Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 July 2021
82. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the serious challenges related to the provision of secondary school places for September 2021 in Greystones, County Wicklow; the steps she will take to ensure that the solutions offered are future proofed to avoid the same issues in the coming years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35175/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 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, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area 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 information on significant new residential development in each area. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes.
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.
As the Deputy will be aware, in April 2018 the Government announced plans for the establishment of 47 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022), including a new regional solution for the Kilcoole and Greystones area and this new school opened in Greystones for the 2020/2021 school year.
The following post-primary schools currently serve the Greystones School Planning Area:
- Templecarrig Secondary School Greystones – this is a co-educational school with capacity for 750 pupils and was established in 2014. The Department has recently approved an extension to this school to expand the capacity of the school to 1,000 pupils plus 3 special education needs bases. The school enrolled additional first year pupils in September 2021 on this basis.
- Greystones Community College – this new co-educational school was established in 2020 as a regional solution for the Kilcoole/Greystones area. The proposal is to provide permanent accommodation for 1,000 pupils in the school when it is fully developed. The school has been approved additional interim temporary accommodation for 2021. The school enrolled additional first year pupils in September 2021 on this basis.
- St. David’s Secondary School, Greystones is a co-educational school and a major building project to expand the school to cater for 750 pupils commenced on site in October 2020. This project is expected to be completed by July 2023.
In addition, there is the existing school in the adjacent Kilcoole School Planning Area, Coláiste Craobh Abhann, which currently has accommodation for 750 pupils and for which there is a major project approved to expand the school to 1,000 pupils. This project is in early architectural planning and is being delivered by the National Development Finance Agency. Additional temporary accommodation was also approved for the school for 2021 to cater for expanding enrolments pending completion of this extension and this allowed the school to increase their first year pupil intake for 2021.
My Department is satisfied that with the establishment of Greystones Community College as a new regional school for the Greystones/Kilcoole area and with the completion of the building projects at St. David’s Secondary School, Greystones, Templecarraig Secondary School and Coláiste Craobh Abhann, Kilcoole that the resulting additional permanent accommodation will meet the future accommodation needs are post primary level in the area.
