Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am. I know they have a joint system. Where forecasts indicate growing enrolments, the Department first considers available capacity within the existing schools. Where additional provision is needed, the options considered are the expansion of existing schools or the establishment of one or more new schools.

In response to the projections of school place needs in Limerick city, the Department is providing significant additional post-primary capacity, including new 1,000-pupil school buildings for two recently established schools, Mungret Community College and Limerick ETSS, new school buildings for Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, Ardscoil Mhuire and Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, as well as extensions at Castletroy College, Thomond Community College and Coláiste Mhichíl. These projects are providing state-of-the-art, modern accommodation to meet the needs of the growing number of post-primary students across Limerick city, including specifically designed provision to meet the needs of students with special educational needs.

As the Deputy will be aware, a common applications system operates to manage the admissions process for post-primary schools in Limerick city. This system has worked very effectively to meet post-primary school place needs and is successfully administered by the Limerick Education Centre, which I acknowledge. The Department has been in close engagement with the centre and school patrons regarding the admissions process for the 2023-24 school year and is aware of the current situation with respect to first-year places in Limerick.

The Department is also aware that a number of students did not initially receive an offer of a first year place in a post-primary school in Limerick and identified a requirement for further increased provision at schools to meet this need. Following consultation, and arising in the first instance from the excellent co-operative approach taken by post-primary schools in the city, available capacity in Limerick city has risen significantly, with 11 of the schools having increased their available first-year places earlier this year, giving an additional capacity of more than 160 places.

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