Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2017
133. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Skills ,further to Parliamentary Question No. 283 of 12 July 2016, to outline the status of the process discussed; his views on the issue of the lack of school places in the Dublin 6 area, with particular reference to non-denominational schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7492/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to inform the Deputy that the patronage process for the nine new post-primary schools which will open in September 2017 and 2018, which I referenced in my July response to the Deputy, has been completed. As I announced in November 2016, the new post-primary school which will open in 2018 to serve the areas of Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 will open as a multi-denominational school under the patronage of Educate Together.
The patronage process for the four new primary schools which will open in 2017 and 2018, including the new primary school to serve the Dublin South City Centre areas of Dublin 2, 4 and 6 is ongoing. My Department is currently assessing the applications received. This assessment stage involves very detailed work, including geo-coding each parental preference received to establish if they represent a parent of a child living in the school planning area the school is set up to serve. Following completion of this detailed analysis, my Department will prepare detailed assessment reports in relation to each of these new schools based on the applications received. These will then be submitted to the New Schools Establishment Group for their consideration. Following completion of Group's work, they will submit a report with recommendations to me for my consideration and final decision.
As with other school planning areas nationwide, the demographic data for the Dublin 6 area is being kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated child benefit data and updated enrolment data and also the impact of ongoing and planned capacity increases in these, and adjoining, school planning areas.
The Deputy may be aware that I recently announced new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area.
This will involve the Education and Training Boards in the initial phase, as the State’s local education authorities, identifying areas where there is likely to be demand for greater diversity and they will work with pre-school services to establish evidence of this demand among the cohort of pre-school parents. This provides an opportunity nationwide for the provision of additional multi-denominational and non-denominational schools.
