Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to set out to the House the position with regard to primary school places in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 school planning area for September 2023 and onwards.

As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses, as the Deputy referenced, a geographical information system to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including child benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform the Department’s projections of school place requirements. Having considered the projected requirements in each school planning area, the Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity within that particular area and its ability to meet any increased demand.

Where data indicate that additional provision is required at primary or post-primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstance of each case and may be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following: 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. On the basis of such assessment, significant additional primary capacity is already being delivered in the area, including two recently established new primary schools, namely, the Educate Together national school and Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol. A new 16-classroom school building for the Educate Together national school is almost complete and a project to provide a new eight-classroom school for Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol is at stage 1. There are further projects providing additional capacity at Holy Trinity Senior National School and Scoil Cholmcille Senior National School and a recent project at Howth National School provided four new classrooms. The Department is also providing accommodation for children with special educational needs at schools in the area, including at the two new schools, and as part of projects at St. Paul’s Junior National School, St. Kevin’s Junior National School, Scoil Naomh Colmcille and St. Paul’s Senior National School.

While the Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in the Dublin 13 area, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors, as previously outlined by the Deputy. There can, in instances, be a duplication of applications where pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools. There is a school of choice issue, where pupils cannot get a place in their preferred school, while there are places in other schools in the town or area identified. Some towns or areas have single-sex schools and while places are available in the school, they are not available to all pupils. There is also external draw, that is, pupils coming from outside the local area.

The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across school planning areas through ongoing discussions with the relevant school patrons and authorities. This close engagement will allow the Department to identify at an early stage particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years that may necessitate further action to that already in train, including, where required, the provision of modular accommodation solutions. The Department will continue to keep the short-, medium- and long-term requirements for school places in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 school planning area under ongoing review, including through liaison with the local authority in respect of its review of the development and local area plans.

I assure the Deputy the Department will continue to work with schools and patrons to ensure there is appropriate provision for all students in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 area for the 2023-24 school year and into the future.

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