Once again, many families in Dublin 15 are facing Easter with total uncertainty about the future of their child and their school place.

This week, the schools have begun to inform parents officially of whether or not their child has a school place for September 2007 and where that school place is.

What is emerging already is that many children are not getting a place in the school of their preference. There is a particular crisis in the Luttrelstown area where many families living directly beside St. Patrick’s National School have been told that they are not being offered a place. Instead, parents will have to bring their children considerable distances to other schools in the area. As public transport does not serve these routes, this allocation of school places will add to the existing traffic congestion in the Luttrelstown area in the mornings.

Deputy Burton has also been contacted by parents concerned about the allocation of places in Mary Mother of Hope NS in Clonee.

There appears now to be 30 plus on the waiting list for Castleknock Community College, even though the school has agreed to accept an extra 30 children into first year next year.

Deputy Burton said, “This week’s allocation of school places has brought considerable distress for parents in the Dublin 15 area. Many are now faced with the prospect of ferrying their children a couple of miles through the traffic every morning, sometimes with older children going a different direction to the child that will start school in September”.

“The parents of Dublin 15 are the victims of the bad planning and short sightedness of the Fianna Fail PD government. I am calling yet again on the Minister to provide the new schools required for the almost 10,000 new homes built in the Dublin 15 area over the last 10 years.”