2026-04-23

1. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in Dunshaughlin, County Meath on waiting lists and still without an offer of a junior infants place for September 2026; the measures she will take to provide additional places, including with respect to language and ethos preferences; the date on which she will meet with Meath East TDs and local principals to discuss possible options; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29467/26]

I want to ask the Minister the number of children in Dunshaughlin, County Meath, on waiting lists and still without an offer of a junior infants place for September 2026, the measures she will take to provide additional places, including with respect to language and ethos preferences, the date on which she will meet with Meath East TDs and local principals to discuss possible options, and if she will make a statement on the matter.

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 me. Recognising the potential for school place pressures, my Department has been engaging on an ongoing basis with the primary schools in Dunshaughlin and has assessed application and admissions data provided by those schools. In response to the identified need, my Department has engaged with the patron of Dunshaughlin Community National School and has sanctioned the opening of a second junior infant class at the school for 2026. Department officials have been advised by the school that offers have now been made. Parents can be assured that all pupils in Dunshaughlin will have a place available for September. It is important to note also that construction work on the new school building for Dunshaughlin Community National School is progressing well and is scheduled to be completed by early 2027. My Department's responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area. With respect to language and ethos preferences, parents have the right to choose which school to apply to. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary. This may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. Each year, 140,000 children and young people enter a new school, mainly at junior infant level and at first year in post-primary schools. On the whole, admissions processes run smoothly each year. My Department is required to engage with schools and patrons in only a handful of cases to make additional class capacity available. The annual enrolment process for new junior infants classes at primary and first year at post-primary is a large-scale operation. As the Deputy will be aware, there are close to 4,000 schools in the country and there are 140,000 new pupils involved.

I take from the Minister's response that it is her understanding that the extra class at Dunshaughlin Community National School will accommodate all the additional children who were on waiting lists. It is my clear understanding that this is not the case. There are children who are still without an offer and children who are not on waiting lists and there are certainly children - in the region of 30 - who do not have an offer of the Irish-medium school place that they want. In the first instance, I understand there were 26 additional places at Dunshaughlin Community National School. Today is the closing date for acceptance of offer. My understanding is that there are a number of children who are still without an offer. Does the Minister know what that number is? What are her plans to accommodate them?

There is ongoing engagement between the Department and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, with the schools. In relation to the Gaelscoil, because this is related and it is within the area, my Department has been in ongoing contact with the school. As of 14 April, there are 30 pupils remaining on its waiting list. It is important to note that some of those pupils may have accepted a place elsewhere in the area. The school has contacted all families on the waiting list to confirm whether they wish to remain on it and these 30 pupils have confirmed that they do. There is some duplication between waiting lists for the community national school and the Gaelscoil. Once acceptances have been confirmed by children on the waiting list for the community national school who are being offered places in the newly sanctioned class, those on the Gaelscoil waiting list will be advised of its remaining places. It is the Department's responsibility to make sure there are places within a catchment area. An ongoing extension project for the Gaelscoil will provide two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and two special education rooms. The project, as the Deputy may be aware, is currently at stage 2b, detailed design.

I will speak frankly here. This is an incredibly frustrating process. I have to say that today feels like more of the same. We are in a situation in Dunshaughlin where, taking into account the additional places at the community national school, there will still be children from Dunshaughlin without an offer of a school place. That is where we are going to be at the end of today and into tomorrow. There are a large number of children who want Irish-medium education and they are being denied that opportunity. There is a clear solution here, and it was set out outside the Dáil when parents came up to protest. The much-needed additional capacity at the community national school is very welcome but also additional capacity and extra places are also needed at the Gaelscoil. There is a proposal in that regard. Will the Minister meet the principals and local TDs? As suggested by her Government colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, will the Minister meet them to discuss possible solutions to advance this and ensure every child has a school place?

I reiterate that I am in ongoing engagement with Oireachtas Members, including the Deputy today and other colleagues. My Department is engaging on an ongoing basis with Dunshaughlin Community National School. As I said, parents can be assured that all pupils in Dunshaughlin will have a place available for September. The construction of a new school for Dunshaughlin Community National School is progressing. That is well under way. That will be completed in early 2027. In relation to the Gaelscoil, two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and two special education rooms are at stage 2b and planning permission was granted in February of this year. We are aware of the demographics and demands in the area. As I said, we were in contact with the Gaelscoil in relation to its waiting list and it is working through that. There is ongoing engagement. The Deputy can be assured that for parents - I know this is the main concern - we will work intensively to make sure children have a place in the area for the new school year.