Primary school places in Swords and Donabate

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he is taking to resolve the shortage of primary school places in Swords; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he is taking to resolve the shortage of primary school places in Donabate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.


REPLY

As the Deputy will be aware, I announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022), including three new schools to be established in the Swords and Donabate areas as follows:
A new 8-classroom primary school to serve Swords South to be established in 2019;
A new 8-classroom primary school to serve the Swords North to be established in 2019;
A new 16-classroom school to serve the Donabate school planning area to be established in 2020.
This announcement follows nationwide demographic exercises carried out by my Department into the future need for primary and post-primary schools across the country and the 4-year horizon will enable increased lead-in times for planning and delivery of the necessary infrastructure.
In addition to the new schools announced, there will be a need for further school accommodation in other areas in the future.  Consideration is given to the possibility of providing for increased demand in an area through extending the capacity of existing schools by way of a building project or temporary accommodation where there is a short-term requirement or extensions to existing schools. The current status of large-scale projects being delivered under the school building programme may be viewed on my Departments website, www.education.ie, and this is updated monthly. A list of large scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.