Results 4,621-4,640 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Assessment adjustments have been made to examination instruments in recent years, in acknowledgement of the challenges that students faced during COVID-19 and the disruption to teaching and learning. The state examinations for 2022 saw examinations for all students, Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle, return for the first time since 2019. The assessment adjustments made in 2022...

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

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department’s Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers, 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). These circulars provide for the award of incremental credit in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I would like to thank the Deputy for his question on the provision of homework. The Department acknowledges that homework can play an important part in helping students to prepare for forthcoming classwork and in reinforcing work already covered during class time. However, it is a matter for each school, at local level, to arrive at its own homework policy which best serves the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to thank the Deputy for the opportunity to give an update on the review of my Department's 'Guidelines on the Use of School Buildings Outside of School Hours'. My Department supports and encourages the use of school buildings for community and recreational purposes, where feasible, and this has remained a core feature of the new Guidelines (or Procedures as they are now called). My...

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

Norma Foley: Compulsory retirement in the public service is generally determined by the date of recruitment of the individual public servant and, for the most part, is provided for in primary legislation. I can confirm that compulsory retirement ages are, in general, as stated by the Deputy. However, it should be noted that the compulsory retirement age for those who commenced teaching before 2004 is the...

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

Norma Foley: Compulsory retirement in the public service is generally determined by the date of recruitment of the individual public servant and, for the most part, is provided for in primary legislation. The Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004 introduced new superannuation and retirement provisions for new entrants to the public service, appointed on or after 1 April...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Jan 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 to...

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

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers, was approved a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme for the provision of 1 music room, 1 home economics room, 1 engineering room and ancillary. The project was devolved for delivery to the school authority. My Department has received a Stage 2b (post planning approval) report from the school. This report is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 470 and 471 together. The Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme is one of the key supports provided by my Department as part of the overall DEIS programme. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) manage the HSCL scheme on behalf of my Department. The scheme seeks to promote partnership between parents, teachers and community family support services,...

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

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department received a Stage 2A report for review by my Department's Professional and Technical team. Officials from my Department have been in contact with the school in recent days to advise on how best to address some of the issues that were identified with this project. A revised Stage 2A report has now been requested from the Design Team. The school...

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

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers made two applications for funding under my Department’s Emergency Works Scheme. The first application which was for gas works, was approved in November 2023 and the school was notified of this approval. The second application which was for electrical works, was approved in December 2023 and the school has also been informed of this approval.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has been involved for a number of years in providing a comprehensive integrated road safety education programme in pre-school, primary, post-primary, third level and in the community. This has been done in partnership with many organisations including the Department of Education, An Garda Síochána, the Health & Safety Authority and the Higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to confirm that the decision making authority for any change of status is the patron/trustees of the school(s), subject to the approval of my Department. To date my Department has not received any application from the patron for a change of status for the school referred to by the Deputy. My Department understands that there has been discussions on this matter locally and that it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application, under the Additional School 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: Protected Disclosures (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Protected Disclosures Act was enacted in 2014 to allow employees to bring alleged wrongdoing to the attention of the authorities. The Act as amended by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 also affords very important protections to persons making protected disclosures. The Deputy will appreciate therefore that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on or provide...

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

Norma Foley: The Maternity Leave Scheme for teachers, as contained in the Department’s Circular Letter 0054/2019 (Chapter 2), is regulated by the Maternity Protection Act, 1994 as amended. Paragraph 7 of Chapter 2 sets out the provisions as regards time off for ante/post-natal care appointments and attendance at ante-natal classes and states: 7.1Pregnant teachers are entitled to time off work,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Usage (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department has a strong record with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both national and international level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design and specification. My Department’s approach to the decarbonisation of the school sector is predicated on establishing a credible phased pathway to zero...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Waste Management (17 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep, waste disposal etc. and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary...