Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which gives me the opportunity to set out for the House the position of second level schools in Killester, Raheny and Clontarf. To plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas, as the Deputy knows, and uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

Where data indicate clearly that additional provision is required at post-primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following options. They are utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools, extending the capacity of a school or schools or provision of a new school or schools in the area in question. A patronage process is run after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required. This patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. The online patronage process system, OPPS, has been developed by my Department to provide objective information to parents that will allow them to make an informed choice about their preferred model of patronage as well as language of instruction, whether Irish or English, of new schools.

Parental preferences, as well as other considerations, such as the extent of diversity of provision in an area, including Irish-medium provision, are key to the decision-making process and to whether at post-primary level a school would take the form of an Irish-medium Gaelcholáiste or whether, if English-medium, the school would include an Irish-medium unit or aonad. Most new post-primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of between 600 and 1,000 students. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáisti, having regard to the alternative of establishing an aonad within a school.

As the Deputy states, there are currently seven post-primary schools serving the Killester Raheny Clontarf school planning area. The Department's most recent projections do not indicate significant increases in school place requirements at post-primary level in this area to the extent that a new school would be required in the short term. Nevertheless, I want to be clear in saying that my Department will continue to work to ensure there is sufficient capacity in the area to meet school place demand and will keep the requirements in the area, as with all other school planning areas, under significant review, as we do on an ongoing basis. Additionally, my Department will continue to liaise with Dublin City Council in respect of its review of the Dublin city development plan with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements.

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