Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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491. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has undertaken a review of the primary and secondary school capacity in Navan, County Meath, to meet the rapidly growing population; if any new-school builds or extensions are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39325/25]

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.

In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system, using 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.

Since 2020 my Department has invested over €380 million in school infrastructure across County Meath. The Department is continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place.

There are several projects in progress in the Navan school planning areas that will increase capacity at both primary and post-primary level. These projects include new school building projects for SN Na Trionoide Naofa and Ard Rí Community NS to provide for 16 mainstream classroom schools. In additions there a number of extension projects ongoing including for Mercy Convent NS, Scoil Bhride, Beaufort College, Colaiste na Mi and St Joseph's Mercy Secondary School.

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.

Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, my department monitors planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO along with the engagement with local authorities and the construction sector. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes, at a local level, where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.

Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:

• Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,

• Extending the capacity of a school or schools,

• Provision of a new school or schools.

If additional accommodation is required, the aim to try and facilitate this, as much as possible, by way of expansion of existing schools rather than establishing new schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 for an increased emphasis on compact growth. In respect of post primary schools, new post primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600-1,000 students and must be co-educational. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit (aonad) in an English-medium school.

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

My Department’s demographic projections indicates that primary and post primary enrolments in the Navan SPA are not expected to increase to a level that will require the establishment of a new school entity. Demographics are kept under review on an ongoing basis.

My Department will continue to liaise with local authorities in respect of their county development plan and any associated local area plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across school planning areas.