Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs, is a priority for the Department. At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post-primary enrolments, and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the coming years before beginning to decline. However, first-year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the current school year and will begin to decline from next year. At a national level, there are more than 10,000 more first year places available for 2024-25 than sixth class children.

Of course, there is significant regional and local variation in enrolment trends and projections, with residential construction activity one of the most significant influencing factors. This means that, even as enrolments nationally begin to decline, we can still expect to see increasing demand at primary and post-primary level in particular towns and areas in the country, and enrolment pressures may arise in a very limited number of school planning areas from year to year. This must be seen in the context of an annual enrolment process that caters for some 140,000 pupils at junior infants and first-year level and that, on the whole, transacts very smoothly. There are 314 school planning areas in the country, and typically only a small minority of these areas require follow-up engagement from the Department with schools and patrons to work through mainstream school place solutions for the following year.

More than €280 million has been invested in school infrastructure in County Kildare since 2020 alone, reflecting a strong focus on alignment of school place availability with the significant residential development across the county.

Our data show that in County Kildare overall, there are approximately 400 more first year places available for September 2024 than sixth class children. In nine of the 14 school planning areas in County Kildare, there are more first year places available for 2024-25 than sixth class children due to leave primary school. When school planning areas are clustered to take account of typical enrolment patterns, it can be seen that there are more first year places than sixth class children across each area in the county.

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