Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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1170. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department’s planning unit has assessed the need for additional primary school places in Kildare town; her plans to meet the demand for school places; if she is aware of the extensive housing developments taking place locally which will give rise to even greater demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42936/25]

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.

Since 2020, my department has invested over €355 million in school infrastructure across County Kildare. My 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.

The annual enrolment process for new Junior Infants at primary and new First Years at post-primary is a very large-scale operation that is transacted at close to 4,000 schools across the country, involving some 140,000 pupils. My department works with schools, patrons, and management bodies to ensure that there are sufficient school places available to meet the needs of children.

Primary school enrolments at national level have been in decline for a number of years and this downward demographic trend is also now apparent at first year post primary level. There are, however continued pressures in some areas where there is high demand with continued population growth and housing development driving the need for additional school places.

As the Deputy may be aware, 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.

While my department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note that enrolment pressures can be driven by duplications of applications, applications from outside an area, and school of choice factors. Notwithstanding the above, in some areas, demographic pressures and other factors are driving a requirement for additional school places.

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.

To ensure alignment of school provision with rollout of additional residential development, the department, through the consultation phases of the Statutory Plan process, liaises with all 31 Local Authorities in respect of their County Development Plans, any associated Local Area Plans and Masterplans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school place and accommodation requirements across school planning areas and with the purpose of ensuring that there is an adequate amount of appropriately zoned and suitably located sites for future school place provision, which are in line with objectives as identified in the National Planning Framework. Throughout 2024, department officials have continually interacted with the Local Authorities in respect of school place provision, whilst simultaneously engaging in 68 consultation phases of the Statutory Plan process.

My Department will continue to liaise with Kildare County Council 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.