Written answers

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Department of Education and Skills

Education Policy

Photo of Barry WardBarry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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667. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will change to the manner in which her Department assesses the demand for Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, widening the geographic area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2011/25]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Since 2011, arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on demographic exercises carried out by my Department.

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

These arrangements give an opportunity to patrons to apply for the patronage of new schools. The criteria used in deciding on the patronage of new schools place a particular emphasis on parental patronage and language preferences - either Irish or English - and an analysis of existing provision, including Irish medium provision, in the areas where the schools are being established.

Most new post-primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600 to 1,000 students. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit, or Aonad, in an English-medium school. It is possible for any post-primary school patron to contact my Department to explore the establishment of an Aonad in an existing school.

Work on the development of a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is in progress in my Department. This policy will sit within the overall framework of the 20-year Strategy for the Irish language and will build on the achievements of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education. Among the objectives for the new policy are exploring how opportunities for the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí can be increased as part of the patronage process.

My Department has recently published a series of reports, prepared by the Sealbhú research institute in DCU, which will inform the development of the new policy. These reports include a review of international literature on education through the medium of minority languages, reports on the various stages of the public consultation undertaken by my Department to inform policy development, and a series of resulting policy proposals. In developing the new policy, my Department will draw on these reports, as well as the information shared by stakeholders in bilateral meetings.

This information will be considered in light of the existing provision for Irish-medium education and future projections of demand for the education system, as well as my Department’s budgetary and legislative context.

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