Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is an absolute priority of the Department and of mine to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place that is appropriate to their needs. We are continually investing in existing and new schools to ensure that this is the case. Testament to this is that almost 400 new classes for children with special education were established in the 2023-24 school year and school building projects completed in 2023 delivered more than 7,000 additional mainstream post-primary school places.

Since 2020, the Department has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 800 school building projects. Construction is under way at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 31 new school buildings. These 300 projects at construction stage involve a total State investment of more than €1.2 billion. A variety of capital investments are at a variety of stages. They are swiftly moving forward so that year-on-year €1.2 billion to €1.4 billion has been expended.

There are more than 1 million learners in 4,000 primary and post-primary schools around the country. Growth in overall post-primary enrolments is projected to continue in many parts of the country. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the current school year and will begin to decline. Nevertheless, due to strong residential construction and planning activity, we can expect to see increasing demand in particular towns and areas. This is fully factored into the Department's forward planning approach, which includes extensive engagement with local authorities in this regard.

In the area of special education, the National Council for Special Education has forecast continued significant growth in the requirement for special classes at post-primary level. The Department is working towards the provision of an average of four special classes in every post-primary school. While there can be enrolment pressures in some areas, it is important to note that sometimes this may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by a variety of other factors, as I discussed with Deputy Clarke earlier. In this respect, the Department continuously works directly with schools, management bodies and local authorities. Figures based on CSO data and all types of information feed into planning and building so we can properly forward plan.

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