I look forward to working with all colleagues, particularly in this area. I thank the Deputy for asking this question as it is an important and live issue, in particular for students who will sit the leaving certificate in the years ahead. It is for this reason that, in the last few weeks, I have met nearly all the unions and representative bodies representing teachers, principals, schools in general, boards of management, parents and, importantly, students. These conversations were not just about senior cycle reform. What was clear when it came to senior cycle reform is that we are all on the same page and want to ensure we have a senior cycle that is modern, fit for purpose and, above all, prepares our young people for the world we live in today. What is also clear and what we all agree on is that we need to support our teachers and schools in rolling out that programme. I am absolutely committed to continuing the programme of reform of senior cycle to ensure that students benefit from up-to-date curriculums, more diverse skills development and assessments and that we also reduce stress levels. I am also absolutely committed to working with schools, school leaders and teachers in that regard. The world is changing rapidly and it is essential for all of us to properly equip students to succeed in this changing world. The approach to senior cycle redevelopment is about collaboration and engagement with our stakeholders and partners in education to try to deliver this. That engagement commenced back in 2016 and there has been detailed engagement and consultation since then. In 2023, it was announced that the first tranche of two new subjects and seven revised subjects would be introduced in schools in September of this year. Therefore, the first class taking these new and updated subjects will complete their leaving certificate in 2027. The introduction of the new assessment models will help students to develop new skills and reduce the amount of pressure on students. This builds on what is already in place across 28 of the 40 curricular leaving certificate subjects. This is not new when it comes to the additional assessment component but we are trying to modernise and ensure that it applies to the vast majority of subjects.

Sentiment score: 0.36

I think our stakeholders have outlined a number of things clearly. First, they want to ensure teachers feel appropriately trained and equipped because they want to ensure they are giving their best and students get the best outcomes. A number of training programmes have been developed and delivered already and my intention is to try to intensify that and provide even more supports and resources for teachers. Second, it is about ensuring schools and equipment, particularly for the science subjects, are up to speed. While schools have been given a science implementation support grant, which means that some schools are getting funding ranging from €13,000 to €24,000, with our DEIS schools receiving an additional 10% uplift, I am looking to see if we can provide more to ensure our schools have the equipment they need. We have other programmes, in particular drama, film and theatre studies, where schools have to get cameras, lighting and audio, computer and staging equipment. All of these elements are being provided. Third, there is an issue or concern around artificial intelligence. AI is here and the technology is here to stay but teachers want to know how to use it and incorporate it into how students are working, as well as how they should assess it. There is guidance in place but my Department is working with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, to ensure we have even more guidance prepared for our teachers.

Sentiment score: 0.46

The most important thing here is that students benefit from the updated curriculums. In order to support teachers, I have asked my Department to intensify engagement. There are meetings happening on a weekly, if not biweekly, basis to ensure we look at how we can provide more and additional training, to ask if more resources need to be provided, to look at how we ensure that clear guidance is in place when it comes to AI and, above all, to ensure that teachers, principals, schools and, in particular, students are supported to avail of what I believe will be a very important transformation for them. There will also be the publication of papers at the beginning of April. Exam papers are usually printed the year before. In this case, it will be done two years before the exams and there will be four papers for each subject, two papers at each level, in Gaeilge and Béarla. This means there will be 72 papers published. It is very important to show the type of exams, projects and assessments that will be coming down the line also. I am absolutely committed to supporting schools, school leaders, teachers and students to ensure they get the best out of this and are as prepared as they can be. This is a very important reform, as we all agree.

Sentiment score: 0.40

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I appreciate, particularly in areas of huge growth, how important it is to have an adequate number of schools and schools adjacent to and near where students are living. That is the most important thing. My Department has a robust forward planning process which considers population and enrolment data. When it comes to the Dublin 15 area, the Department tells me there is sufficient post-primary school capacity to cater for the existing population. Looking ahead it is also making sure we are looking at projected population expansion, new developments and other people who may come into the area. One relevant indicator is that there are more first-year places available in the existing post-primary schools than there are sixth-class pupils living in the Dublin 15 area. Furthermore, officials in my Department have an ongoing engagement with Fingal County Council in respect of planning new residential developments. Based on this available information and other elements, the school capital projects in the existing schools building programme are expected to cater for the projected additional school place demands resulting from such developments. My Department is satisfied there is no requirement for a new school in that area. However, it has established that there is currently considerable movement of Dublin 15 pupils out of the local communities in which they live to attend post-primary schools. This is most acute in the Mulhuddart-Tyrellstown planning area where enrolment numbers are significantly lower than the school-going population. There are currently more than 1,000 post-primary school pupils leaving this area each day to attend school in other parts of Dublin 15. Ériu Community College, as the Deputy mentioned, was established in 2020 on an interim basis in Dublin 15. This was in response to the identified deficit of local capacity. My Department has determined that Hollywoodrath is the most appropriate permanent location for this school and will provide much-needed capacity in the Mulhuddart-Tyrellstown area, while freeing up capacity in other schools in Dublin 15. That assists in addressing the imbalance of post-primary school capacity across the area. I will refer to the other schools where we know there is additional capacity.

