Dunshaughlin parents to go ahead with protest outside Dáil

A group of Dunshaughlin parents are to go ahead with their planned protest outside the Dáil this morning despite the Department of Education last night confirming that an additional junior infants place will be put on at Dunshaughlin Community National School in September.

Confirmation came late yesterday evening in a statement from the Department of Education that the additional class had been sanctioned and just before a protest by affected parents who did not have a school place for their child planned for today.

Despite the confirmation of additional places, parents are still frustrated by the lack of communication and information and decided to go ahead with their protest.

Aine McKenna one of the parents leading the campaign said they say they still don't know how many children are without places or when they will be receive letters of offer for their children.

She said they have identified 40 children without a place through their 'Whats App' group but asked what if there are other parents still out there without a place. Aine also wants to know when she, and other parents will get a letter of offer from the school.

However, she did say there was a "little bit of relief for parents that some kind of agreement is in place."

Aine also highlighted the need for more gaelscoileanna places in Dunshaughlin for parents who wish their children to be educated through Irish. She said that 22 spaces went to children who already had siblings in Gaelscoil na Ríthe leaving just four for other children.

In relation to the additional class, a statement from the Department issued last night said: "The Department of Education and Youth is aware of the pressure for junior infant places in Dunshaughlin for September 2026. The department has engaged with the primary schools in the town and has assessed admissions data.

"In response to an identified need, the department has consulted with the patron of Dunshaughlin CNS and has sanctioned the opening of a second junior infant class at the school for 2026. Final arrangements are being put in place. Offers will be made in due course."

Meath East TD Helen McEntee said along with the additional class, there is spare capacity for 15 other places as the anticipated figures for last year's additional junior infants class didn't materialise to the extent it had been expected.

She said there are currently 31 children on the waiting list for Dunshaughlin CNS and encouraged any other parents who had not applied for the school, perhaps due to missing the earlier deadline, to apply as soon as possible.

Minister McEntee said: "We agreed last year if there was a need for an additional classroom this year, that it would be at the Community National School and that is happening now.

"We knew that additional capacity was needed last year but the numbers didn't materialise to the extent we expected and there is capacity there for those places to be offered to parents too.

"If there are parents who do not have a place, who did not apply to the Dunshaughlin CNS, they should apply as soon as possible," she said adding that she was "adamant" that all children requiring a place would get one. Minister McEntee said the places would be offered today.