29.10.2026
The Golden Ticket – Clergy Speak of Coercion and Intimidation to Sign ‘Proddy’ Forms for School Applications
Clergy in Dublin and Glendalough have spoken of feeling threatened and coerced into signing ‘active Protestant affiliation’ forms which are seen as the ‘golden ticket’ for getting a child accepted into certain secondary schools. Clergy lifted the veil on the ‘Proddy route’ to some schools in Dublin and Wicklow at the Diocesan Synods of Dublin and Glendalough which took place on Saturday October 17.
The matter was raised by the Revd Ruth Elmes, Rector of Dalkey, during a discussion on education. “The golden ticket in south County Dublin is succeeding in getting a cleric to sign all four pages for all four schools in south Dublin,” she explained.
“Planning starts at baptism – they call us Proddy – so they get [the child] baptised but they also go through the baptism rite in the Roman Catholic Church so that it is done properly. They feel they have a better chance of getting the golden ticket if the child is baptised Proddy. You can be threatened, coerced. There is horrendous pressure for our signatures,” she added.
Ms Elmes spoke of a parent at a particular school’s open day who remarked: “Gosh we’re so slow, we never thought of going the Proddy route”. She said she understood there was great pressure to get into schools but a person had written to her to say they were being made a mockery of and families who had children baptised would not be seen again in the church. She added that when she had used the excuse that she did not know the person for not signing the form, veiled threats had been made.
The Revd Jane Burns, Rector of Holy Trinity Killiney, echoed her near neighbour’s sentiments. While appreciating the difficulties in getting children into schools, she said that as a new incumbent last year she was completely taken aback by the number of people arriving at her door claiming to be a member of the parish and seeking a signature on a school’s active affiliation form.
“I published notes in parish emails. I quoted the relevant section of the Church of Ireland parish handbook. I am a realist, I have three children. I did not place unrealistic emphasis on church attendance but I said I needed to see people five or six times a year before I could say I know them,” she recalled.
“I have had people tell me what constitutes membership of the Church of Ireland. I have been accused of ruining children’s education. I have been told that it could be a secret. There is enormous pressure on incumbents. Most of these encounters happen at the door of the rectory. I would walk miles for the active members of my church to sign a Protestant affiliation form. It is a terribly unfair system that these families could lose out on a place in one of the schools because I was pressured to sign a form for someone who has little or no connection to our church. I am asking the Diocesan Board of Education to offer guidance to clergy on the signing of Protestant church affiliation forms,” she said.
Canon Prof Anne Lodge (Christ Church Cathedral) observed that the pressure being put on clergy extended to north Dublin also. She said that the school where she chairs the board has changed the form and they now ring clergy to ask if the person is a regular attender. If they say no, the place is refused. “It is not good enough for clergy to be terrorised and harangued in this way,” she stated adding that the Roman Catholic Church finds itself in the same situation in relation to certain schools.
The Revd Jack Kinkead, (Wicklow and Killiskey), reported that the issue extended to Wicklow. He said a number of people had put him under pressure last year and thanked the Archbishop for his support in the matter. “We need to apply a level of consistency and to broaden our horizons to see the potential that comes with school patronage and the broad welcome we give is an opportunity to engage pastorally… In Wicklow we have seen growth from people who started to attend church because they wanted access to the school but they are now deeply involved in the parish. And that is long after the form has been signed and the child is in the school,” he stated.
The Revd Sean Hanily said clergy know that it is an immense privilege to serve but they lose sleep over this issue. “When people come identifying as Church of Ireland, they are often obnoxious, rude and arrogant. They threaten us and it is horrible. It would be good if the Board of Education would issue guidance so that we could have consistency which states that we are not signing forms unless you are members of our church,” he commented.
The Revd David Bowles (Whitechurch) who was proposing the report of the Diocesan Board of Education thanked clergy for raising the issue. He reported that people who had come to get their forms signed had come to church and were now involved in the parish. He pledged that the board would discuss guidelines in consultation with the Patron.
Archbishop Jackson acknowledged the strength of feeling and intensity of pressure regarding the Protestant affiliation forms and said he was happy to work with the Board of Education and others in developing a technique to saying no while not closing the door to people becoming part of the parish.
You can find a full review of Dublin and Glendalough’s Diocesan Synods here.