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School Admissions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2021

Tuesday, 23 November 2021

Questions (340)

Duncan Smith

Question:

340. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education the number of meetings she or her officials have had with school principals and or boards of management in south County Kildare regarding the lack and provision of secondary school places. [56953/21]

View answer

Written answers

The Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in a number of school planning areas including the school planning area referred to by the Deputy.

However, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures 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

- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area

My Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities. In that context, similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, my Department is engaging with patron bodies, including those of schools in south County Kildare, to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming year(s) which may necessitate further action to that already in train. The Deputy will appreciate that my Department typically engages with patron bodies in the first instance, rather than principals or Boards of Management, as patrons hold an important role in the overall education system.

Under Project Ireland 2040, my Department continues to make progress to increase the infrastructural capacity in the schools sector, in order to meet demographic and other demands. It is expected that the enrolment pressures in this, and other areas will reduce in the short-term as such planned additional capacity comes on stream and as demographic demand moves past its peak.

The Capital Programme details the school projects that are being progressed under Project Ireland 2040. The current status of large-scale projects being delivered under Project Ireland 2040, including projects in the school planning areas in question, may be viewed on my Department's website at, www.gov.ie and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.

The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms, including accommodation for pupils with special educational needs, if required, for schools where an additional enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed. Details of schools listed on this programme (the Additional Accommodation Scheme) can be found on my Department's website at www.gov.ie and this information is also updated regularly.

A number of projects to deliver additional post primary shcool capacity in the south County Kildare area are planned or underway and a summary of these is below:

Curragh Post Primary School - Roll number 70660O - Site Acquisition stage.

It is intended that significant additional capacity to address demand will be provided by the planned new 1000 pupil building for the existing Curragh post primary school. This is intended to provide capacity to cater for demand arising in the Kildare School planning area as well as that in the Newbridge and Curragh SPAs. Officials in the Department are currently in advanced negotiation with a landowner, in regard to the proposed acquisition of a site deemed suitable for the replacement Curragh post primary school. This negotiation is ongoing, in line with our comprehensive site selection criteria, technical consideration and input from Kildare County Council.

St Conleth's Community College - Roll number 70680U - Patron has agreed to enrol an additional 1st year class for the 2021/22 school year and the expansion of the school to cater for a total capacity of 1,000 pupils.

Cross & Passion College - Roll number 61690W - Stage 1. The accommodation brief for the major project for Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen has also been increased to cater for a 1,000 pupil school to provide for increased demographic growth

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