Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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143. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken by her Department to identify additional school places and sites to meet the demand of growing communities in east Cork, particularly in light of overcrowding at a school (details supplied). [25932/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that requirements for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.

In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including CSO Census data, Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

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.

The school planning areas in east Cork include Midleton_Carrigtwohill, Fermoy, Cobh, Youghal and Mitchelstown. The most recent projections indicate these school planning areas have already reached their projected peak years for enrolment at primary level.

Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:

• Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,• Extending the capacity of a school or schools,• Provision of a new school or schools.

There are 4 large scale capital projects planned in the east Cork area and when completed, will cater for the demand for school places in the area:

Cobh SPA

Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour NS (Roll No: 20049S) –Amalgamation of two schools to provide 16 classroom and 2 SEN base school. Stage Project Brief- this includes determining the project brief and schedule of accommodation.

Midleton_Carrigtwohill SPA

Scoil Chliodhna CNS, Carrigtwohill (Roll No: 20442U)- New school building on campus project to cater for p+24 + 3 Classes. Stage 5 final handover of the school building to the Patron/Board of Management.

Scoil Chlochair Mhuire, Carrigtwohill (Roll No: 17103E). Construction of an extension to the existing school to provide permanent accommodation for a 16 classroom school and a 4 classroom SEN Base. Stage 2a Preliminary Design, site surveys and cost estimates.

Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Carrigtwohill (Roll No: 18000W) Replacement school on a campus project to cater for p + 24 + 4 class. Stage 5 final handover of the school building to the Patron/Board of Management.

In addition to the large scale projects, there are 17 projects in train across East Cork. including Midleton_Carrigtwohill, Fermoy, Cobh, Youghal and Mitchelstown School Planning Areas.

Details of large-scale projects being delivered under the school building programme may be viewed on my Department's website at and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.

The school under reference in Fermoy was established in 2018 under the patronage divestment process.

Fermoy was one of a number of areas surveyed in 2012/13 under the patronage divesting process, where there was sufficient parental demand supporting changes in school patronage. The areas surveyed were areas where demographics were not growing and therefore it was unlikely that a new multi-denominational school would be established for demographic reasons.

The clear policy on patronage divesting was to use existing educational infrastructure to facilitate provision of diversity in areas where there was no demographic imperative to establish new schools.

The reason for this approach was the imperative – equally valid now as it was then - to focus the schools capital programme on the provision of additional mainstream and special education school places at both primary and post-primary levels to ensure that every pupil can access a school place.

As part of the process of identifying a suitable accommodation solution which would facilitate the establishment of the school, the Department liaised with Cork Education and Training Board. In order to facilitate the establishment of the new school, the ETB agreed to the co-location of the Educate Together school at the former Technical School in Fermoy, together with some of the ETB’s Further Education and Training services.

Prior to the establishment of the new school in 2018 under the patronage divesting process, the Department and Educate Together, as school patron, agreed that given the accommodation available at the property and the need for the ETB to accommodate some Further Education and Training services from the property, the school would be established as a four-classroom school and that the school would maintain this configuration in the accommodation in the former Technical School unless an existing school building was freed up for use in the area.

Individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. My department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account, for example, classroom accommodation and fluctuating enrolments.

The 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.