Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2022
486. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education the number of primary schools in the Dublin 8, 10, 12 and 20 areas; if these are co-educational; the patronage under which they operate; the number of children attending each school; the capacity in each school; and if there are plans to expand or to carry out other remedial works on these schools in the near future. [14136/22]
View answerMy Department publishes information in respect of all schools, including primary schools in the area to which the Deputy refers, on gov.ie DoE Statistics page: www.gov.ie/en/collection/primary-schools/#20212022. This includes details of the status of these schools as well as of enrolments.
The Statistics page also provides information on school ethos. In the city of Dublin, the majority of schools with a Catholic ethos are under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin, the majority of Church of Ireland schools are under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough, while those that are multi-denominational are predominantly under the patronage of Educate Together. Should the Deputy wish to establish the patron of a particular school or schools, this can be provided.
While my Department collates a National Inventory of School Capacity from information provided by schools as part of their enrolment returns, it is a matter for school authorities to determine the available school places in any individual school and to set out the school’s Admissions Policy.
As the Deputy may be aware for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System (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.
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 patrons of schools in Dublin 8,10,12 and 20 to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train. The Department's priority is to ensure that there are sufficient school places overall in a School Planning Area.
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 these, 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 area 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 also be found on my Department's website at www.gov.ie and this information is also updated regularly.
Specifically, in Dublin 8,10, 12 and 20 areas, a significant number of school building projects providing additional capacity and refurbished accommodation at primary school level are in train. A list of these projects, indicating the current status of the projects in these school planning areas, is attached for the Deputy's information.
