Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 February 2024
350. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the extent to which primary school places at Johnstownbridge, County Kildare continue to be assessed with a view to ensuring that accommodation is sufficient to meet population increases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6638/24]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises 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 my Department's projections of school place requirements.
Johnstownbridge is part of the Longwood School Planning Area. My Department's projections of primary school place requirements in the Longwood SPA indicate that enrolments at primary level peaked in 2022 and will steadily decrease in the coming years. At a national level, primary enrolments are projected to decrease by circa 10,000 every year over the course of a decade.
It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not always 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
Having considered the projected requirements in each school planning area, including the Longwood School Planning Area, my Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity and identifies any requirement for additional provision.
Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:
• Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
• Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
• Provision of a new school or schools.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
My Department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Johnstownbridge, as with other areas across the country, under review.
