Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

126. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the shortage of secondary school places for children in Naas and Sallins, County Kildare; the steps his Department is taking to address this; the timeframe for resolution of this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38291/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

For school planning purposes, my Department plans school provision across some 314 school planning areas.  Sallins and Naas towns fall within the Naas school planning area.  Currently five post-primary schools serve the Naas school planning area.  This includes a new 1,000 pupil, multi-denominational, post-primary school, Naas Community College, which opened in 2015 under the patronage of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board to meet the need for additional places.

In addition to the Naas Community College project, my Department's Capital Investment Programme (2016-2021) also includes plans for the expansion at St. Mary’s Girls Post-Primary School in Naas.  My Department is therefore satisfied that sufficient capacity is being made available in the Naas school planning area to cater for the students in the area requiring a post-primary school place.

The demographic data for the Naas school planning area is being kept under review by my Department to take account of updated enrolment data and the impact of existing and planned capacity increases in this area.