'Dozens' of Kildare South families left without a suitable school place for 2025/2026 - TD

Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South, Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, has raised serious concerns after reportedly dozens of families across the constituency reported being left without an appropriate primary school place for their children for the 2025/2026 school year.

Deputy Ní Raghallaigh said that Junior Infants classes in both non-denominational and Irish-medium schools are “heavily oversubscribed” and that the situation is becoming untenable for parents who simply want their children educated locally and in the ethos and language of their choice.

“Families have a right to decide the ethos and the language of instruction of their children’s education,” she said. “Right now, that right is being denied. The government is failing to uphold the most basic expectations of a public education system.”

Deputy Ní Raghallaigh has written to Minister for Education Helen McEntee, urging her to take immediate action to ensure that additional capacity is secured for 2025/26 and that families are not forced into schools that do not reflect their needs or values.

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“This is one of the most fundamental public service issues facing families in Kildare South,” she said.

“Parents should not be left scrambling, anxious, or feeling powerless. Government must intervene to provide the school places our communities clearly need.”

Deputy Ní Raghallaigh encouraged any family who did not receive a place in their preferred local school to contact her office at: shonagh.niraghallaigh@oir.ie