Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2024
430. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of the number of school places available in secondary schools and in primary schools, respectively in Meath in each of the years 2020 to 2024; the number of children who were unable to secure school places in secondary schools and in primary schools, respectively in Meath in the same period, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44656/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe requested information is set out in the table for the years 2020 to 2023, 2023 being the last year we have final enrolment data for.
|
County Meath Enrolments 2020-2023 |
|||
|
Year |
Primary |
Post-primary |
Total |
|
2020 |
26,977 |
15,751 |
42,728 |
|
2021 |
26,516 |
16,241 |
42,757 |
|
2022 |
26,425 |
17,133 |
43,558 |
|
2023 |
26,187 |
17,677 |
43,864 |
Please note that data is taken from the primary and post-primary online databases for pupils enrolled in a school in county Meath. Enrolment data is as per the census date, 30th September, for each academic year.
In order to plan for school place needs, the 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 the 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
The Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.
Firstly, the Department has written to all parents and guardians of children in sixth class with advice and guidance regarding the admissions process for post-primary for the 2025/26 school year. This letter advised parents to apply to multiple schools in areas where there is high demand and requested parents to take steps to avoid holding multiple places.
Secondly, the Department has improved the central Post-Primary On-line Database IT system that schools use to register student enrolments. This is an important improvement and is available to assist schools to manage the enrolment process and provide real-time notification to schools where a new student has accepted a school place in more than one school. This will help identify duplicate enrolments at a very early stage.
Furthermore, the successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure, including areas in counties Kildare, Wicklow, Dublin, Galway and Cork, will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process. It is expected that, as in previous years, the data sharing will provide confidence that there is sufficient school place availability in the majority of areas. However, if a shortfall of places is identified in an area, the Department will work with schools to put the necessary solutions in place.
The Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The local service is delivered through the national network of Educational Welfare Officers. Contact details are available on Tusla’s website.
