Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2024
492. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the extent to which adequate school places remain available at Straffan, County Kildare; if she is mindful of the expanding population and the urgency to ensure the availability of sufficient such accommodation by September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45215/24]
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, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (or GIS) 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. In addition, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform the Department’s projections of school place requirements.
Straffan is located in the Celbridge School Planning area. Having considered the projected requirements in each school planning area, including the Celbridge School Planning Area, my Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity and identifies any requirement for additional provision. Additional provision is made as necessary, where the existing capacity is insufficient for future needs.
At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post primary enrolments and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the next number of years before beginning to decline. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the 2023/24 school year and are now beginning to decline. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressures.
Nevertheless, 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 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.
I want to assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work to ensure a school place for every child throughout the Co. Kildare including Straffan.
