Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being and for dealing with that matter. The second item I have selected is from Deputy Donnelly, who wishes to discuss the decision to relocate Ériu Community College from Hansfield to Hollywoodrath in 2028. That is a good bit of planning. We are getting in ahead of the posse there anyway.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. He makes a very astute comment about the Department of Education and forward planning, because that is at the heart of this. Today more than 100 parents and students took time to come to the Dáil to voice their anger and frustration at the relocation of Ériu Community College. For many of them it was the very first time they have ever been here or been at a protest. That shows how angry they are. Every so often I have submitted a parliamentary question to the Department on the subject of this school and each time the answer was that no decision had been made. Two weeks ago the Department released the news a permanent site for Ériu had been identified in Hollywoodrath. It needs to be said that the parents of Ériu students in Hansfield and I are delighted the community of Hollywoodrath, Hollystown, Tyrrelstown, Bellingsmore and the wider hinterland are getting a new post-primary school. It is absolutely necessary because there is a need for another post-primary school there. There should not be any winners and losers in this game, but unfortunately there are, because the people of Hansfield are losing. Neither the parents, the parents’ association, the school nor the board of the board of the DDLETB were consulted on this decision by the Department of Education’s forward planning section.

A letter sent to parents by the Department shows a really worrying lack of concern for students in this case:

It is acknowledged that re-locating the school may cause difficulty for some of the current school community. However, it is hoped that the impact will be reduced with careful management by the school authority. It is anticipated that the current school population will be close to completing post primary education in advance of the re-location.

What this actually means is the Department knows most of the current cohort of students are going to be sitting their leaving certificate that year or are going to be in fifth year. The Department knows they will be affected by this decision. It shows a lack of care for the students by the Department for whom it is established to provide an educational system. As I said, there has been zero consultation about this decision, which certainly was not made by people who live in Dublin 15.

I believe it is also the first time a school has ever been relocated outside its catchment area. This means future students who live in Hansfield will not be able to access it. There is only one post-primary school left in the area. The other school is outside the catchment area and is oversubscribed every single year. Hansfield has seen in excess of 3,000 homes built in the past ten years. Barnhill, which is across the railway, has a planning application for 1,000 homes. Kellystown also has a planning application for 1,000 homes. That is why I talk about the forward planning aspect of this decision. There are plans for three primary schools in the same area over the next few years and three sites have already been identified. That will bring us to six primary schools in the area and one post-primary school in Hansfield.

Hollywoodrath is 8 km away from the catchment area. If anyone knows Dublin 15, Hansfield is in the southern part of it and Hollystown is in the most northern part. It is ridiculous to think parents are going to be travelling from Hansfield to Tyrrelstown. I appreciate that is probably normal in rural areas, but it certainly is not in a very densely populated area of Dublin. It is also worth noting there is no public transport link at all between Hansfield and Tyrrelstown. There is a bridge that allows people get from Hansfield over to Hollystown, but the bridge is only one way. People cannot come back that way and must find an alternative route. There are two other bridges further away, but people cannot come back the way they came. Again, it shows a clear lack of understanding by the Department on this that it never consulted anybody in Dublin 15, not even the DDLETB and the parents’ association. The Department made this decision and it beggars belief.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising those concerns and this issue. I am glad to have the opportunity to work through the Department of Education's planning and how the model was arrived at whereby Ériu Community College will relocate from Hansfield to Hollywoodrath.

To plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas, SPAs, and uses a geographical information system, GIS, that uses data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data and others 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 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 additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular 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, or provision of a new school or schools.

Ériu Community College was initially established in 2020 as a regional solution to serve the Blanchardstown west Dublin 15 and Blanchardstown village Dublin 15 school planning areas as a result of a countrywide demographic exercise. Blanchardstown village Dublin 15 has three post-primary schools and Blanchardstown west Dublin 15 has two post primary schools in addition to Ériu Community College, which is currently located in that SPA. It has been established there is currently a lot of movement of pupils from primary schools within SPAs to post-primary schools in other SPAs. The enrolment numbers in the Mulhuddart-Tyrrelstown Dublin 15 SPA are significantly less than the schoolgoing population, according to the 2022 census, at both primary and post-primary levels. Recent analysis has shown there is a greater current and projected future demand for additional post-primary school places in the Mulhuddart-Tyrrelstown Dublin 15 school planning area as opposed to the Blanchardstown SPAs. Only 40% of the post-primary pupils living in the Mulhuddart-Tyrrelstown SPA attend schools located in Mulhuddart-Tyrrelstown SPA, while a further 27% of these pupils attend post-primary schools located in the Blanchardstown SPAs. Over 65% of pupils living in the Blanchardstown SPAs attend schools located in the Blanchardstown SPAs.

Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School and Coláiste Pobail Setanta in the Blanchardstown west Dublin 15 SPA and Scoil Phobail Chuil Mhin, Blakestown Community School and Hartstown Community School in the Blanchardstown village Dublin 15 SPA were all established to serve their school planning areas, respectively. The Department is satisfied these schools can adequately cater for children residing in these areas. Any additional capacity needed in Blanchardstown to meet rising demand from new residential development in the area can be catered for with extensions to the existing post-primary schools. Department of Education officials are willing to have further engagement with the patron on this matter.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I noted with interest the line in the reply that states "Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level". I find that absolutely puzzling, because I have outlined that there are major developments in planning. Kellystown has already started and the planning application for Barnhill has already gone in. The vast majority of the Hansfield SDZ has just been completed, so it is now built out. There are 3,000 units in that SDZ, of which I would say a good 2,000 have been built in the past five years. I find it absolutely puzzling, therefore, that although the Department states new developments are part of its planning, these have not been considered. It is a fact that three primary school sites have been identified at Kellystown, Barnhill and the actual site Ériu is on.

We have six primary schools in the area and one post-primary school, Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School. The other two are outside of the catchment area. I find it absolutely puzzling. Parents' other real concern is that there are going to be parents in Hansfield looking at Ériu over the next four years. Their children are in fourth, fifth and sixth class as we speak. These parents are going to say that this school is leaving and going over to the other side of Dublin 15 and ask why they should send their children to it. Even the parents of existing children may say they do not want their children to be relocated when preparing for the leaving certificate in fifth and sixth year. The entire school is in flux. The parents of that cohort of students who are going to be doing their leaving certificate in a couple of years' time, when the school is moving, do not want their children to be shifted in the middle of studying for that exam, which we all recognise as really important. There will also be parents with children in fourth, fifth and sixth class who will now be making decisions as to whether to send their children to our school. Is the Department committed to maintaining every option offered in the school as we speak? Will the school's resources be maintained? We need a meeting between the Department of Education's forward planning unit, the Department officials who made this decision, the parents' association, the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB and the school's board of management. That needs to happen so that all of that information can come into play and this decision can be paused.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I know what he is saying and I take careful heed of it. Perhaps such a meeting would be useful. It may be something that could be organised. I reiterate that the Minister has stated that Department of Education officials are very willing to engage with the patron on this matter. I am sure the Deputy's influence with the school carries a lot of weight. He might encourage the patron to take up that offer and to engage with the Minister and the Department, which may allow progress to be made on this issue.