Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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243. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a map of each of the Wicklow school planning areas; if she will specify whether results from Census 2022 have been incorporated into the planning for those areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6046/23]

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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244. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the Department has conducted a review of requirements for additional places for each school planning area in County Wicklow for primary and secondary schools; if so, if she could provide the results of that review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6047/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 244 together.

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.

Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the annual demographic exercises, my Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date information on significant new residential development in each area. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes.

The 2022 demographic exercise indicates that 85% of the 314 school planning areas at primary level show static or decreasing enrolments for the period to 2026 compared with 2021. At post-primary level some 74% of school planning areas are anticipated to have increased enrolments for the period to 2029, with most expected to reach a peak within the next two or three years.

Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:

- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,

- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,

- Provision of a new school or schools.

There are 13 school planning areas located in or partially in Co. Wicklow. The most recent projections indicate that enrolments at primary level remain steady or are decreasing and, while enrolments at post primary level continue to rise, they are projected to peak between now and 2026, across the school planning areas.

The requirement for additional school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. Additionally, the Department will continue to liaise with Wicklow County Council in respect of their County Development Plans and any associated Local Area Plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across these school planning areas.

While my Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in Wicklow, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures 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 they are not available to all pupils

External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area

My Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across school planning areas through ongoing discussions with the relevant school patrons and authorities.

This close engagement will allow my Department to identify at an early stage particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train including, where required, the provision of modular accommodation solutions.

The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of their Admissions legislation. Enrolment data for previous schools years is on available on the Department website. Enrolment data for the 2022/23 school year is currently being finalised.

In the latest published primary and post-primary schools enrolments national projections (www.gov.ie/en/collection/projections/ ), the CSO population projections (based on 2016 Census data) were used. In order to derive future schools enrolments, the new CSO population projections (based on 2022 Census results) are needed. The new population projections are not compiled yet. As soon as CSO population projections are available, the Department will update the schools’ enrolment projections model in order to reflect the recent population trends.