What is Area Planning?
Area Planning is about having the right number and types of primary and post primary schools, in the right places, so children are attending schools that are sustainable. It is a cross sectoral process that CCMS delivers in collaboration with the Education Authority and other sectoral bodies, that is driven by the Department of Education's Sustainable Schools Policy.
When schools are sustainable, they can give their pupils access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Too many schools means the available resources are spread more thinly across the system.
Click here for frequently asked questions and answers.
What does it involve?
To make a change to school provision (e.g. expansion, amalgamation, closure etc.) a 'Development Proposal' must be consulted upon and submitted by the school's planning authority to the Department of Education.
CCMS is the planning authority for Catholic maintained schools.
The decision to approve or reject a proposal rests with the Department of Education. Details of Development Proposal decisions are published at Area Planning Overview.
Key Documents
In terms of current development proposals with DOE at either public consultation stage or awaiting a decision, please see link for up-to-date information on individual projects from all sectors:
Current Development Proposals
Please see link below for the most recent development proposal decisions, from all sectors:
Development Proposal Decisions-2025
Please see, DoE for updates on submissions/proposals