904. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the total number of available primary school places in Portmarnock for the upcoming 2026/2027 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43084/26]

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.

The annual enrolment process for new Junior Infants at primary level and new first years at post-primary level is a very large-scale operation that takes place across almost 4,000 schools nationwide and involves approximately 140,000 pupils each year. My department works closely with schools, patrons, and management bodies to ensure that there are sufficient school places available to meet the needs of all children.

My department’s core responsibility is to ensure that schools within an area can, collectively, cater for all pupils seeking places. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of each school’s managerial authority to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act 1998. The availability of places is therefore a matter for each individual school within the framework of admissions legislation. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to, and where a school has places available, the pupil should be admitted. However, where applications exceed the number of available places, a selection process may be required. This selection process, and the enrolment policy on which it is based, must be non-discriminatory and applied fairly to all applicants. Nonetheless, this may mean that some pupils do not secure a place in their first-choice school.

Information on Junior Infant and First-Year intake numbers for individual schools is published in each school’s Admissions Notice on their respective websites. National enrolment data is available on gov.ie.

While my department is aware of enrolment pressures and increased demand for school places in some areas, including Portmarnock, it is important to note that pressures can arise from duplicate applications, applications from outside the area, and school-of-choice factors. In some cases, demographic trends and other factors also contribute to the need for additional places.

Current analysis of data indicates that the five primary schools in the Portmarnock SPA enrol more pupils than live in the area. While around 1,650 primary-aged children reside in the Portmarnock SPA, enrolment is approximately 1,900, indicating a net inflow of about 250 pupils from outside the area. This suggests the schools serve a wider catchment and that local capacity is supporting demand beyond the resident population.

My department has previously been in contact with schools in Portmarnock and requested admissions data from each school. My department has confirmed that there is capacity in the area and encourages parents who have not yet secured a place to consider applying to schools with available junior infant capacity in the area.