A “staggering” number of children will be without a place in secondary school next year, according to the Social Democrats.

On The Pat Kenny Show today TD Jennifer Whitmore said the Department of Education is aware of the issue but is yet to take action.

Counties where the ‘enrolment crisis’ is most severe include Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Deputy Whitmore said the number of required secondary school places “should be predictable” years in advance.

“That’s probably the most frustrating aspect of this,” she said.

“All the department would need to do is look at the numbers in fifth and sixth class to identify the number of places needed and make sure they are accommodated the following year.

“It should be predictable in areas like Greystones where we have had high population growth.”

Greystones

Deputy Whitmore said her the problem is particularly acute in her constituency town of Greystones, County Wicklow.

“I have had a lot of contact from parents and would estimate about 70 children in Greystones will be without a secondary school place this year,” she said.

“Students want to know what school they are going to be going to, all their friends are talking about it and they’re doing entrance exams.

“It’s a normal transition for them, but around 70 students don’t have that security or knowledge.”

Deputy Whitmore added that some parents have applied to “six or seven” schools in the region and have been unsuccessful – such is the demand for places in Wicklow.

Dublin 8

D8 School Action Group Spokesperson Louise Fitzpatrick said school places have been a problem in her area for generations.

“In the Dublin 8 area there are only enough places in secondary schools to accommodate half the children who live here,” she said.

“So, for generations, families have been leaving here to get secondary education for various reasons, and in recent years we see this really exacerbating.

“We’re also in an urban city centre area where it’s very difficult to travel across the city to get to secondary school places.”

Culture

The issue of school places in Dublin 8 is also one of culture, according to Ms Fitzpatrick.

“Of the population living here, 62% are not Catholic and 40% are not Irish,” she said.

“We have a huge, diverse and multicultural population with no school to reflect that.

“Of the five schools, which five schools in an area the size of Dublin 8 is very small, all are governed by religious bodies.

“We have no access to multidenominational schools.”

There are currently over 400,000 children enrolled in secondary school in Ireland.

Main image: A teacher teaches his students. Image: Wavebreak Media ltd / Alamy Stock Photo