Sentiment score: 0.17

I will outline the capacity that exists in that area. Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School was established for 1,000 pupils. It has 848 pupils enrolled at present. Edmund Rice College, which was established for 1,000 pupils, has 813 pupils enrolled at present. An extension planned for Castleknock Community College will provide approximately 200 additional places. That is essentially a school between the three colleges which have capacity. In addition, there is scope for further expansion in the existing post-primary schools should additional places be required. It seems the demand and need are in the Tyrellstown area, where 1,000 pupils are leaving the area to go to other schools. The intention was that this school would never be permanent. It was to be a temporary base until the new school was developed. I appreciate this might impact the students who are currently in the school, as the Deputy mentioned. They are moving 9 km away. However, by the time the permanent school is built, the majority of those will have moved on. The class of 2027-28 will be new. However, the transition for those who are left will have to be carefully managed. The Department will continue to review this. As the Deputy said, we have to do that because demographics change over time.

Sentiment score: 0.02

The reason that Ériu Community College is moving back is that there are 1,000 pupils moving out of the Mulhuddart-Tyrellstown area every day to attend other parts of the school. I appreciate the Deputy's point that other parts of the community are expanding and growing. The Department has to plan ahead looking at the data it has and is available. To plan for school provision, you have to look at the demographic data. It is divided into 314 different school areas from a range of sources. There is the CSO data, the child benefit data, school enrolment data as well as developments in the local authorities. The Deputy has outlined it is a young and growing population. This is taken into consideration when there is a new development and new schools are being looked at and, in particular, what area they should go into. It is on that basis that these decisions have been taken, but I am open to this because I know in the south of Meath in my home county there has been a massive growth in population. Where we need additional schools to those that have already been planned, we need to always keep these figures and projections under review. It will take time for this school to move to its new location, so the students the Deputy has mentioned will most likely serve their school time-----

Sentiment score: 0.17

-----and finish their schooling in the area they are currently in. Of course, any issues around transport and so on have to be addressed.

Sentiment score: 0.00

The Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience and is supported to reach their full potential. Key to that is making sure we have the teachers, not just at primary level but also at post-primary level, and that teaching staff in schools are qualified, engaged and supported in the work they do. As with all sectors, there are recruitment challenges in some, but not all, schools. We know particular areas and parts of the country are affected. To address teacher supply issues, the Government has already implemented a number of measures that have led to an increase of 20% in initial teacher education graduates. In other words, the number of student teachers increased by 20% between 2018 and 2023, which has resulted in a 30% increase in the number registered with the Teaching Council since 2017. Between 2018 and 2024, there was a significant increase in allocated teaching posts at primary and post-primary levels, with more than 5,500, or 13.08%, at primary level and 17%, or more than 6,000, at post-primary level. We acknowledged that there needed to be an increase and we introduced a number of measures in recent budgets, including a STEM bursary, a professional master of education, PME, fee refund scheme and an expansion of upskilling programmes. These were in addition to workforce planning for teachers and SNAs, reflecting the commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply. The Department has also been working on an analysis of the teacher workforce. Data for March 2024 show that there were more than 78,000 qualified teachers employed in Ireland, with 43,000 at primary level, including special schools, and more than 35,000 in post-primary schools. I will make this data available in the near future. I am looking at what further measures we can take. The most acute issue is at post-primary level, in particular for certain subjects. I know from speaking to the unions recently that certain schools cannot provide subjects or they have pulled back from them because the teachers are not available. At a very early stage I asked my team and the officials in the Department to look at what is working, what more we can do and where we can think outside the box. Some of that will require simple changes. Other changes may require funding. As such, they will have to be part of the overall budgetary process.

Sentiment score: 0.25

On the Deputy's final question, that work is under way. I hope to see it implemented or progressed in the coming months. I am very aware that while it will not resolve matters, it is will support the provision of additional allocations or teachers. It is very important to me that we do not just support the teachers in schools but also that we have more coming through colleges. I will be working closely with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Lawless, to make sure that we have the relevant and adequate spaces to provide teachers with training and also that we support teachers in schools where there may be a desire to upskill, retrain or move between the various different levels as well. As stated, in the very early days I asked the Department to look at what other ways we could support teachers. The programme for Government clearly sets out a commitment to the development of a workforce plan to recruit and retain teachers, but also to encourage teachers to return. Many teachers have travelled abroad for different reasons - to experience different countries and ways of living - but I want to make sure that as many of them as possible return and, importantly, that they will come back and teach in schools here when they get home.

Sentiment score: 0.42

Perhaps I should have said at the outset that teaching is an attractive career. That is reflected in the fact that there has been a significant increase in the number of people who have applied to become teachers and who have registered with the Teaching Council. The increase of 13% and 17% in both primary and post-primary allocated teaching posts reflects the fact that we committed to increasing the overall number of teachers. I appreciate that we need to do more. For that reason, I hope as soon as possible to outline a number of ways in which we can encourage even more entrants into the profession and that we can retain and support those who are there. That could be, for example, by working through a new overall pay agreement. In recent years the starter salary for teachers has increased significantly through those negotiations. They must happen on a whole-of-government basis. We are focused on what more we can do to support those in leadership positions and to provide resources to make sure that we have a continued increase in the capacity of our capital programme, which has seen billions invested in recent years. All of this will help us address the challenges that exist but also provide positive opportunities for students and teachers.

Sentiment score: 0.52