Last November, I wrote to new Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton to highlight the serious issue with lack of school places in Kilternan. I highlighted where the challenges are and offered to help the Minister in any way I can to address them. 5 months later I’ve received a lengthy reply that on the surface doesn’t say a lot, but I can summarise the reply as saying:
I will not stop calling out these delaying tactics by the Minister in the face of a growing school places crisis in Kilternan. If you are going to be looking for a school place in the area for 2027, my advice is to start lobbying the Minister and her party colleagues who represent Kilternan as soon as possible. If you would like to email me on ooconnor@cllr.dlrcoco.ie I can help you with this.
Here is the reply in full below. My original letter to the Minister is here.
Cllr. Oisín O’Connor
OOConnor@cllr.dlrcoco.ie
PLEASE QUOTE REF NUMBER ON ALL CORRESPONDENCE
Our Ref: EDU-OCU-03122-2025
Dear Oisín,
I refer to your further representations in relation to the patronage for a new school in the Kilternan School Planning Area.
I wish to advise that requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.
In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, 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.
Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, the department monitors planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO along with the engagement with local authorities and the construction sector. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes, at a local level, where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.
Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:
• Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
• Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
• Provision of a new school or schools.
If additional accommodation is required, the aim to try and facilitate this, as much as possible, by way of expansion of existing schools rather than establishing new schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 for an increased emphasis on compact growth. In respect of post primary schools, new post primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600-1,000 students and must be co-educational. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit (aonad) in an English-medium school.
New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase so as to ensure that every child has a school place.
There can often be significant overlap across areas and schools, and the nature of the admissions processes is quite complex. With regards to primary enrolments, projected figures indicate that enrolments in the Kilternan area will peak in 2026 and steadily decline year on year. With regards to post-primary enrolments, the majority of pupils attending primary school in the Kilternan SPA, progress to post-primary school in the Ballinteer_Stepaside SPA. For the 2024/25 academic year there were more first year places available than 6th class children and approx. 8% of first year places were unfilled.
The Capital Programme details the school projects that are being progressed under Project Ireland 2040. The current status of large-scale projects being delivered under Project Ireland 2040, may be viewed on the 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 pace of delivery of additional residential development in the south suburbs area of Dublin including Kilternan, along with updated enrolment data and demographic data will be kept under review and this will inform the timing of school requirements in the area.
Yours sincerely,
Hildegarde Naughton TD
Minister for Education and Youth
