Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here. I am disappointed that we do not have the Minister for Education or her Minister of State. I appreciate that the Minister of State may not have the level of detail I need and require, apart from the briefing he has been given.

As we all know, education is the passport to the future because tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it. I am not suggesting that education only happens in schools. We obviously have informal education, which is very important, at home and within society, but schools are the fundamental building blocks because they provide education in communities and towns. It is vital that we have sufficient schools to provide education and to provide children with the opportunity to socialise, learn how to make friends and interact with one another, as well as learning the academic subjects they need for life.

I welcome the opportunity this matter affords me to comment again on this subject. I appreciate the fact it was chosen. It is a very important issue for families and students in Newbridge and Kildare. This is not the first time I have raised it. I have done so a number of times. While preparing for this, I was a little struck by the lack of progress since I last raised the matter. I certainly hope we will receive a level of reassurance from the Minister of State that the Department is working proactively in the background to ensure that every child within our community of Newbridge and Kildare will have a school place in the coming months and beyond.

I have called for a more co-ordinated approach to the allocation of secondary school places a number of times in this House and when I was in the Dáil. Towns such as Newbridge, Kildare and others throughout south Kildare continue to grow and prosper. We see thousands of new houses being built and people moving into homes in our area. All of this is bringing a welcome boost to our local economies. However, I have raised a red flag in the Houses over the past seven years regarding the growth rate of houses far outpacing our infrastructural advancements. We see towns whose resources are already maxed out continuing to grow. These infrastructural deficits include the areas of transport and congestion, accessing GPs and school places.

One particular area is that of school places. The long-term vision for the provision of additional school places in our area hinges on the acquisition of an eight-acre site at Magee Barracks in Kildare town to facilitate the relocation of the Curragh Post Primary School, which is very welcome. The acquisition is at an advanced stage, but a commitment has been given that there will be modular buildings in place by September of next year to facilitate this. From speaking to the principal and those in the education and training board, ETB, they have not been provided with a site map or any notion of where the entrance and exit to the school will be.

I believe we are now at a critical point as regards preparation. In essence, I want to know if the Minister of State can give an assurance that every young person who needs a secondary school place in south Kildare will have that in September.I also ask for an assurance from the Minister of State that the project to provide modular accommodation on the site and the other projects around the area are progressing at a sufficient rate to cater for the enhanced demand in the 2023-24 school year and beyond.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Norma Foley, who is regrettably unavailable.

I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides the Minister with the opportunity to clarify the current position in relation to school places in the Kildare and Newbridge area for the school year 2022-23. The Senator mentioned the lack of progress on the issue. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system. It collates 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.

Where 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 through either one, or a combination of, the following: utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools; extending the capacity of a school or schools; and the provision of a new school or schools.

Nevertheless, I wish to advise the Senator that the Department of Education is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas, including south Kildare. However, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors. There may be a duplication of applications, where pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area. There can be issues around the school of choice, where pupils cannot get a place in their preferred school but there are places in other schools in the town or area. Some towns and areas have single-sex schools, and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils. External draw is another relevant factor, with pupils coming from outside the local area.

The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities and patrons. In that context, similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, the Department is engaging with school patron bodies and school authorities to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate action including, where required, the provision of modular accommodation solutions.

As the Senator is aware, the Department is progressing a number of building projects in south Kildare under the national development plan. The most significant project in terms of planned additional capacity is a new 1,000-pupil school building for Curragh Post Primary School. Following an extensive site identification, assessment and negotiation process, agreement in principle, subject to contract, has been reached for the acquisition by the Department of a permanent school site in Kildare town to provide a replacement school for the Curragh Post Primary School. The site will accommodate 1,000 pupils and will include a four-classroom special education needs unit. The new school will cater for the increased demographic growth at post-primary level due to occur in the Kildare south region over the coming years, the majority of which is projected to occur in Kildare town.

The location of this 8-acre greenfield site is next to two existing primary schools, Kildare Town Educate Together National School and Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha, within the grounds of the former Magee Barracks, Kildare town. The development of the post-primary school on this site will enhance the education facilities available to the Curragh Post Primary School and the existing primary schools in a new educational campus arrangement. Due to commercial sensitivities, it is not possible to provide further information at this time. This will provide for significant additional capacity in the area.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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There is nothing in the Department's response that I did not hear six months ago, when I last raised the issue. I had hoped that there would have been some update on the proposed new school. I note the Minister of State mentioned data from a range of sources, including child benefit and school enrolment data. Of course that is important but 1,500 new homes are being built in Newbridge and I think there is close to 1,000 new houses in Kildare town, so a new school is hugely important to both towns as well as to the Curragh. The principal of the existing school has not had any contact from the Department in the last six months nor a map, which I mentioned earlier, that shows where the proposed first modular buildings and then the permanent building would be. Obviously planning permission must be sought from Kildare County Council for the modular buildings. Also, there is no notice about the location of the entrance, exits, etc. That information is hugely important for transport that must go in and out of the school. I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister for Education to ensure the principal and patron of the school receive the information as soon as possible.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I will convey the Senator O'Loughlin's request that the Minister ensures engagement between the Minister, her Department, and the relevant patron and principal of the school will continue or is enhanced. This engagement is focused on ensuring that the start of the 2022-2023 school year operates as smoothly as possible for all students, their families and staff.

The Department seems to be satisfied with the additional places proposed with these buildings and-or projects that have been outlined, and that the projected enrolment, as outlined, can be catered for within the capacity that will be delivered within the schools in the school planning areas of south Kildare.

Again, I will convey the concerns of the Senator to the Minister. I will ask the Minister to ensure the lines of communication between her Department and the principal and the relevant patrons are kept open.

John McGahon (Fine Gael)
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Yes.