Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2024
301. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education to outline any provision made for additional primary school classroom facilities, that is, prefabs, which may be introduced to increase capacity for third- and fourth-class students in the Lusk and Rush area of Dublin for the 2024-2025 school term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19007/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department in not in receipt of any applications for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from schools in the Rush and Lusk school planning area for mainstream classrooms.
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.
The main focus of the Department’s resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on the provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics.
It is also open to the schools authorities to submit an Additional accommodation application; further information can be found on the Departments website: www.gov.ie/en/service/563cae-additional-accommodation-scheme. My officials are available to work with any schools who wish to apply for the ASA scheme and help them through this process.
I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
