Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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185. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are sufficient places for new entrants to first year for the 2016-2017 term in secondary schools in Wexford town; why a student from Rosslare is only be able to secure a place in Enniscorthy, 48 kilometres away; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14430/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and my Department's school enrolment databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post primary levels to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.

In relation to the school planning areas in County Wexford, the demographic analyses showed that these areas are experiencing demographic growth, however, not to such an extent that would currently warrant new school provision. These areas, including the Wexford Town school planning area, are being kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated enrolment data and also the impact of existing and planned capacity increases to existing schools in the school planning areas.

In relation to the Wexford Town school planning area, my Department analysed the pre-enrolment lists of students seeking places in First Year in September 2016 from the 12 post-primary schools in the Wexford Town and the four adjacent school planning areas of Enniscorthy, Adamstown, Kilmuckridge and Bridgetown. This analysis showed that there was a large amount of duplication of applications with students applying to a number of schools in these areas and the intake patterns showed that a significant proportion of students are not attending the post-primary school in their area but rather travelling out of the smaller school planning areas into the Wexford Town schools.

The provisional 2015/16 post-primary enrolment figures in the Wexford Town schools indicate that actual enrolments are broadly in line with the projected enrolments based on the demographic data. In the five post-primary schools in the Wexford Town school planning area, total enrolments are projected to grow over the next six years, peaking in 2021/22, after which enrolment numbers are projected to drop back to below current levels.

As part of my Department's School Capital Investment Programme, a number of building projects in Wexford schools are being progressed, including Loreto Secondary School and Wexford CBS, both located in Wexford Town, which will provide for increased capacity in the area. The increase in accommodation planned for the Wexford Town area should be adequate to cater for the projected increase in enrolments.