Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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.

For school planning purposes the 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 the Department's projections of school place requirements.

It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not always 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

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.

The schools to which the Deputy has referred to are located in the Dolphins Barn_D12 and Dublin_6w school planning areas. 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.

In response to such previously identified demographic pressures, my Department is providing significant primary and special educational needs capacity in the Dolphins Barn_D12 and Dublin_6w School Planning Areas, including projects at both primary and post primary schools. These projects include recently completed extension at Scoil Mhuire Óg to provide 2 mainstream classrooms and Scoil Mologa replacement of prefabs to provide 4 mainstream classrooms and 1 special education tuition room. Multiple smaller projects providing additional accommodation are also at various stages of planning and delivery.

The Capital Programme details the school projects that are being progressed under Project Ireland 2040. The current status of large-scale projects being delivered under Project Ireland 2040, may be viewed on the Department's website at, www.gov.ie 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 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.

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.

The Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in the Dolphins Barn_D12 and Dublin_6w School Planning Areas, as with other areas across the country, under review.