Results 181-200 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 77 together. I thank the Deputy for her question on supports available to children and young people in schools. It may be useful to firstly outline the role of my department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS). All schools have access to:a NEPS psychologist for general support and advice.support from a NEPS psychologist in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. A range of measures have been introduced to support schools in their recruitment efforts. One such measure is the PME Fee Refund Scheme. The Department published Circular 0069/2024 Professional Master of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The school referred to by the Deputy had its staffing reduced by one teacher in the current school year due to a drop in enrolments, whereby the school had 23 less pupils than the previous...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is fully supportive and remains committed to the opening of a Gaelcholáiste for Dublin south city. The proposal by the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) for Synge Street CBS to transition to a co-educational Gaelcholáiste is a welcome addition to the variety and diversity of school choice at post-primary level in the Dublin south city area. It will also meet the growing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Constitution acknowledges the family as the primary and natural educator of the child and sets out the rights and duties of the State in the matter of education. The Constitution makes explicit that the State does not oblige parents to send their children to any particular type of school. Parents are free to provide education in their homes, in private schools, or in schools recognised or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework was updated by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) on behalf of my Department, following extensive research, consultation, and deliberation. The Department worked collaboratively with the NCCA and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality on the development and enactment of Aistear. The update of Aistear was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that my department is in receipt of an application for funding under the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA Scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department does not gather or retain data that would facilitate the requested comparisons. Crude comparisons of academic performance alone can be very misleading for students, teachers, parents and communities. Such comparisons are likely to provide an unbalanced and limited indication of a cohort’s overall performance. There are many different factors which feed into a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The scheduling of the school holiday periods during the school year is agreed between the managerial authorities of schools, the teacher unions and my department for the purposes of standardising breaks at Christmas, Easter and mid-term. This is important to ensure certainty for the school community about the dates of school holidays. My department’s policy on the agreed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) as part of a bundled school building programme. The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural process (Pre-Tender Stage). The NDFA are currently working to conclude the pre-tender stage following which a Stage 2b report will be submitted to the Department....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The area of wellbeing and the promotion of positive mental health is a priority for the Department of Education and Youth. This includes promoting emotional wellbeing and resilience and positive coping skills, which support children and young people to manage the complexities of modern life. The department’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health is set out in its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for her question on mental health in our school. At the outset, it is important to note that the provision of child and adolescent mental health services lies specifically within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE. HSE Primary Care Psychology Services and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provide a range of clinical supports to children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The area of wellbeing and the promotion of positive mental health is a priority for the Department of Education and Youth. This includes promoting emotional wellbeing and resilience and positive coping skills, which support children and young people to manage the complexities of modern life. The department’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health is set out in its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 405 and 406 together. I am very conscious of the enormous trauma which has been endured by all survivors of abuse. I have made arrangements to meet with the group referred to by the Deputy so that I can hear directly from them. The Deputy may also wish to note that officials from my Department recently met with them to listen to their concerns and I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes, including the issuing of tickets. Bus Éireann have advised that two tickets issued by post on 04 September 2025 to the address provided by the Deputy. If the family have still not received their tickets they can call Bus Éireann’s Customer Call Centre at 0818 919 910, Monday to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government provides for a number of measures to support small schools, including introducing a new national small schools' project and trialling new administrative supports. The Government is very aware that small schools are an important part of the life of local communities. The current small schools' action research project established in 2021 is due to conclude at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Funding My department delivered a total of €466,000 to 21 organisations in June this year, following an open call, to support the delivery of ESD in schools. A list of the projects funded is available on the ESD to 2030 webpage: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/n...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take PQs 403 , 404 , 493 and 499 together. I am very conscious of the enormous trauma which has been endured by all survivors of abuse. I recently met with the group referred to by the Deputy so that I could hear directly from them. The Deputy may also wish to note that officials from my Department recently met with them to listen to their concerns and I also spoke with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 405 and 406 together. I am very conscious of the enormous trauma which has been endured by all survivors of abuse. I have made arrangements to meet with the group referred to by the Deputy so that I can hear directly from them. The Deputy may also wish to note that officials from my Department recently met with them to listen to their concerns and I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Projects (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government provides for a number of measures to support small schools, including introducing a new national small schools' project and trialling new administrative supports. The Government is very aware that small schools are an important part of the life of local communities. The current small schools' action research project established in 2021 is due to conclude at...