Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
353. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of outstanding first year applications for September 2026 for schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5134/26]
View answer355. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students currently on waiting lists for secondary schools in areas of Kildare north for September 2026 (details supplied); the criteria being used to manage these waiting lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5136/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 353 and 355 together.
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 €397 million in school infrastructure across County Kildare. 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.
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 areas in north Kildare. The admissions data provided by schools will allow the department to analyse duplicate applications as there can be significant overlap in areas.
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.
My department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of their Admissions legislation. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Apply to School pilot was introduced to simplify and improve the admissions process for post-primary schools in five pilot areas, including Celbridge. For the first time, this system provides families with a single online application process and introduces synchronised and streamlined timelines for schools to manage admissions and issue offers.
While the Apply to School system facilitates the submission of a common applications system for parents, the individual schools retain responsibility for issuing offers based on these applications in accordance with the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 and their published admissions policy. The Department does not issue offers and does not hold a centralised record of offer outcomes for individual schools.
However, similar to previous years, my department will continue to work closely with patrons and schools in order to ensure that all pupils in the area receive an offer of a school place.
