Results 1-20 of 228 for going forward speaker:Norma Foley

Seanad: School Enrolments: Motion (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: ...include 31 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.2 billion. As part of a review of the national development plan allocations, Government recently approved new medium-term capital allocations for the Department of Education. This allows us to move forward with plans to further expand the number of available...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disadvantaged Status (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I do not disagree with the Deputy. It is important for the Department to have an independent assessment of the work of DEIS and then we will have an opportunity to see where we can go forward. The OECD Strength through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies project is currently engaged in a review. It has been here, and was here last summer. It is reviewing the entire DEIS area. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Accommodation (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: ...is satisfied that the provision of a new school entity at post-primary level in the east Cork area is not required at this time. We will, however, keep it under review. I will specifically refer, going forward, to the plan the Deputy mentioned.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Education Schemes (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: ...mid-April we have been fortunate to allocate a third counsellor, and we will continue to recruit in that space. It is interesting that there are two pilots because it will give us greater learning going forward as to whether a combination of the two, or one or the other is the most appropriate with which to move forward. With specific regard to those who are training under the NEPS...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Grant Payments (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: .... That is being done between the Department’s planning and building unit and the management of patron bodies that represent the schools. Specifically, in terms of the ambitious project that is going forward, in the last number of years under this Government, more than 800 projects were completed. There are currently 300 projects at various stages of construction at this point...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: We depended on the HSE CHO areas to provide that information. In some areas, we got some of that information. In others, we got less, and in others, it was less again. There was not fairness because we were not getting the information that was needed across those CHO areas. It was determined that there was one place where that information would be available, which is within the school,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: .... When the tender is completed, we will have a better view of who will be involved, what it will involve and so on. The general theme here is that there will be additional well-being supports going into post-primary schools. There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE, especially with well-being and health supports in the community and all that. I want to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (9 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: ...schools immediate needs. This is with a view to making the most appropriate provision possible for the school and for its current and future students and these classrooms have since been delivered. The Department has had on-going engagement with this school with a site visit by the Department's Professional Technical team carried out in recent months. Officials are considering...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: State Examinations (13 Feb 2024)

Norma Foley: ...the timing of these examinations. Following completion of this wider evaluation process, the SEC will provide advice to my Department on the future timing of the leaving certificate oral examinations going forward. In the interim, the SEC considered it preferable to extend the Easter holiday timing for a further year and to mirror the arrangements that applied in 2023 again in 2024....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Admissions (13 Feb 2024)

Norma Foley: I want to be very clear; the Department carries out considerable forward planning. We have a geographical information system that allows us to look at current data and projected data. We engage with local authorities, school patrons and management bodies. We are consistently planning forward. That can be seen in the 300 projects currently under construction, which I have mentioned. That...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pleananna Oideachais (13 Feb 2024)

Norma Foley: ...ar líne agus glao ar aighneachtaí scríofa, sraith grúpaí fócais, agus cruinnithe déthaobhacha idir mo Roinn agus páirtithe leasmhara. Tá anailís déanta ag Sealbhú, ionad taighde in DCU, ar an eolas ar fad a bailíodh le linn an chomhairliúcháin. Tá na tuairiscí faoi bhráid an Choiste Stiúrtha...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: ...that we have two different types of models, as it were, so that at the end of the day we will be able to adjudicate which model, or maybe a combination of the two models, will best meet our needs going forward. It is a new step for primary education, but it is a valuable one.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Our inspectors have done a considerable body of work in that space. That work is continuing. Every day, we are conscious of areas in which we can improve things going forward. I would not for one minute say there have not been impacts as a consequence of Covid. I outlined other measures, such as the summer provision and the additional class hours, that we provided. Right throughout...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: ...system under review. It is my hope that we might have additional funding to run a second stream of this. We received 2,727 applications for the funding. We will keep everything under review going forward. I hear what the Deputy is saying, but there was a fair method used in the context of the process. It was fair insofar as no favouritism was shown to one school above another.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Yes. Perhaps there are opportunities to combine the two going forward. We do keep it under review and I will keep the Deputy updated.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: ...body of work and an important piece of work. The whole area of special education, particularly in the last number of years, has really evolved. It is a personal view in terms of how we move forward. There is a vision that there would be colocation, that is, there would be a mainstream school and a special school all within the one campus with a view to integration. There would be a...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: We engage with all the stakeholders through forward planning, etc. We look at the local authorities and know their projections. We look at housing developments and many other different things in forward planning or future planning. I cannot give the Deputy a specific answer on Sixmilebridge and whether there is sufficient demand there. I will have to revert to the planning and building...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: ...’s payroll system is being undertaken to generate statistics on the teacher workforce across the country for the 2023-2024 school year and will use this for reporting on workforce statistics going forward. This will include statistics on the Full Time Equivalents (FTE), permanent and fixed contracts, with breakdowns possible by County. This work began recently and is ongoing, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: ...’s payroll system is being undertaken to generate statistics on the teacher workforce across the country for the 2023-2024 school year and will use this for reporting on workforce statistics going forward. This will include statistics on the Full Time Equivalents (FTE), permanent and fixed contracts, with breakdowns possible by County. This work began recently and is ongoing, the...