Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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763. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will clarify the extent of the Castletroy area and its environs within the school planning area; if it specifically includes the Old Singland road and Bloodmill road, Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1389/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data in a way that takes account of the significant local and regional variations in demographic trends and enrolment projections, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas.

In most areas, school planning areas were based on traditional school catchment areas where all primary schools were assigned to a post-primary feeder area (typically a population centre or town), containing one or more post-primary schools.

The school planning areas were developed for use with my Department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) in 2008 and with the introduction of Small Areas in Census 2011, these areas were amended to align with Census Small Areas. The current school planning areas take account not only of local groupings of schools, but also of natural boundaries, Census Small Areas and other local conditions.

The school planning areas provide a useful means of projecting demographic demand in a localised area or areas, thereby allowing my Department to determine oncoming growth at a relatively localised level to inform recommendations and decisions on where additional school places may be needed.

However, there can be a high degree of inward and outward mobility of children between school planning areas, particularly in urban areas, and parents are free to apply to enrol their children in any school, whether that is in the school planning area in which they reside or not.

Limerick City School Planning Area is currently served by 54 primary and 15 post primary schools and includes the areas referred to by the Deputy. Of these schools, three primary and two post primary schools are in the Castletroy area:

Primary

- Milford Grange NS (RN 19800N)

- Monaleen NS (RN 17937H)

- Gaelscoil Chaladh an Treoigh (RN 20148U)

Post Primary

- Castletroy Community College (RN 76073G)

- Limerick ETSS (RN 68309N) was established in 2018 to meet demand in the Limerick City and Environs (East) area. This school is currently located in interim accommodation in Fernbank but is intended to be permanently located in Castletroy.