Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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222. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way that the factors such as, a very high proportion of pupils exiting the catchment, the lack of balanced mix of places for girls and boys and lack of options for those who wish for a non-religious school are taken into account when setting a framework for additional school places in a catchment area; and if this will cause her to consider a new school rather than extensions to existing school as in the case of a school planning area (details supplied). [36805/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using 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 level.

The level of demand volume across school planning areas with an increasing net requirement ranges from small to medium increases that are likely to be accommodated by existing schools through to significant projected growth that may require additional provision. Where data indicates 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,

- Provision of a new school or schools.

Where capacity issues arise it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:

- Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area

- School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area

- Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school there are not available to all pupils

- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area

The post-primary School Planning Area referred to by the Deputy is served by 7 post-primary school for which 3 of these current have building projects with the Department as follows:

- Mount Temple Comprehensive School – Major Project for an extension to expand school to 1,000 pupils. This project is currently at stage 2b to provide a new school building

- St. Paul’s College Raheny – Additional School Accommodation application at stage 1 for a 2-classroom SEN class, 2 Construction rooms ,1 Music room and Home-Economics room

- Ardscoil De La Salle College Raheny – Additional Accommodation application at stage 1 for a 2-classroom SEN class plus 1 music room.

The requirement for additional school places is kept under on-going review and work on an updated exercise to assess needs for the coming years, including those which may arise in the Killester Raheny Clontarf and adjacent areas is ongoing. Additionally, my Department will continue to liaise with the local authorities in Dublin in respect of their Development Plan and Local Area Plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across the county.

As the Deputy is aware, there is a significant degree of movement into and out of this school planning area of students from 6th class entering 1st year of secondary school. Of the first year pupils entering post-primary schools in the school planning area in 2020, over 32% of the pupils came from primary schools located outside the school planning area, while some 40% of 6th class students of primary schools within the school planning area started 1st year in schools outside the school planning area. Such patterns of transfer are not uncommon in urban areas where there is a high degree of proximity and permeability between school planning areas.