Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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572. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will increase the first year intake to a school (details supplied) in County Galway to 210 in 2015 to accommodate all the applications for places in the school from the catchment area and to facilitate the school accepting all the students who have applied to attend the school next year and that fall into category one and two of the school’s enrolment policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48192/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department met with the school Patron and school authority earlier this year to discuss the matter of 1st year pupil enrolments. The Patron and school authority agreed to monitor enrolments to stay within the planned capacity of the new school building which, when completed, will cater for 1,000 pupils. Given that the school will offer a transition year in due course, an enrolment of 210 first year places per year would lead to an overall enrolment of up to 1,260 pupils once the school has developed up to 6th year. It will therefore not be possible for the school to offer 210 first year places in September 2015.

The Department must preserve a balance between enrolments in schools in an area and adjacent areas and is satisfied that there are sufficient school places to meet the demand in the area in question. This may sometimes, however, lead to pupils not being offered a place in their school of first preference.