This study presents a comprehensive picture of educational governance and
financing among second-level schools in Ireland. There are three second-level
sectors in Ireland,1 which have their origins in historical developments and policy
changes: voluntary secondary schools, vocational schools (including community
colleges), and community/comprehensive schools (see Chapter 3). Broadly
interpreted, governance refers to the ownership, organisation and management
of schools. The mode of governance varies across different types of schools, with
voluntary secondary schools increasingly being governed by lay School Trusts;
community/comprehensive schools under the joint trusteeship of religious orders
and the state while vocational schools (including community colleges) are under
the trusteeship of the state. The way in which the different school types are
financed and the extent to which the state supports the trusteeship function
across the three second-level sectors also varies, as shown in this report
