Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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496. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of post-primary school places in the Dublin south west area in the 2025-2026 academic year; the number of children who did not receive a place in this academic year; and the number of places her Department estimates will be required by 2030. [63673/25]

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.

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.

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. 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.

Furthermore, the data sharing arrangements that were in place for the 2025/26 admissions process have been put in place again for the 2026/27 admissions process in school planning areas that are experiencing enrolment pressures, including particular school planning areas of Dublin south-west constituency. The admissions data provided by schools will allow the department to analyse duplicate applications as there can be significant overlap in areas.

As per my departments analysis of Dublin south-west, for the 2024/25 academic year there were more first year places available than 6th class children and 5.7% of first year places were unfilled.

The Deputy will appreciate that there can often be significant overlap across areas and schools, and the nature of the admissions processes is quite complex. As a result, there can be multiple iterations, where applicants may accept a place but subsequently be offered and accept a place at a second school, freeing up capacity at the first school accepted. In that context, is may take some time for my department to fully review the availability of post-primary school places in Dublin south-west constituency while the admissions process continues to progress.

The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of their Admissions legislation. Enrolment data for previous school years is available on the Department website. Enrolment data for the 2024/25 school year is available of the Departments website at www.gov.ie. The specific information requested is not available at this time.

Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This 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.

I can assure the Deputy that my department will continue to keep the school place requirements in the Dublin south-west school planning areas, as with other areas across the country, under review.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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497. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide details of the 39 schools that are being built or expanded in the south Dublin area; and the number of additional school places that each will provide, in tabular form. [63674/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The table below lists the 39 school building projects which are in construction in Dublin South. These projects when completed will deliver in excess of 3,700 new and modernised school places across post primary, primary and special education schools.

School Building Projects In Construction in South Dublin