School Enrolments: 24 Oct 2024: Written answers (KildareStreet.com)

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 of Education.

In order to plan for school place needs, 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.

In line with the Department's demographic projections of post primary school place requirements, there has been a continued growth in enrolments throughout many School Planning Areas in North Kildare. In response, the Department has invested significantly in schools in County Kildare over recent years. Since 2020, over €310m has been invested in schools in County Kildare. This investment has focused on provision of additional capacity to cater for its increasing population and there are further significant projects in our pipeline including for the North Kildare area.

At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post primary enrolments and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the next number of years before beginning to decline. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the 2023/24 school year and are now beginning to decline. Across North Kildare there are almost 250 more first year places available for the 2025/26 school year than sixth class children.

Nevertheless, the Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools in North Kildare, including Maynooth, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.

Firstly, the Department has written to all parents and guardians of children in sixth class with advice and guidance regarding the admissions process for post-primary for the 2025/26 school year. This letter advised parents to apply to multiple schools in areas where there is high demand and requested parents to take steps to avoid holding multiple places.

Secondly, the Department has improved the central Post-Primary On-line Database IT system that schools use to register student enrolments. This is an important improvement and is available to assist schools to manage the enrolment process and provide real-time notification to schools where a new student has accepted a school place in more than one school. This will help identify duplicate enrolments at a very early stage.

Furthermore, the successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process, including for areas in North Kildare. It is expected that, as in previous years, the data sharing will provide confidence that there is sufficient school place availability in the majority of areas. However, if a shortfall of places is identified in an area, the Department will work with schools to put the necessary solutions in place.

My department is progressing a number of primary and post primary school building projects in the Maynooth School Planning Area. These projects include new school building projects for Gaelcholáiste Maynooth, to provide for 350 pupils and two Special Educations classroom, which is currently at Stage 1 and Gaelscoil Ruairí, to provide eight mainstream classrooms and two Special Education classrooms, currently at Stage 2b. In addition, the extension project at Presentation Girls Primary and recently completed projects will increase capacity in primary and post primary schools in Maynooth. As the Deputy will be aware, new school buildings for Maynooth CC and Maynooth Post Primary School have also recently been completed.

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.

My department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Maynooth, as with other areas across the country, under review.

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

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 of Education.

In order to plan for school place needs, 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.

In line with the Department's demographic projections of post primary school place requirements, there has been a continued growth in enrolments throughout many School Planning Areas in North Kildare. In response, the Department has invested significantly in schools in County Kildare over recent years. Since 2020, over €310m has been invested in schools in County Kildare. This investment has focused on provision of additional capacity to cater for its increasing population and there are further significant projects in our pipeline including for the North Kildare area.

At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post primary enrolments and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the next number of years before beginning to decline. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the 2023/24 school year and are now beginning to decline. Across North Kildare there are almost 250 more first year places available for the 2025/26 school year than sixth class children.

Nevertheless, the Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools in North Kildare, including Celbridge, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.

Firstly, the Department has written to all parents and guardians of children in sixth class with advice and guidance regarding the admissions process for post-primary for the 2025/26 school year. This letter advised parents to apply to multiple schools in areas where there is high demand and requested parents to take steps to avoid holding multiple places.

Secondly, the Department has improved the central Post-Primary On-line Database IT system that schools use to register student enrolments. This is an important improvement and is available to assist schools to manage the enrolment process and provide real-time notification to schools where a new student has accepted a school place in more than one school. This will help identify duplicate enrolments at a very early stage.

Furthermore, the successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process, including for areas in North Kildare. It is expected that, as in previous years, the data sharing will provide confidence that there is sufficient school place availability in the majority of areas. However, if a shortfall of places is identified in an area, the Department will work with schools to put the necessary solutions in place.

Scoil Naomh Padraig, Celbridge, Co Kildare has been approved for a large-scale project on a greenfield site to enter the Department’s pipeline of new school buildings to provide for a 16 classroom school plus provision for Special Education Needs classrooms. The project has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery. The project is located on a shared education campus and is part of a bundled school building programme. The NDFA have appointed a Design Team and the Department is awaiting the submission of the initial architectural designs.

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.

