The Patron, together with the Department of Education and Skills and the Board of Management, has a shared responsibility for the quality of education in the school. The Patron is specifically responsible for drawing up the ethos statement of the school and ensuring that the school runs in accordance with this ethos. While traditionally the responsibility for the educational philosophy of the school rested with the Patron, in practice this responsibility is shared with the Board of Management.
The Board of Management manages the school on behalf of the Patron in accordance with the Department of Education and Skills’s Rules for National Schools. The Patron retains ultimate responsibility for the school ethos, the direct appointment of two members of the Board of Management and approving of the selection of the other members, the selecting of the Chairperson of the Board of Management, supporting the Board of Management, relevant financial and legal matters, the upkeep of assets and the approval of all staff appointment in accordance with Department of Education and Skills regulations. The Patron Body retains the main responsibility for decisions regarding the future of the school and may also decide to open or facilitate the opening of other schools under its patronage.
- As a Parent you are not automatically a member of the NDNSP Patron Body.
- By becoming a member you have a voice in all the Patron Body’s decisions affecting your child/ren Membership of the Patron Body
By becoming a member of the NDNSP Patron Body you will be endorsing the aims of the school. You will be eligible to attend, speak and vote at the A.G.M. of the Patron Body. You will be eligible to be elected to the school’s Patron Committee.
Membership is open to all who support the aims of the NDNSP Patron Body and who Pay an annual subscription. Membership forms are available from:
Membership Secretary NDNSP Patron Committee, Ballymun Road, Dublin 9.
Membership for non parents/staff costs € 10 (couple), € 5 (individual), € 2 (concession). Fees can be paid by standing order annually on 1st January.
People wishing to exercise their vote at an A.G.M. must be signed up members by 30th March of that year and six weeks before an Extraordinary General Meeting. The application form for membership is downloadable. Membership now stands at 350.
Following a motion at the AGM in 2019 it was agreed that by paying a one-off fee of 20 euro, parents will become paid up members for the duration of the time that their child/children are school pupils. Staff members automatically become members for as long as they are employed in the NDNSP.
Click on the PDF link to get a copy of the NDNSP Patron Handbook