New Educate Together Secondary School for Dublin South City

The non-denominational group, Educate Together, will also open three other new schools, according to Minister for Education Richard Bruton.

The announcement showed that, in all cases, Mr Bruton had accepted the recommendations of the New Schools Establishment Group, an independent advisory body on the patronage of new schools.

“We know that Educate Together gives children freedom to be themselves and parents the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your child is being nurtured in an atmosphere of equality,” said Firhouse Educate Together campaigner Carly Bailey.

“So we’re really looking forward to our children experiencing the continuation of Educate Together’s ethical education at second-level and trust it will be as rewarding as it has been at primary.”

Last year, Hot Press editor Niall Stokes spoke of the need to end discrimination in schools based on religion, in the wake of the news that the daughter of Roopesh Panicker, a naturalised Irish citizen from India, was refused entry to a secondary school because she was not Catholic.

Speaking back in October last year, Niall Stokes wrote: "The bottom line is that people attached to minority religions in Ireland, and to none, are blatantly discriminated against in the most callous way by schools – and there is nothing that they can currently do about it."

The decision by Minister Bruton will be welcome news to the numerous minority groups in Dublin who may have faced discrimination in the past.