Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I would like to discuss the need for schools in the Kilternan area of my constituency of Dublin-Rathdown. Kilternan is one of the most beautiful areas in my constituency. It is in the Dublin Mountains on the Wicklow border. We have a very diverse community with more suburban areas like Dundrum and Stillorgan but as one moves up towards Belarmine, Carrickmines, Stepaside and Kilternan, they are quite different in terms of the topographical area and some of the challenges that brings. Parents are at the end of their tether with no school places for their children for September 2026. Last week, parents from the Kilternan community held a meeting to discuss this. There was story after story of frustration, lack of place allocation and endless waiting lists. These families need to know their children will have a school to go to next September. One challenge this community faces is development. There has been huge housing and infrastructure development in Kilternan but it has not been matched with school place provision. Of course, we want to celebrate that this is a growing community. It is wonderful to see this beautiful part of our constituency is under development but it has to be matched with the resources that are needed. There are multiple housing projects under construction and commencements due over the period ahead locally. The need for school places will only grow in the area yet the community is already crying out for schools for the children of Kilternan.

I will touch on the different needs at primary and secondary level. At present, there is no secondary school in the Kilternan school planning area. Children who attend primary school locally have no local secondary school to go to when they finish. They do not receive guaranteed admission to any local secondary schools. As a result, families are facing commutes to different locations outside their area with their children. As I mentioned, that is practically challenging when people are in an area with the topographical challenges Kilternan brings, which is a hilly area. I will get onto transport and the challenges around that later. In primary school need, the community is facing an immediate crisis for 2026 for junior infant intake. Families are contracting my office constantly, experiencing huge anxiety over whether they will be able to obtain any place for their children to begin school. I mention specifically Our Lady of the Wayside National School which is trying to accommodate as many students as it can. The school has full planning permission for an extension and new facilities but the Department has not committed to the allocation of funding, which I find bizarre given the reply to a parliamentary question said the preference is always to build on rather than building a new school. I am curious as to why that gap is happening.

I urge the Department to reconsider and I invite the Minister of State to meet the principal Fiona Downes on the issue. A site for schools has been reserved in Kilternan for many years by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council but the Department of Education and Youth has yet to sanction the delivery of the required schools.

What metrics are being used by the Department to determine the need for a new school? Will the Department commit to schools for Kilternan? When are families going to see the delivery of these schools? They are at the end of their tethers with the frustration, anxiety and stress this is bringing to them and their young children. How does the Government intend to provide school places for the children of this rapidly-growing community in the interim?

As I have not had an opportunity to say it yet, I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy very much. I thank her also for raising this very important Topical Issue on the need for schools in the Kilternan school planning area. I am pleased to have the opportunity to describe, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, how the Department keeps the requirement for school places under review.

In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system with data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, the Department monitors planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO along with the engagement with local authorities and the construction sector. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes at a local level where there is a constantly-evolving picture with planned new residential development.

Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the circumstances of each case and may be provided through utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools, extending the capacity of a school or schools and provision of a new school or schools. If additional accommodation is required, the aim is to try and facilitate this as much as possible by way of expansion of existing schools rather than establishing new schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 for an increased emphasis on compact growth. In respect of post-primary schools, new post primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600 to 1,000 students and must be coeducational. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit in an English-medium school.

There are fewer than 600 post-primary schoolgoing children and young people living in the Kilternan school planning area. Capacity has been provided in post-primary schools in neighbouring areas to cater for this demand. The demand for primary school places is being catered for in the three existing primary schools in the Kilternan school planning area, including, as the Deputy mentioned, Our Lady of the Wayside National School, which has a capital project to extend from 12 to 16 mainstream classrooms and SEN facilities. Therefore, there are no plans at present to establish new primary or post-primary schools in the Kilternan school planning area. The Department is aware of planned residential developments and has regular engagement with local authorities regarding the progress of the proposed developments.

I take on board what the Deputy said about the topographical issue in the area and the fact she has asked the Minister to visit Our Lady of the Wayside National School. Is it Ms Leahy or Ms Touhy?

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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It is Fiona Downes. I will send on the details.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I will pass that on to the Minister as well. I thank the Deputy.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State. There is a lot of detail there about the different demographic data and census data. I am trying to add to that data the voice of the people of Dublin Rathdown and specifically Kilternan. These constituents are, as I said, incredibly frustrated at this. The Minister of State touched on some of the alternatives in other areas but the issue with that is I have just heard this morning that transport is not going to be provided by the Department. Kilternan is already struggling with transport. As I mentioned, those key areas of Kilternan, Stepaside, Carrickmines and Belarmine are all disadvantaged. Although BusConnects is going to provide some additional relief it is not going to be enough and it is already not enough. Constituents with children who are already forced to travel for school are experiencing huge difficulty with this so there is no doubt in my mind or that of the community that a new school is needed. I have heard from multiple families that they have been rejected by four local primary schools and are on waiting lists for them with zero guarantees.

It is hugely concerning this shortfall of places has happened under the Department's existing assessment criteria. That tells me these criteria are not working. How is the Department planning on meeting the school place need for children in Kilternan for September 2026? That is the most urgent issue here. What guarantee can the Department give the families of Kilternan their children will have places to start school in September 2026? Once again, if the priority is adding onto existing premises for compact development, as the Minister of State said, why is it that fully capacity of planning permission is not being delivered? What is proposed instead is prefabs and so on.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Again, many thanks to the Deputy for her best wishes in my new role as a Minister of State.

She has made some very important interventions regarding her area. I am familiar with that area and new schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase to ensure every child has a school place. The Department continues to liaise with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in respect of the county development plan and any associated local area plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across school planning areas. The Deputy has brought very important issues to the House and I will raise them with the Minister.