The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD today announced the patronage of the four new post-primary schools to be established in 2021.

In all cases, the Minister accepted the recommendations of the New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG).

Today’s announcement forms an essential part of plans to ensure that sufficient new school places are available to cater for the growing numbers of pupils at post-primary level over the coming years.

The new post-primary schools are being established in September 2021 as part of the Government’s commitment to invest heavily in education with 47 new schools to be established between 2019 and 2022 to cater for demographic growth. Following an updated review of demographics at post-primary level, the Minister recently announced that she has approved a number of changes to the list of post-primary schools to be established in 2021, including that schools will be established, as planned, in the Ballincollig and Booterstown_Blackrock & Dún Laoghaire school planning areas, while new post-primary schools will also be established in the Dunshaughlin and Gorey school planning areas.

The Minister said: “Parental preference is a key factor in deciding the patronage of new schools and I’m delighted that despite the ongoing Covid-19 situation, engagement levels from parents for this patronage process is generally in line with engagement levels in previous patronage processes. The views of parents as expressed through the process are reflected in the decisions I have made on the patronage of these four new schools.”

The four new post-primary schools to be established in 2021 will provide significant additional places in the areas they will serve and between them will have capacity to cater for more than 2,700 post-primary students when fully developed.

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