Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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407. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that there are 21 children on a waiting list for admittance to a school (details supplied) many of whom have siblings in the school and live within the catchment area of the school; if she will instruct the school and-or Louth & Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB, to add an additional class to the school to accommodate these students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11587/23]

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.

While the Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in the Oldcastle area, 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; and

- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area.

The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities. In that context, similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, the Department has engaged with the school in question in relation to capacity for September 2023. In that regard, an application has been received by my Department for additional accommodation to increase intake for September 2023. This is currently under assessment.