Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Wall. It is important to set out the context around the consideration of additional secondary school places, not just in Kildare but throughout the country. To plan for school provision and to analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department, as the Deputy may already be aware, divides the country into 314 school planning areas. It uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including 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 levels.

The most recent analysis, which I believe is interesting, undertaken by the Department projects that over 60% of the 314 school planning areas at primary level have stable or decreasing projected enrolments for the period to 2024. This can be contrasted with some 90% of the school planning areas at post-primary level that are anticipated to have increased enrolments for the period to 2027. The level of demand volume, therefore, across school planning areas with an increasing net requirement ranges from small to medium increases that are likely to be accommodated by existing schools, through to significant projected growth that may require additional provision.

Where our data indicate that additional provision is required at primary or post-primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may be provided either through one or a combination of the following. First, there is the utilising of the existing unused capacity within a school or schools. Second, there is extending the capacity of a school. Third, there is the provision of a new school.

As the Senator may be aware, since April 2018, the Government has announced 47 new schools to be established over a four-year period from 2019 to 2022, including two new post-primary schools to serve the school planning areas of Kilcock and Maynooth in County Kildare. I advise the Senator that the Department is aware of increasing pressures and demands for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas, including in south Kildare. The Senator has quite correctly outlined what happened when capacity issues arose. It may not be as a result of a lack of accommodation. There is the duplication of applications, which the Senator has set out. He also talked about single-sex schools and the external draw. The Senator further mentioned that it is only when these issues are discussed with the relevant school authorities that the true extent of any capacity issue will become known.

Similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, it is important to stress that the Department is engaging with patron bodies, including in the area in question, to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming year which may necessitate action.

The Senator asked specifically about the Curragh Post Primary School. It is intended that significant additional capacity to address this demand will be provided by the planned new 1,000-pupil building for the existing Curragh Post Primary School. The school at present has an enrolment of 145 pupils. As the Senator may be aware, a new site is required for the replacement of the Curragh Post Primary School. This project is also proposed to address demographic need in the Kildare, Curragh and Newbridge school planning areas. Officials in the Department are in advanced negotiations at present with the landowner in respect of the acquisition of a suitable site to address the aforementioned needs. The Department continues to work closely with officials from Kildare County Council to progress the transaction under the memorandum of understanding, MOU, between the Department and local authorities for the acquisition of school sites with a view to securing a suitable site for the school.

Should agreement on the proposed acquisition be reached, the process will advance then to the conveyancing stage where draft contracts will be prepared and due legal diligence is undertaken in respect of the proposed transaction. It would be expected at that stage that the project to deliver the new school accommodation can simultaneously progress to architectural planning stage.