denominational, both are multi-d (but they each define that differently)

ET offer no faith specific programme - this means that if you wanted your child to receive Catholic sacraments (for example) you would have to do this after school

CNS schools were established to be multi-faith and they follow a common programme for most of the year and then are meant to separate into faith based groups for a number of weeks, they facilitate different faith groups - in practise though it seems that despite this being what they were set up to do, most do not actually separate their children now for any part of religious programme (but this is still on an ad hoc basis)

Other differences between ET/CNS
ET no uniforms/CNS uniforms
ET teachers called by first name / CNS teachers called Ms/Mr

sareer · 16-05-2017 03:07PM

Very helpful, thank you!

byhookorbycrook · 16-05-2017 07:09PM

And to add that many Gaelscoileanna are also multi-denominational, some people seem to think that only ET schools are.

Difference between Educate Together and Community National Schools?

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