Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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276. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which school place requirements and ancillary facilities in Kill, County Kildare, may require an update in services given the need to accommodate refugees there; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31944/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Utilisation of each school’s existing capacity in the most flexible way possible will continue to be key to supporting all children seeking international protection who are being enrolled in our schools.

Information available to my Department indicates that there is good school capacity within a reasonable distance from Kill in County Kildare to facilitate those being accommodated in the area.

Schools continue to be supported through the REALTs to work collaboratively to use each school’s existing capacity in the most flexible way possible. Additionally, my Department is working to identify further solutions if required to ensure that provision is in place if necessary in areas where capacity is currently limited.

Officials of both my Department and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth continue to liaise closely, seeking to ensure as much as possible the alignment of accommodation placement of families with known school capacity.

My Department’s priority is to ensure integration and inclusion for all pupils seeking international protection in addition to ensuring full utilisation of existing school capacity.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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277. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which current and future school places/accommodation continues to be met at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31945/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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.

While my Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, 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

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.

There is currently an active project ongoing at Staplestown Primary School which will increase capacity to cater for additional demand.

My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Staplestown, as with other areas across the country, under review.