Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 September 2021
485. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education the provision that is being made for the growing demand for Irish medium education for learners in the Fingal area; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there is not a sufficient number of places at primary or secondary level to meet demand; the plans she has in place to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46748/21]
View answerA number of new Irish-medium gaelscoileanna and a gaelcholáiste have been established in the Fingal area in the last decade.
As the Deputy may be aware, 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 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.
Where data indicates that additional provision is required at primary or post-primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools;
Extending the capacity of a school or schools; and
Provision of a new school or schools.
A patronage process is run after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required. Parental preferences in relation to patronage and language of instruction (Irish or English) from parents of children who reside in the school planning areas concerned, together with the extent of diversity of provision in these areas (including Irish-medium provision), are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of this process.
In the short-term, the most recent projections for the Fingal area indicate decreasing requirements at primary level and increasing requirements at post-primary level. My Department is currently working to examine the capacity of the schools in the area to meet this projected demand.
Where capacity issues arise it may not 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; and
External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area.
Similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, my Department is engaging with patron bodies, including patrons of schools in the Fingal area, to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming year(s) which may necessitate action including, where required, the provision of modular accommodation solutions. The true extent of any capacity issue will only become known following discussion with the relevant school authorities.
