Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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871. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the second level schools currently primary feeders for Newcastle, County Dublin residents at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19305/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 of mine.

For school planning purposes Newcastle is located in the Newcastle_Rathcoole school planning area and at post primary level is served by Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole and Colaiste Pobail Fola, a regional solution established to serve the Tallaght & Newcastle_Rathcoole school planning area, is located in Saggart. There are two post-primary schools’ projects in the school building programme in the school planning area, providing additional capacity. These will, when completed, cater for demand for school places in the area:

The school building project for Colaiste Pobail Fola is being delivered under the department’s Design and Build Programme as a campus project and will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special educational needs and a new 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including 2 classrooms, for children with special educational needs on the ETB-owned site at Fortunestown Lane. Letter of Acceptance (LOA) issued to the successful contractor on 28th of June 2024, which allowed the contractor to mobilise to site. The works on site are progressing and the project is being delivered on a phased basis. The project for Holy Family CS is at Architectural Planning Stage 4 – Construction. Works commenced on site in August 2024 with an estimated contract duration of 36 months.

As part of planning for September 2025, the department is engaging with an increased number of post-primary schools across areas of potential enrolment pressure, including Newcastle_Rathcoole school planning area. The successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure have been 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 and Patrons to put the necessary solutions in place.

I want to assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work to ensure every child across the country, including in Newcastle_Rathcoole School Planning area, has a school place in 2025/26 and beyond.