Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an overview of current capacity of secondary schools in south Clare (details supplied); if she will consider establishing a new secondary school in the area to meet current demands and future population projections; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29937/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Deputy that requirements for school places are kept under ongoing review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.

My Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas and Department officials have been working very closely with patrons, management bodies and schools to work solutions in the small number of cases where additional places are required for the coming school year. It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by other factors such as 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 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 2023 demographic exercise indicates that 79% of the 314 school planning areas at primary level show static or decreasing enrolments for the period to 2027 compared with 2022. At post-primary level some 78% of school planning areas are anticipated to have increased enrolments for the period to 2030, with most expected to reach a peak within the next two or three years.

The Department’s 2023 demographic projections exercise forecasts that there will be a slight increase in demand for post primary school places in the Shannon SPA with the projected peak year in 2025. First year enrolments are projected to peak in 2024.

The Department’s 2023 demographic projections exercise forecasts that there will be a slight increase in demand for post primary school places in the Ennis SPA with the projected peak year 2024. First year enrolments projected to peak in 2023. Demographic projections are kept under review on an ongoing basis.

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.

If additional accommodation is required, the aim to try and facilitate this, as much as possible, by way of expansion of existing schools rather than establishing new schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 for an increased emphasis on compact growth. In respect of post primary schools, new post primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600-1,000 students and must be co-educational. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit (Aonad) in an English-medium school.

New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase so as to ensure that every child has a school place.

My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in the Clare School Planning Areas, as with other areas across the country, under review.