Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (or GIS) 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 the Department’s projections of school place requirements.

Having considered the projected requirements in each school planning area, the Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity within that particular area and its ability to meet any increased demand. Additional provision is made as necessary, where the existing capacity is insufficient for future needs.

Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, my Department monitors planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from Local Authorities and the CSO along with the engagement with local authorities and the construction sector. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes, at a local level, where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.

My Department is satisfied that the existing demand can be accommodated at present by the existing and growing schools in the local area. As a result, the establishment of the planned new school has been deferred.

In this context, the timing of the establishment of this school is being kept under review in the context of demographic analysis and the pace of residential development in the area.

However, in anticipation of the likely future need for this school, my Department is currently finalising the project brief for the planned primary school referred to by the Deputy.

The project will be delivered as part of my Department's ADAPT Programme. ADAPT is an acronym which stands for the "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and T endering". The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning to Tender and Construction.

The progression of this project will be managed in the context of the timing of residential development activity and the requirement for the establishment of the new school.