A third school in north county Dublin has sent a letter to parents warning of dire consequences if parents vote to change the ethos of the school in an upcoming ballot.

St Sylvester’s in Malahide has told parents that a move away from Catholic patronage would mean that the school would no longer be able to celebrate the role of grandparents in children's lives, and it suggests that "safety on tours" may also be compromised.

In a leaflet sent to parents by the school principal, St Sylvester's warns that voluntary contributions made by parents might be taken away from the school and that the school will lose its "sense of belonging" and identity. 

The heading of the leaflet states that any proposed divestment is "VERY alarming!".

Eight schools in the Portmarnock/Malahide/Kinsealy area are consulting parents as to whether they might agree to transferring their school from Catholic to multi-denominational patronage.

The move follows a survey of pre-school parents which found a need for more diversity of primary school provision in the area.

Parents need to make informed choices over school patronage

The results of the survey, carried out through local pre-schools, have not been published.

But locally, parents say they have been told that 26% of pre-school parents surveyed indicated a desire to send their child to a multi-denominational school.

The area currently has eight Catholic schools, one school that is Church of Ireland, and one small multi-denominational school.

In terms of individual school places in the area, 97% are denominational.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin has asked schools to consult parents and staff about a possible transfer of patronage.

The leaflet sent to parents of children at St Sylvester's, also warns that there will be "no more uniforms" and that this will compromise child safety on school tours as well as leading to "arguments in the morning". 

It advises that a move from Catholic patronage will cause "uncertainty" regarding access to secondary schools in the area.

In a document containing many exclamation marks, the school warns that the "standard of education may drop!", and that "voluntary contributions could be centralised and not given back to our school!". It also states that "teacher's contracts are under threat!".

It states there will be no more "grandparent assemblies". 

Like other letters sent to parents at two other schools in the area - St Marnock’s and Scoil an Duinnínigh - St Sylvester’s also says there will be "no more Christmas concerts", and "no more Halloween and Easter celebrations".

Yesterday, multi-denominational education providers said the claims made by St Marnock's and Scoil an Duinnínigh were grossly misleading and parents and others accused the schools of scaremongering.

The multi-denominational schools' sectors pointed out that their schools do celebrate festivals such as Christmas and St Patrick's Day, as well as important dates in the calendars of other religions, such as Eid and Diwali.