Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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486. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of school places required at primary and second level in Celbridge, County Kildare, with particular reference to the needs emerging in September next; if the three-school project is advancing at appropriate pace to meet all of the requirements (details supplied); if it is anticipated that adequate spaces will be made available by September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45209/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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.

More than €310 million has been invested in school infrastructure in County Kildare since 2020 alone, reflecting a strong focus on alignment of school place availability with the significant residential development across the county. This investment includes recently completed new school buildings in Maynooth and Naas. Additionally, further new school buildings and extensions are at construction or planned, including in Prosperous, Kilcock, Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip, Naas and Clane.

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. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressures.

Nevertheless, the Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools, 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, including Celbridge will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process. 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.

St Patrick's National School, St Raphael's Special School and Celbridge Community School has been approved for a large-scale project on a greenfield site to enter the Department’s pipeline of new school buildings. This project is devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a bundled school building programmes. The schools will be delivered as part of a campus development at Donaghcumper, Celbridge.

The NDFA have appointed a Design Team and the Department is awaiting the submission of the initial architectural designs. At this early stage and particularly in advance of the required statutory approvals, it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of the project. The NDFA have and will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them informed of progress.

I want to assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work to ensure a school place for every child across Co. Kildare, including Celbridge School Planning Area.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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487. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which she anticipated an adequacy of school places at primary and second level at Leixlip, County Kildare, with a view to ensuring adequate accommodation availability at both primary and second level by September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45210/24]

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 of Education.

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 beginning to decline from next year. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressures. 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 will continue to keep the school place requirements in Leixlip, as with other areas across the country, under review.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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488. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she is satisfied that all school placement requirements, both primary and second level in Maynooth, County Kildare, can be met by September next; if new catchment areas are proposed to meet the requirements of those who fall between catchment areas for the purpose of placement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45211/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Since 2020, my department has invested over €5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 950 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 350 other projects, which includes 37 new school buildings. These 350 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.5bn.

More than €310 million has been invested in school infrastructure in County Kildare since 2020 alone, reflecting a strong focus on alignment of school place availability with the significant residential development across the county. This investment includes recently completed new school buildings in Maynooth and Naas. Additionally, further new school buildings and extensions are at construction or planned, including in Prosperous, Kilcock, Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip, Naas and Clane.

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. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressures.

Nevertheless, the Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools, 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. 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.

Under the Education Act 1998, the question of enrolment policy in individual schools, including the setting of catchment areas, is the responsibility of the Board of Management on behalf of the school patron. The 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 Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 requires schools to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admission policies. Schools have discretion in relation to their admission criteria and how they are applied. Living in a particular catchment area is one criteria that a school may apply. The criteria to be applied by schools and the order of priority are a matter for the schools themselves. The Department does not intervene in the criteria set by a school.

Department officials will continue to work with schools and patrons to ensure that there is appropriate provision for all students in the Maynooth School Planning Area for the 2025/26 school year and into the future.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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489. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she remains satisfied regarding the adequacy of school places at primary and second level in Kilcock, County Kildare, with particular reference to meeting such requirement by September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45212/24]

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 of Education.

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 beginning to decline from next year. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressures. 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 will continue to keep the school place requirements in Kilcock, as with other areas across the country, under review.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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490. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she is satisfied regarding the adequacy of school places at primary and second level in Clane, County Kildare, with particular reference to the need to cater for a rapidly expanding population; if she is satisfied that such requirements can be met in full by September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45213/24]

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 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 beginning to decline from next year. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressures. 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 will continue to keep the school place requirements in Clane, as with other areas across the country, under review.