Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 January 2024
108. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the number of secondary school spaces that are allocated for students from Newcastle, Dublin 22 primary schools in local secondary schools or nearby secondary schools in other villages (details supplied). [3108/24]
View answerI 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 my Department.
As the Deputy may be aware, while there can be enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note sometimes this may not be as a result of lack of accommodation, but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications
• School of choice
• Single sex schools
• External draw
Notwithstanding the above, in some areas demographic pressures and other factors are driving a requirement for additional school places.
In response to such previously identified demographic pressures, my Department has delivered a Modular Accommodation project in 2022 of an additional 3 main classrooms for Holy Family Community School which allowed for a further 90 mainstream school places. Additionally, my Department is providing significant additional post primary capacity, including new 1,000 pupil school buildings for both Holy Family Community School and Coláiste Pobail Fola. These projects are currently at Stage 3, Tender Stage.
My Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in Newcastle. A critical next step for my Department is to establish the actual number of additional first year places required for 2024 in order for an appropriate solution to be put in place. In that context, schools in a number of areas of enrolment pressure, including Newcastle_Rathcoole, have been requested to share data on applications for admissions.
This data has been received by my officials and is currently being analysed with a view to establishing the actual requirement for places. Preliminary assessments indicate that duplications of applications, and applications from outside the local area, are very much contributing to enrolment pressures in the town.
The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of their Admissions legislation. Enrolment data for previous schools years is available on the Department website. Provisional enrolment data for the 2023/24 school year is available of the Departments website at www.gov.ie
My Department is working to clarify the actual requirement for additional school places and to identify particular further capacity requirements for 2024 and forthcoming years. 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 Newcastle for the 2024/25 school year and into the future. Families can be assured that any necessary solution will be delivered so that all of the children across the School Planning Area will receive a first year place.
