Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein)
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463. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 600 of 19 March 2025 (details supplied), when the 314 school planning areas were last reviewed; and when they will be reviewed again; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16609/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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. My department does not intervene in the criteria set by any school including the one referred to by the deputy.

My 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 order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas.

The department uses a geographic information system, which facilitates the analysis of 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. The most recent nationwide review of all 314 school planning areas was completed in 2023.

My department also conducts granular analysis below the level of a school planning area, particularly where a school planning area encompasses both high growth urban settlement areas and a more rural hinterland. This demographic demand analysis factors in planning and construction activity in the residential sector which involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO, along with engagement with local authorities. This ensures that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes at a local level, where the picture can quickly evolve due to planned new residential development.

Our analysis of school place demand in urban areas experiencing high population growth has indicated that demand in the urban area can be 10-20% higher than the school planning area as a whole.

To ensure alignment of school provision with rollout of additional residential development, the department liaises with all 31 Local Authorities in respect of the County Development Plans and any associated Local Area Plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across school planning areas. My department engages with all consultation phases of these plans to ensure that there is an adequate amount of appropriately zoned and suitably located sites for future school place provision and that they are in line with objectives as identified in the National Planning Framework.