Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify how the Department plans for school places and specifically the position in relation to Duleek. I wish to advise the Senator that requirements for additional school places is kept under ongoing review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.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, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data and 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 Department compiles enrolment projections for primary and post-primary schools at national and regional level. The latest published projections can be found on the Department's website. The new set of projections is under development and will be published in the new year.

Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at 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 keeps pace with demographic changes at a local level where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.

Where demographic data indicate additional accommodation is required, its delivery depends on the circumstances of each case. It may be achieved by utilising unused capacity within a school or schools, extending the capacity of a school or schools, or providing a new school or schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 to achieve an increased emphasis on compact growth. 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. New schools are established only in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to ensure every child has a school place.

Duleek is located within the Drogheda school planning area. There are eight post-primary schools within that area. The recent demographic projections show peak enrolment for the school planning area in 2024, with a decline thereafter. An analysis of the census 2022 population of Duleek shows the number of children of post-primary school age is less than 500. It is also noticeable that the number of preschool children in the town reduced significantly, by over 25%, from 2016 to 2022. Therefore, the longer-term demand for post-primary school places is projected to reduce, even when new residential developments and overall population increases are taken into consideration.

There are three active projects at stage 1 in the Drogheda school planning area, providing both mainstream and special education needs classroom capacity. These projects are at St. Mary's Diocesan School, St. Oliver's Community College and St. Joseph's CBS, Drogheda. Stage 1 is the preliminary design stage, the stage in which the design team, in conjunction with the school authorities, will analyse all the constraints of the site, develop a preferred design option and ensure the preferred option is the best one for the delivery of the brief. There is also a significant post-primary school project at stage 2A, the preliminary design stage, to deliver a new 1,000-pupil school in south Drogheda to accommodate Drogheda Educate Together Secondary School. This will also include a six-classroom special education needs base facility within the school.

The Department will continue to liaise with local authorities in respect of their county development plan and any associated local area plans with a view to identifying potential long-term school accommodation requirements across school planning areas.