Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 January 2024
47. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if an application for additional space by a school (details supplied) for a special unit providing leaving certificate applied tuition can be considered in light of increased roll numbers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4446/24]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise, and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
The main focus of my Department’s resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. The Department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects our fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.
I can confirm that an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) was received in the Department and based on the school having sufficient permanent and temporary accommodation in place, the ASA was refused.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs, or SEN, accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
It is open to the school in question to submit an application for the Department's ASA scheme if there is a change to their enrolments which cannot be managed within the existing building. Any application will be considered by my officials and a decision conveyed directly to the school authorities.
