John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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171. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans to develop a new secondary school in Newtownmountkennedy, County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6306/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.

Newtownmountkennedy is in the Kilcoole school planning area. The most recent projections indicate an increase in requirements at post primary level up to 2026 followed by a projected reduction in enrolments thereafter.

However, 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.

In relation to school places, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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172. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details of any needs assessments that have been done in respect of the provision of secondary school places to cater for the Newtownmountkennedy, Ashford and Roundwood areas of County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6307/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.

Newtownmountkennedy is in the Kilcoole school planning area. The most recent projections indicate an increase in requirements at post primary level up to 2026 followed by a projected reduction in enrolments thereafter. Ashford is the Wicklow school planning area. The most recent projections indicate an increase in requirements at post primary level up to 2025 followed by a projected reduction in enrolments thereafter. Roundwood is situated in the Rathdrum school planning area. The most recent projections indicate that enrolments at post primary level peaked in 2021 and will steadily decrease in the coming years.

However, 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.

In relation to school places, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area.