Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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405. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the progress of school building projects in Donabate, including any sites earmarked for schools as part of housing developments currently underway or planned; if she will outline the engagement to date between her Department, Fingal County Council, and relevant developers or construction companies regarding these sites; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57026/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the 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.

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, the 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.

There are three school projects in the Donabate school planning area.

Gaelscoil na Mara (Roll number 20530R) was established in 2020 as a new 16 mainstream classroom school with 4 special education classrooms. This gaelscoil is currently in interim accommodation in Donabate pending the delivery of permanent school facility. Agreement is in place to acquire the site for the development of the new school, officials in my department are in discussions with the current owner of the site to finalise the transfer of the ownership of the site to the Minister.

You will be aware that a building project for the school in question is included on the Department's Capital Program to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP). This capital project will progress while the acquisition is being finalised.

The accommodation brief for the project is being finalised and the department will be in further contact with the patron as part of this process.

It is not possible to provide a timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.

St Patricks BNS (Roll number 16267G) has a project for 2 special education classrooms. This is at stage 1. Stage 1 is the preliminary design stage where the design team in conjunction with the school authorities, will analyse all the constraints of the site, develop a preferred design option and ensure that the preferred option is the best option for the delivery of the brief.

Scoil Padraig (Roll number 18412W) which has a project for 1 special education classroom, 2 special education tuition room and 4 mainstream classrooms. This project is at stage 2a. Stage 2a involves the preliminary design, site surveys and cost estimates.

The pace of delivery of additional residential development in the Donabate SPA, along with updated enrolment data and demographic data will be kept under review and this will inform the timing of further school requirements in the area.

Through the Statutory Plans process, the department regularly engages with Fingal County Council in respect of its County Development Plan and Local Area Plans with a view to identifying any future medium to long-term school place requirements across all Fingal settlement areas, of which Donabate is one. The department engages with all consultation phases of these plans to ensure that there are an adequate amount of appropriately zoned and suitably located sites for future school place provision and that they are in line with the requirements of objectives as identified in the National Planning Framework.