Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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60. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills regarding school places in the Dublin Mid-West constituency, when her Department expects to have ascertained the full extent of capacity issues in schools in the area for the coming school year 2023/2024; if she will make this information available once it is collated; and the action that will be taken to ensure that schools in each area within the Dublin Mid-West constituency can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in their area. [22531/23]

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.

On foot of such demographic analysis my Department has delivered significant expanded capacity in Dublin West, including the new schools for Citywest & Saggart Community National School, Citywest Educate Together National School, Adamstown Community College and Kishogue Community College. There are also a large number of building projects on site or in train across Dublin West including new school buildings for the recently established Coláiste Pobail Fola, Gaelscoil Lir, Rathcoole Educate Together National School and Griffeen Community College. New school buildings or extensions are also in train for Holy Family Community School, Tallaght Community School, St. Joseph's College, Lucan Community College, Scoil Chrónáin, Adamstown Castle Educate Together National School, St. Thomas Junior National School & Scoil Áine, Lucan; Scoil Mochua, Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin, Gaelscoil na Camóige and St. Thomas Junior NS, Tallaght. Multiple smaller projects providing additional accommodation are also at various stages of planning and delivery. In total, school building projects in the Dublin West area will provide over 10,000 new and replacement school places, including places for students with special educational needs.

While my Department is aware of demand for additional school places 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's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.

Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.

My Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across Dublin Mid-West schools through ongoing discussions with the relevant school patrons and authorities. This close engagement is allowing my Department to identify particular capacity requirements for the 2023/24 school year and forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train. My officials are working closely with relevant school patrons and I can assure the Deputy that my Department will put any required solutions in place to ensure that there are sufficient school places available. It is expected that further clarity in this respect will be available in the coming weeks.