Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

75. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will report on the progress made to date in securing additional provision for first year places in Limerick city for the 2023-2024 school year to accommodate 26 children in Limerick who have not received an offer of a secondary school place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14230/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department.

In order to plan for school place needs, 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.

Where forecasts indicate growing enrolments, my Department first considers available capacity within the existing schools in the area. Where additional provision is needed, the options considered are the expansion of existing schools or the establishment of one or more new schools.

In response to the projections of school place needs in Limerick City, my Department is providing significant additional post primary capacity, including new 1,000 pupil school buildings for two recently established schools, Mungret Community College and Limerick ETSS, new school buildings for Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, Ardscoil Mhuire, and Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, as well as extensions at Castletroy College, Thomond Community College, and Coláiste Mhichil. These projects are providing state of the art, modern accommodation to meet the needs of the growing number of post primary students across Limerick City, including specifically designed provision to meet the needs of students with special educational needs.

As the Deputy will be aware, a Common Applications System operates to manage the admissions process for post primary schools in Limerick City. This system has worked very effectively to meet post primary school place needs and is successfully administered by Limerick Education Centre. My Department has been in close engagement with Limerick Education Centre and school patrons with regard to the admissions process for the 2023/24 school year and is aware of the current situation with respect to first year places in Limerick. In the first instance, it should be acknowledged that over 100 additional places have already been made available across schools in the city to address the school place needs.

However, my Department is aware that a number of students have not yet received an offer of a first year place in post primary school in Limerick for the 2023/24 school year and that there is a requirement for further increased provision at schools to meet this need. My officials are currently in active engagement with the relevant school patrons and authorities to put the necessary solutions in place. Families can be assured that any necessary solution will be delivered so that all of the children currently without a place can be accommodated. There will be further clarity for families in respect of these solutions imminently.