Results 3,381-3,400 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Due to improvements brought about in recent budgets, the teacher allocation ratio is at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. A three point reduction in the retention schedule, which I introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. The staffing of a school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of Teachers in the State. The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary schools and post-primary schools, as well as ETBs). My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary schools and post-primary schools, as well as ETBs). My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55, 56 and 58 together. The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The definitive numbers expected to retire by 8 September 2024 is not available. It is difficult to predict the numbers who will retire each year, while most teachers retire at the end of the academic year, applications to retire are received throughout the course of the year. The decision to retire is a personal decision with most teachers choosing to retire before their compulsory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my department has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 800 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 31 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day. The Minor Works Grant is one important element of this record level of capital investment in school infrastructure. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The below table sets out the funding provided under the Summer Works Scheme divided into a per county breakdown for the years 2020 through 2023 as per the Deputy's request: Total funding provided under the Summer Works Scheme for each county in 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 County 2020 2021 2022 2023 Carlow € ...

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: Disadvantaged Status (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I really believe there is unanimity in the Chamber on the value and importance of DEIS and on the difference that DEIS makes to the life of the student. The DEIS programme has provided a range of supports, such as reduced class sizes, additional resources, school completion and home-school-community liaison officers. Very importantly there are two things. There are schools in DEIS whose...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Teaching Qualifications (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The certificate of religious education is required as a condition of employment in Catholic schools. As an employment matter, it does not fall within my Department’s remit. Some of the higher education institutions offer an optional certificate in religion programme that is separate from the bachelor of education. The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Teaching Qualifications (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Regarding the point the Deputy raised, it is not a requirement for registration with Teaching Council. There is no requirement for any religious certificate. It is not a requirement for entry to any teaching college. However, section 37(1) of the Employment Equality Act 1998, as amended, requires relevant employers in schools with a religious ethos to show that any favourable treatment of...

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

Norma Foley: Requirements for school places are kept under ongoing review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. A geographical information system is used to analyse data drawn from a range of...

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

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. Where demographic data indicates that additional school places are required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may be provided through a variety of different circumstances. This could include utilising existing unused capacity, which I know, as the Deputy said, is not an easy thing to do in east Cork...

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

Norma Foley: To be fair, as the Deputy will appreciate, I know this area and I am aware that it is growing. I also know that, to be fair, there has been inordinate and richly deserved investment from the Department into this area. We have seen this across a whole variety of schools, whether this concerns the Carrigtwohill post-primary school, St. Colman's Community College, the CBS and St. Mary's in...

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

Norma Foley: The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative of the Department to address specifically concentrated areas of educational disadvantage at school level. The Department now spends over €180 million annually providing additional supports to just under 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme. This includes an additional €32 million allocated following the announcement to extend the...

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

Norma Foley: In June 2023 - the Deputy is correct - I was very pleased to launch a €5 million pilot of counselling and well-being supports in primary schools in selected counties. This further supports the range of mental health and well-being supports already provided by my Department and the excellent work already happening in schools in respect of well-being. All of this supplements the mental...