Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 April 2019
117. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the financial resources and other supports that can be provided to new independent Gaelscoileanna in the Dublin 10 and 12 areas (details supplied). [17871/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department establishes and supports new schools where a demographic need for a new school has been identified. Pre-opening capitation funding and start-up grants are available to new Irish-medium and English-medium schools established in this way, and ongoing funding and resources are provided in line with national norms.
I am taking the Deputy’s reference to “new independent Gaelscoileanna” to mean new Irish-medium primary schools established by private parties. There is no mechanism by which new independent primary schools established by private parties are recognised and/or supported by the Department.
As the Deputy may be aware, my Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and the Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.
Major new residential developments in an area also have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, my Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date data on significant new residential development in each area.
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, depending on the circumstances, be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools
- Provision of a new school or schools.
As the Deputy may be aware, following completion of nationwide demographic exercises, the Government recently announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022) to meet demographic needs.
While a new school wasn’t announced for the Ballyfermot_D10 and Dolphin’s Barn_D12 areas, as with other school planning areas nationwide, the demographic data is being kept under ongoing review by the Department to take account of updated data.
Regarding the language of instruction of a planned new school, a patronage process is run by my Department after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required. This patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. Parental preferences for each patron, along with their preference for the language of instruction (Irish or English) of the new school, from parents of children who reside in the school planning areas concerned, together with the extent of diversity currently available in these areas, are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of this process. It is through this process that a new primary school can be an Irish-medium Gaelscoil or an English-medium school.
Separately, the Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity Process also provides an opportunity to increase the number of Gaelscoileanna nationwide. This new process is aimed at accelerating the delivery of multi-denominational and non-denominational schools towards the Government target of 400 such schools by 2030. The process, which involves the live transfer of existing schools, is designed to provide additional multi-/non-denominational schools in Irish or English and an opportunity is available to English-medium schools seeking to make a transition to Irish-medium provision in that context, in line with the expressed wishes of parents and the local school community.
Separately to the main Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity Process, school communities can directly engage with their school patron regarding transfer of patronage to become a multi-denominational school, including a multi-denominational Irish-medium school. Any school which is seeking a transfer of patronage should contact their school patron directly.
