School Place Stress... ‘They know the demand here, yet it still happens and is getting worse’

Stressed out parents who have been unable to secure school places for their children in Dunshaughlin have spoken of their worry that their children will not have a school to go to in September and their frustration that houses are still being built in the area without basic services such as school places and childcare to back them up.

Despite an assurance from the Department of Education that there will be sufficient school places available and “any required solutions will be put in place,” parents of up to 80 children still unable to get school places are extremely worried.

In a statement the Department said' “Families can be assured that all children who require a school place will be provided with one.

“Officials have been in contact with primary schools in the Dunshaughlin school planning area and have requested admissions data for September 2026 to be submitted for further analysis.”

Last year parents faced similar worries with dozens of children left without a school place and a second junior infants class was eventually put on in Dunshaughlin CNS to accommodate the additional numbers seeking places.

This year the situation appears to be even worse with around 80 children believed to be on waiting lists for places and as yet there has been no confirmation that any additional classes will be put on. With Dunshaughlin CNS currently in temporary accommodation on a tight site at the local GAA club, parents are concerned that that they will not be in a position to put in any additonal prefabs to facililate a second class this year even if the Department of Education sanctioned one.

Last Thursday evening, Meath East TD Darren O'Rourke raised the shortage of school places in Dunshaughlin in the Dáil, seeking a commitment that additional capacity would be provided. However the response from Junior Minister for Education Michael Moynihan will have done little to reassure parents.

When pressed by Department O'Rourke for a solution for parents for September, he replied: “I will go back and engage fully with the Department to ensure we do understand and there is a roadmap to try and facilitate every student.”

He said he was taking on board the points made by Deputy O'Rourke and report back with a further response.

There are three schools in Dunshaughlin itself- St Seachnalls NS, Dunshaughlin CNS and Gaeilscoil na Ríthe- while Rathbeggan NS is about five kilometres outside Dunshaughlin and all are oversubscribed for September.

Emma Ainsworth told how she had her daughter Ivy's name down in all four schools thinking surely they would get one of them as she will be five in July but didn't.

She said Ivy is mid-way down the waiting list for Dunshaughlin CNS and the same for both St Seachnalls and Rathbeggan.

“I knew from last year talking to other parents who difficult it was, yet here we are 12 months on and it is even worse.”

She told how they had bought their house in Cnoc Tiarnach in 2019 specifically because of the amenities and services available in Dunshaughlin including access to local schools.

“Both myself and my husband work full time, and travelling outside the area for school is simply not an option. We do not have family or support nearby who could assist with school runs, and the logistics of commuting to another school such as Skryne, Dunboyne and Culmullen would be impossible for us to manage.”

Emma said even if they are lucky enough to get a school place in Dunshaughlin, the next hurdle is that there not enough afterschool places. “It shouldn't be this hard,” she said.

A post on the local Dunshaughlin Grapevine facebook page earlier this week asking about people in a similar situation saw Emma inundated with calls.

“The phone has not stopped since it went up on Tuesday night. It seems if your child was born after May, they are not guaranteed a space.”

Some of Ivy's friends have got their places and Emma said Ivy keeps asking will she be going to school with her friends and all they can say is that she will be going to school but they don't know where.

As she is five in July keeping her another year is not an option.

“How are we here? This isn't new information. They know the demand that is here, yet it still happens and is getting worse. The houses are still getting built. “

Emma described the reply from Minister Moynihan as “incredibly frustrating”.

“He completely deflected from what was asked of him and relied on a scripted answer that didn’t address the real issue — that there simply are not enough school places available this September. I’m very grateful to Darren O’Rourke for challenging his response and pushing back on the points that were ignored.”

Ciara McCormack who lives in the Willows is very worried about her son, Fionn who will be five in July.

“We were looking forward to him going to school with friends and neighbours within the community come September.”

However Fionn is on waitlists for four schools - he is 35th on the waitlist for Gaelscoil na Rithe, 28th on St Seachnaill's, 45th on Dunshaughlin CNS and 21st on the Rathbeggan waitlist.

“We are extremely concerned and stressed that come September he will not have anywhere to attend school. We are at loss at what to do. I even went as far as Cullmullen a 12 minute drive away, where when I dropped and application form in I was told I was too late for waitlist but I would be placed on late applications list.

“We have reached out to two schools in Dunboyne to try to get a place for Fionn and one has a waitlist which seems smaller but there are no guaranteed places.

“This would mean longer commute to work in the morning after school drop off - and we would have to try to manage how we would collect him from here.

“We both work full time, pay our taxes and and I have just returned to work myself fulltime after maternity leave and have been struggling to get back into the work environment. I feel I have to fight for a basic necessity of education for my son..

“We love Dunshaughlin and chose to raise our family here, but the number of new houses and apartments being built without any forward planning from the Department of Education in relation to schools, or any infrastructure for that matter, is just negligent and is leading to severe pressure on parents having to travel to allow their children to access basic education.”

She said this was not an isolated issue in the area in relation to infrastructure and resources. “Creche places are limited and I had to put my unborn child's name down to even go on a waitlist and have even been told the creche my son attends may not have a place for her. They have also done away with drop offs and afterschool as of 2026 and won't facilitate any part time care, only full time creche places from 2026.

“We are just severely stressed at this stage and just don't want other parents in the same boat in coming years. Something really needs to be done,” she said.

Response from the Dept of Education

Dept of Education says it will put any ‘required solutions in place’ to provide school places

In its response to our questions about the shortage of junior infants places in Dunshaughlin for the coming year, the Department of Education and Youth appears to reassure parents that all children who require a school place will get one.

When contacted by the Meath Chronicle, a spokesperson for the Department of Education confirmed that officials have been in contact with primary schools in the Dunshaughlin school planning area and have requested admissions data for September 2026 to be submitted for further analysis.

“The department will ensure that there are sufficient school places available and will put any required solutions in place. Families can be assured that all children who require a school place will be provided with one.”

Speaking generally about capital funding for schools in Meath, the spokesperson said that between 2020 and 2025, the department has provided over €459 million in capital funding.

“Over this period, a total of 62 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are currently 14 school projects in Meath under construction.

“Another six school projects will go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027, and this summer, 10 schools are approved to undergo works as part of the Summer Works Scheme / Climate Action scheme.

“In addition, since 2020 a total of 119 special classes have been opened in Meath, 12 of which were sanctioned for September 2026.”

Regarding Dunshaughlin specifically, the spokesperson said there are a number of active projects at primary and post-primary level in progress which will increase capacity. This includes a new school building project for Colaiste Rioga, which will provide post-primary capacity of 1,000 and six special education classrooms, which is currently at Stage 4 and a new school building project for Dunshaughlin Community National School which will provide eight mainstream classrooms and two special education classrooms, with scope for expansion. This project is currently at Stage 4.

“Furthermore, a total capital ceiling of €7.55 billion for 2026-2030 was allocated to the department under the NDP Review.

“This is a very significant investment in our Education and Youth sectors and will help deliver on our commitment to have a world-class education system that supports every learner to reach their full potential.

“Our sectoral investment plan published last month sets out the department’s approach to prioritised investment in school infrastructure to ensure that every child has a school place and to support the overall operation of the school system and Youth Sector in terms of capital infrastructure.

“There is a strong focus in our plan on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project rollout to meet the most urgent needs particularly to support special education needs provision.

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