Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The truth of the matter is that parents go through a rollercoaster to secure a school place in Dublin West. There are lengthy waiting lists that have to drop in order for children to attend school and it is very stressful. A new secondary school in Hollywoodrath is excellent news for the Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart school areas but not when it is at the expense of the new school that opened in Barnwell, Hansfield. We need both schools. I do not trust the figures from the Department that justify this move. The Department states there is significant movement across the school areas, with 60% of students leaving the Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart areas to go to other school areas, with 33% leaving the Blanchardstown school area. This does not take into consideration one of the problems with our admissions policies, whereby some deal with catchments while others deal with feeder schools. Many of the children in the area are in feeder schools.

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