Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, while there can be enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note sometimes this may not be as a result of lack of accommodation, but may be driven by the following factors:

Duplication of applications;

School of choice;

Single sex schools; and

External draw.

Notwithstanding the above, in some areas demographic pressures and other factors are driving a requirement for additional school places.

In line with my Department's demographic projections of post primary school place requirements there has been a continued growth in enrolments in Greystones and Kilcoole. In response to the projections of school place needs in Greystones, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy, my Department is providing significant additional post primary capacity, including a new 1,000 pupil school building for Greystones Community College. Greystones Community College was established in 2020 as a regional solution for the Kilcoole and Greystones area. The project to deliver this new school building is at Stage 3, Tender Stage.

In addition to the above project, the Department has recently delivered a major building project to expand St. David’s Secondary School and is also progressing a building project for Temple Carrig School in Greystones under the National Development Plan. St. David’s Secondary School is a co-educational school and a major building project to deliver state of the art, modern school accommodation for 750 pupils was provided at this school.

Temple Carrig Secondary School Greystones is also a co-educational school and it was established in 2014. There is a project underway to provide accommodation at this school for 1,000 pupils, which is currently at Stage 1, preliminary design stage. A project for 4 Modular mainstream classrooms has also been approved. These classrooms are now on site and the project is nearing completion.

In addition, in the adjacent Kilcoole School Planning Area, Coláiste Craobh Abhann, for which there is a major project approved to expand the school to 1,000 pupils. This project is currently at Stage 2b and is being delivered by the National Development Finance Agency.

My Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in Greystones, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy area.

A critical next step for the Department is to establish the actual number of additional first year places required for 2024 in order for an appropriate solution to be put in place. In that context, schools in a number of areas of enrolment pressure, including Greystones, Kilcoole area, have been requested to share data on applications for admissions. This data has been received by my officials and is currently being analysed with a view to establishing the actual requirement for places. Preliminary assessments indicate that duplications of applications, and applications from outside the local area, are very much contributing to enrolment pressures in the town.

My Department is working to clarify the actual requirement for additional school places and to identify particular further capacity requirements for 2024 and forthcoming years. My Department will engage with schools and patrons to put any required solutions in place - beyond those that are already in train - to ensure sufficient school places to meet the needs of students in the area.

I can assure the Deputy that Department officials will continue to actively engage with schools and patrons to ensure that there is appropriate provision for all students in Greystones, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy for the 2024/25 school year and into the future. Families can be assured that any necessary solution will be delivered so that all of the children in the Greystones and Kilcoole School Planning Areas will receive a first year place.