Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
482. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 90 of 23 March 2022, if she will provide a list of existing and growing post primary schools in Sallynoggin, Killiney, Dún Laoighre Rathdown and Cherrywood school planning area and their patronage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17945/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System (GIS) 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.
My Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in a number of school planning areas including Dun Laoighre and Sallynooggin_Killiney_DLR
However, 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.
My Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities. In that context, similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, my Department is engaging with patron bodies, including patrons of schools in Dun Laoighre and Sallynooggin_Killiney_DLR to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train.
Under Project Ireland 2040, my Department continues to make progress to increase the infrastructural capacity in the schools sector, in order to meet demographic and other demands. It is expected that the enrolment pressures in certain areas will reduce in the short-term as such planned additional capacity comes on stream and as demographic demand moves past its peak.
The Capital Programme details the school projects that are being progressed under Project Ireland 2040. The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms, including accommodation for pupils with special educational needs, if required, for schools where an additional enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed. The current status of both large-scale projects and projects under the Additional Accommodation scheme being delivered under Project Ireland 2040, including projects in the area in question, 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.
The list of post primary schools in the Dun Laoighre and Sallynooggin_Killiney_DLR school planning areas are as follows:
Dun Laoighre
- 60050E Oatlands College Christian Brothers
- 60081P Rockford Manor Secondary School CEIST
- 60130C Loreto Abbey Secondary School ETB
- 60180R Christian Brothers College Christian Brothers
- 81001I Newpark Comprehensive School Church Of Ireland
Sallynooggin_Killiney_DLR
- 60090Q Rathdown School – Patron Christian Brothers
- 60092U Clonkeen College Patron -ERST
- 60240J Loreto College Foxrock – Patron ETB
- 60260P St Joseph Of Cluny Secondary School Le Chéile Trust
- 60262T St Laurence College Le Chéile Trust
- 91310E Cabinteely Community School ETB
- 91330K Holy Child Community School Le Chéile Trust
The following schools have been approved for capital funding in respect additional capacity:
- 60050E Oatlands College Christian Brothers. A project is ongoing for 2 x 15m2 resource rooms.
- 91310E Cabinteely Community School ETB. A project is ongoing for 2 classroom SEN Base.
- 60262T St Laurence College Le Chéile Trust. A new project has been approved for 3 Classroom SEN Base, 1 Music Room, 1 Engineering room and prep area and the conversion of existing 100m² ASD room to Textiles room.
The planned establishment of a new post-primary school in 2021 to serve the Sallynoggin_Killiney_DLR/Cherrywood school planning area was announced in 2018. Further analysis has since been conducted on the necessity for the establishment of a new school in this planning area, taking into account a number of factors, including the pace of delivery of the expected additional residential development in the school planning areas, associated enrolments and the capacity in existing schools in the areas. My Department is satisfied that demand in the Sallynoggin_Killiney_DLR/Cherrywood school planning area can be accommodated at present by the existing and growing schools in this area. As a result, the establishment of the planned new school has been deferred.