My department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Celbridge, as with other areas across the country, under review.

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

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 of Education.

In order to plan for school place needs, 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.

In line with the Department's demographic projections of post primary school place requirements, there has been a continued growth in enrolments throughout many School Planning Areas in North Kildare. In response, the Department has invested significantly in schools in County Kildare over recent years. Since 2020, over €310m has been invested in schools in County Kildare. This investment has focused on provision of additional capacity to cater for its increasing population and there are further significant projects in our pipeline including for the North Kildare area.

At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post primary enrolments and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the next number of years before beginning to decline. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the 2023/24 school year and are now beginning to decline. Across North Kildare there are almost 250 more first year places available for the 2025/26 school year than sixth class children.

Nevertheless, the Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools, including in North Kildare, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.

Firstly, the Department has written to all parents and guardians of children in sixth class with advice and guidance regarding the admissions process for post-primary for the 2025/26 school year. This letter advised parents to apply to multiple schools in areas where there is high demand and requested parents to take steps to avoid holding multiple places.

Secondly, the Department has improved the central Post-Primary On-line Database IT system that schools use to register student enrolments. This is an important improvement and is available to assist schools to manage the enrolment process and provide real-time notification to schools where a new student has accepted a school place in more than one school. This will help identify duplicate enrolments at a very early stage.

Furthermore, the successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process, including for areas in North Kildare. It is expected that, as in previous years, the data sharing will provide confidence that there is sufficient school place availability in the majority of areas. However, if a shortfall of places is identified in an area, the Department will work with schools to put the necessary solutions in place.

My Department is progressing a number of primary and post primary school building projects in the Naas SPA. Including new school building projects for Mercy Convent and St. Corban's NS. These projects are currently Stage 4 and Stage 2b. In addition, there is an extension project for St. Mary's Girls Post Primary to increase capacity to LTPE of 1,000. This project is at Stage 2b. New school buildings have also recently been completed for Naas CC and Piper's Hill CC.

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.

My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Naas, as with other areas across the country, under review including by advancing required school building projects.

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

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 of Education.

In order to plan for school place needs, 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.

In line with the Department's demographic projections of post primary school place requirements, there has been a continued growth in enrolments throughout many School Planning Areas in North Kildare. In response, the Department has invested significantly in schools in County Kildare over recent years. Since 2020, over €310m has been invested in schools in County Kildare. This investment has focused on provision of additional capacity to cater for its increasing population and there are further significant projects in our pipeline including for the North Kildare area.

At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post primary enrolments and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the next number of years before beginning to decline. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the 2023/24 school year and are now beginning to decline. Across North Kildare there are almost 250 more first year places available for the 2025/26 school year than sixth class children.

Nevertheless, the Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools in North Kildare, including Clane, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.

Firstly, the Department has written to all parents and guardians of children in sixth class with advice and guidance regarding the admissions process for post-primary for the 2025/26 school year. This letter advised parents to apply to multiple schools in areas where there is high demand and requested parents to take steps to avoid holding multiple places.

Secondly, the Department has improved the central Post-Primary On-line Database IT system that schools use to register student enrolments. This is an important improvement and is available to assist schools to manage the enrolment process and provide real-time notification to schools where a new student has accepted a school place in more than one school. This will help identify duplicate enrolments at a very early stage.

Furthermore, the successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process, including for areas in North Kildare. It is expected that, as in previous years, the data sharing will provide confidence that there is sufficient school place availability in the majority of areas. However, if a shortfall of places is identified in an area, the Department will work with schools to put the necessary solutions in place.

My department is progressing a number of primary and post primary school building projects in the Prosperous_Clane School Planning Area. These projects include a new school building project for St. Farnan’s Post Primary school to increase capacity to 1000 pupils, existing PE hall to be refurbished and four Special Education classrooms which is currently at Stage 2b. Additional modular accommodation is also being provided at this school to address short-term capacity requirements in the area. The project at Scoil Mhuire Community School to provide two Science labs and shared preparation area, five mainstream classrooms and four Special Education classrooms is also at Stage 2b. In addition, the new school building for St. Patrick's BNS will increase capacity.

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.

My department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Clane, as with other areas across the country, under review.