Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 March 2023
367. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Education in light of the projected increasing population of Kill village and the constrained nature of the current site of a school (details supplied), if her Department's forward-planning unit plans to engage with school management to explore options for the school's expansion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10987/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, in 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, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. Current and planned residential development activity, as well as Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets, additionally inform my Department’s forecasts of school place needs.
Where data indicates that additional provision is required at primary or post primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may beprovided 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 school
- Provision of a new school or schools.
School accommodation requirements across the country, including in Kill are being kept under review.
Separately, it is open to the school authority in question to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)', details of which are at gov.ie - Additional accommodation scheme (www.gov.ie)
The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
My Department has no current record of an application for additional accommodation from the school to which the Deputy refers.
