As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses 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.
Having considered the projected requirements in each school planning area, including north Kildare, the Department makes an assessment of the existing capacity and identifies any requirement for additional provision. Where enrolment pressures arise, it may not always be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by factors such as a duplication of applications, where pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area; the school of choice, where pupils cannot get a place in their preferred school while places in other schools in the town or area are available; some towns or areas having single-sex schools that do not have places available to all pupils; and external draw, where pupils come from outside the local area.
Through engagement with school authorities and patrons and having accounted for factors such as the duplication of applications, the Department has established a requirement exists for increased provision at schools in north Kildare. Officials are leading engagement with the relevant school patrons and authorities to put the necessary solutions in place for the 2023-24 and future school years. These include the use of existing spare capacity, the sanctioning of works for existing accommodation and the accelerated provision of modular accommodation. The close working between officials and schools and patrons in north Kildare has resulted in a significant number of additional places being made available. It is expected these will meet requirements, but the Department is continuing to monitor the situation.
In addition to these immediate measures, the Department has been progressing a number of significant building projects in north Kildare.
These projects include recently completed new school buildings in Maynooth and Naas. Additionally, a number of further new school buildings and extensions are at construction or planned, including in Prosperous, Kilcock, Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip, Naas and Clane. I assure the Deputy that the Department will continue to work with schools and patrons to ensure there is appropriate provision for all students in north Kildare and throughout the county for the 2023-24 school year and into the future.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Teacher supply is a priority area of action for the Department given the importance of ensuring every child's experience in school is positive and he or she has available to him or her qualified, engaged and supportive teachers to support that child in his or her learning. The Department is undertaking a comprehensive programme to support the supply of teachers, including the provision of additional places in primary initial teacher education, ITE, programmes and additional places on post-primary teacher upskilling programmes in maths, physics and Spanish. The Teaching Transforms campaign continues to promote the teaching profession and encourage students to follow a career in teaching. It should be noted that at this point CAO first preference choices for post-primary teaching have increased this year by 11%. The Department meets regularly with the school management bodies and the teacher unions on this very important issue, and we will continue to work intensively with all stakeholders to develop and implement creative solutions to address the teacher supply challenges facing schools.
