Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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162. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans she has to start the process of opening up new primary or secondary schools to serve the Kilternan school planning area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66309/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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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 demogr I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.

In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department aphic 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.

There are less than 600 post primary school going children and young people living in the Kilternan School Planning Area. Capacity has been provided in post primary schools in neighbouring areas to cater for this demand. The demand for primary school places is being catered for in the three existing primary schools in the Kilternan School Planning Area, including Our Lady of the Wayside National School, which has a capital project to extend from 12 to 16 mainstream classrooms and SEN facilities. Therefore, there no plans at present to establish new primary or post-primary schools in the Kilternan school planning area. The Department is aware of planned residential developments and has regular engagement with the local authority regarding the progress of the proposed developments.

The pace of delivery of additional residential developments in the area, 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.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans she has to invest in extending primary schools located in the Kilternan school planning area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66310/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Primary school enrolments at national level have been in decline for quite a number of years. While there are continued pressures in some areas where there is high demand with continued population growth and housing development driving the need for additional school places, previous capacity data returned Previous capacity data returned by primary schools in Kilternan highlighted that 2 out of the 3 primary schools in the school planning area had capacity across various class groups.

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. In this context, it is important to note that enrolment pressures can be driven by factors other than demographic pressure such as duplications of applications, applications from outside an area, and school of choice factors. My department will continue to monitor all 314 school planning areas including Kilternan in order to ensure schools between them in any area have sufficient capacity and that all children have a school place each September.

The status of all school building projects is publicly available and regularly updated on my Department’s website at www.gov.ie, reflecting progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition.

Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan (NDP), involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan (NDP). All Government departments are expected to publish their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans in November. My department’s plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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164. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans she has to revise the school planning areas in Dublin for secondary schools, particularly those school planning areas that do not have a secondary school such as (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66311/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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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.

In most areas, school planning areas were based on traditional school catchment areas where all primary schools were assigned to a post-primary feeder area (typically a population centre or town), containing one or more post-primary schools. With the introduction of small areas in census 2011, these feeder areas were amended to align with census small areas. The current school planning areas take account not only of local groupings of schools, but also of natural boundaries, census small areas and other local conditions.

The school planning areas are used in the demographic exercise as a basis for the assessment of areas of growth and to inform recommendations on the establishment of any new schools required in that school planning area. There are no current plans to revise school planning areas.

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.

My department conducts granular analysis below the level of a school planning area, particularly where a school planning area encompasses both high growth urban settlement areas and a more rural hinterland.

New schools established to meet demographic demand are required to prioritise enrolments from within the school planning area which the school was established to serve. This does not preclude schools from enrolling pupils from outside of the designated school planning area, rather it reflects the need to accommodate in the first instance the demographic for which the school was established.

In relation to enrolment generally, it is my department’s responsibility to ensure that schools can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. Parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted.

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