Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 June 2024
38. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education the reason the newly planned school in the Donaghmede/Howth/D13/Baldoyle/Stapolin school planning area has been deferred; the number of students who did not receive a place and were listed on the waiting list for two schools (details supplied) in September 2022 and September 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26342/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 for the Department.
As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.
It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not always be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
• School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
• Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
• External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
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. 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.
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.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available at this time. The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of their Admissions legislation. Enrolment data for previous schools years is on available on the Department website. Provisional enrolment data for the 2023/24 school year is available of the Departments website at www.gov.ie .
The planned establishment of new post-primary school in 2021 to serve the Donaghmede_Howth_D13/Baldoyle/Stapolin school planning area was announced in 2018 as a result of a countrywide demographic exercise. Further analysis has since been conducted on the necessity for the establishment of planned new schools taking into account a number of factors including the pace of delivery of the expected additional residential development in the school planning areas, associated enrolments and the capacity in existing schools in the areas.
A number of school building projects are underway in the School Planning Area as outlined below:
Santa Sabina Dominican College. A project which will provide an additional four general classrooms has been approved under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme. The project is at stage 1.
Belmayne Educate Together Secondary School was established in 2019. The school is in interim accommodation on its permanent site and three additional classrooms and one specialist room has been approved for the 2022/2023 academic year. A major project to provide permanent accommodation for the school is currently at Stage 4. The school will cater for 1,000 pupils in the long-term.
Gaelcholaiste Reachrann. A major project to provide permanent accommodation for the school is at tender stage and construction is expected to be completed by mid 2024. This will provide capacity for 600 pupils.
Grange Community College. There are plans to expand this school to cater for 1,000 pupils and the project is currently at Stage 1.
Two new primary schools were established in this school planning area recently:
Stapolin ETNS was established in 2019. A proposed new 16-classroom school is currently at Stage 5. The school is currently in interim accommodation pending construction of the permanent new school building. The school is currently a 4 teacher school.
Killester Raheny Clontarf ETNS was established in 2019. It is currently a 4 teacher school and is operating in interim accommodation. A proposed new 8 classroom schools is currently at Stage 1.
It is expected that these new schools together with the existing primary school accommodation will cater for the future primary school demand for Donaghmeade_Howth_D13 school planning area.
My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Donaghmede_Howth_D13, as with other areas across the country, under review.
