Results 201-220 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

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: These organisations received funding from my department in order to increase teacher professional learning,...

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

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved funding under the Additional School Accommodation scheme to provide four mainstream classrooms (2 prefab replacements), a two classroom special educational needs base and ancillary accommodation. The Stage 2b (detailed design) report was received by the Department in August 2024. Following a thorough review by Department officials, further...

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

Helen McEntee: The Department does not currently have a grant scheme process for programmes such as these as choices regarding educational materials, textbooks and other educational products/programmes, as well as digital and online services, are made by individual schools and their boards of management, not by the Department. In general, it is the current policy of the Department of Education and Youth not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: There is a need to ensure careful consideration about the use of AI in all aspects of teaching, learning and assessment, and that teachers and school leaders have the necessary resources and information to support them. While AI has the potential to enhance education and inclusion, there are also issues and challenges with its use. The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 and its...

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

Helen McEntee: [Attachment omitted]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The schools to which the Deputy refers have been granted capital funding for the provision of Special Educational Needs Classrooms (SEN), under my Department’s SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme. This programme involves the use of Project Management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools by helping to ensure that these students can access an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I have provided average class sizes by county for the years 2020/21 – 2024/25. Teacher allocations are made to clusters of schools that cross over county boundaries, and ETBs which include multiple counties, therefore pupil teacher ratio (PTR) by county is not available. I have included the overall PTR for the years 2020/21 – 2024/25 for your reference. Year ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to aim to reduce the general pupil teacher ratio at primary level to 19:1 over the term of government and introduce targeted measures in schools with very large classes. This will build on the progress which has been made by the previous Government. The general average of pupils to teachers in the Primary Staffing Schedule improved...

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: Teaching Qualifications (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: In 2023, as a teacher supply measure and following engagement with the relevant higher education institutions (HEIs) providing Initial Teacher Education (ITE), my predecessor Minister Norma Foley TD, increased the approved primary PME intake from 200 to 400 places for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. In 2025, I maintained the increased numbers and the approved PME intake for the...

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

Helen McEntee: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered as part of my Department’s ADAPT Programme. The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Project Manager to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning to Tender and Construction. The brief for this major project is to provide a New 16 Classroom...

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

Helen McEntee: The joint major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an early stage of architectural planning - Stage 1 – Preliminary Design, which includes an assessment of the site and location suitability, and initial sketch scheme. This project is being delivered as part of the Departments ADAPT Programme. The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Workplace Relations Commission (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Recognising the vitally important role of secretaries and caretakers within school communities, I and my officials have been working intensively with stakeholders, with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, to establish a platform for meaningful discussion and resolution. I believe that all parties have a responsibility to make sure...

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

Helen McEntee: A five-year breakdown by supplier, of annual expenditure incurred by my Department on cloud storage solutions is set out in the table below. Supplier Amount expended on cloud storage solutions 2020 (Inc VAT) Amount expended on cloud storage solutions 2021 (Inc VAT) Amount expended on cloud storage solutions 2022 (Inc VAT) Amount expended...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (30 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the departments pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide the removal of existing prefabricated buildings and replacement with a two-storey extension consisting of 3 mainstream classrooms, 7 SET resource rooms and a 3 classroom base SEN unit, along with all associated facilities and site services, which includes revised...

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

Helen McEntee: The Parental Leave Scheme for SNAs is outlined in Circular 0027/2013 and Information Note TC/IN 0011/2023 and is regulated by the Parental Leave Act 1998, as amended. Under the terms of the Parental Leave Act 1998, as amended, an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child is entitled to a maximum of 26 weeks Parental Leave in respect of each child up to the age of 16 years....

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

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools, and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million...

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

Helen McEntee: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent/CID holding teachers, to other schools that have vacancies. At primary level, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill their vacancies from the Main Redeployment Panel. Once all teachers on the Main Panel have been redeployed, permanent vacancies are offered to...