Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022
315. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if her Department can accommodate the teaching and accommodation needs of children of all ages at primary and second-level schools throughout the country and north County Kildare in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13791/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is aware of some local pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas across the country including north county Kildare.
It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
- Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area.
- School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area.
- Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils.
- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area.
The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across a number of school planning areas through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities/patrons. The Department has been working closely with representatives of schools in Co Kildare to deliver appropriate solutions to provide any required school places, including the provision of necessary accommodation.
Under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland.
Approximately 1,200 school building projects under the Large Scale and Additional Accommodation Scheme are currently in progress across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction – most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period up to 2025. The current status of large-scale projects being delivered under Project Ireland 2040 including north county Kildare, may be viewed on my Department's website at, www.gov.ie and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.
In terms of staffing, my Department allocates teachers to all schools annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.
The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources at primary and post primary level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The primary staffing schedule has been consistently improved in recent years to ensure that less pupils are required to recruit or retain a teacher. Furthermore, primary schools that project an increase in enrolment may apply for an additional teacher allocation and provisional approval is sanctioned in May pending official confirmation of enrolments in September.
School place needs across all school planning areas will continue to be kept under review, using refreshed Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and other updated information as they become available.
