Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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13. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of additional school places that will be available for the school year starting August/September 2024, above 2023 levels, for children in the Fingal area at primary and secondary level, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23686/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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 the Department.

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.

Across Dublin Fingal, primary enrolments are past their peak, and both total enrolments and Junior Infant intakes are reducing. At post primary level, total post primary enrolments are expected to peak in the 2024/25 school year, but first year enrolments have already begun to decline. My Department will keep the demographic picture under review, particularly in light of residential development in the area.

In response to previously identified demographic pressures, my Department has provided significant primary and post primary capacity in the Dublin Fingal area, including by establishing new schools. Four new primary schools and three new post primary schools have been established in the Dublin Fingal area since 2018 and projects to provide new school buildings for these schools are either already complete, such as Swords Community College and Stapolin ETNS, or in train. In total, there are 29 large scale school building projects at various stages of planning and delivery across Dublin Fingal, including a new school building for St Joseph's Secondary School, Rush and for Hedgestown NS.

Multiple smaller projects providing additional accommodation are also at various stages of planning and delivery.

This recent and ongoing capital investment has had a significant impact in providing additional school places across Dublin Fingal. Across schools in the relevant School Planning Areas, there are over 300 more Junior Infants places available for 2024/25 than Junior Infants enrolled in 2023/24. At post primary level in Dublin Fingal, there are over 100 more First Year places available for 2024/25 than First Years enrolled in 2023/24.

Notwithstanding this scale of ongoing project delivery, and the general decline in demographic demand, the Department is aware of pressures for school places in some School Planning Areas in Dublin Fingal.

It is important to note that while there can be enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, this may not be as a result of lack of accommodation, but may be driven by factors such as duplication of applications, school of choice or draw from outside the local area. In urban areas such as Fingal, there can be a high level of mobility between school planning areas.

The Department has been working with schools and patrons in the School Planning Areas of Malahide_Nevinstown and Portmarnock over recent months to review data on applications for admissions for September 2024, and is also collaboratively planning towards September 2025.

I can assure the Deputy that the Department will continue to work with schools and patrons to ensure that there are sufficient places available in those areas and across Fingal for the 2024/25 school year and future years.