Catherine Murphy
Question:337. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the projected school capacity for the new school in Prosperous. [55175/23]
View answerTuesday, 12 December 2023
Questions (337)
Written answers
I can assure the Deputy that the 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, the Department of Education 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. 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, the Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity within that particular area and its ability to meet any increased demand. Additional provision is made as necessary, where the existing capacity is insufficient for future needs.
School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2 billion. There are also 200 modular accommodation projects that are very well advanced for delivery or at construction stage. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.
The school referred to above by the Deputy is within the Prosperous_Clane School Planning Area. The Department is aware of pressure at post primary level in the Prosperous_Clane School Planning Area. Close engagement with schools and patrons will allow the Department to identify particular further capacity requirements for the forthcoming years and put any required solutions in place - beyond those that are already in train - to ensure sufficient school places to meet the needs of students in the area.
In line with the Department's demographic projections of post primary school place requirements there has been a continued growth in enrolments in Prosperous_Clane. My Department has invested significantly in schools in County Kildare over recent years. Under the National Development Plan, a total of almost €250m has been invested in schools in County Kildare over the last five years. This investment has focused on provision of additional capacity to cater for its increasing population and there are further significant projects in our pipeline including for Prosperous_Clane.
These projects include a new school building project at St. Farnan's Post Primary School which is at architectural planning stage and will cater for 1000 pupils plus provision for special needs education upon completion.
I can assure the Deputy that Department officials will continue to actively engage with schools and patrons to ensure that there is appropriate provision for all students in Prosperous_Clane for the 2024/25 school year and into the future.