Results 601-620 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Standards (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Standardised tests are one of a number of assessment approaches that primary schools can use to assess children’s progress in Irish. The Educational Research Centre has prioritised the update of standardised testing requirements at primary level. This includes the redevelopment and standardisation of listening and reading tests in Irish to support learner progress in both English and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The large scale capital project referred to by the Deputy is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award. A tender report is under review by Department Officials. When this review is complete and subject to no further issues arising, my Department will be in further contact with the school authority and Design Team to progress the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: During the period 2020-2025 grant payments totalling €12.747 billion were issued by my Department and a table with the yearly breakdown is below. This mainly relates to grant funding issued to Education and Training Boards (€5.345 billion), directly to schools (€4.168 billion), the school transport scheme (€1.717 billion), and to a number of aegis bodies...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, this Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan (NDP), involving the completion of over 1,400 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. €210m supplementary capital funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1027 to 1029, inclusive, together. My Department works together with the Department of Health and other agencies to support students in the area of health. The aim is to equip students with the skills and knowledge to enable them to make the right choices for healthy lifestyles throughout their lives, in particular through Social Personal and Health...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Claims Agency (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The State Claims Agency (SCA) is mandated to manage the cases referred to by the Deputy on behalf of the State. The SCA has been asked to collate this information which I will arrange to have forwarded to the Deputy when it has been made available to my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commissions of Investigation (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Government has approved the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools and Mr. Justice Michael MacGrath has been appointed Chair of the Commission, effective from October 1st 2025. The Commission will be independent in its operation. Initial preparation work will take place, including stakeholder...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1032 and 1033 together. The teaching of the current Leaving Certificate Portuguese specification commenced in 2020. Portuguese became a curricular subject in 2020, with the first students taking the examination on that basis in 2022. Portuguese had previously been examined on a non-curricular basis. The current specification was designed with all standard...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: A breakdown of these recoupments have been provided to the parish Priest as a representative of the property owners.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (29 Jul 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: Education Policy (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department fully supports the role of schools as champions of inclusion and actively provides support and resources to schools to help them in their inclusion journey. NEPS’s Support and Development work involves the provision of applied psychology services for teachers and school communities to build and maximise their capacity to respond to the needs of all students and those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision-making authority for any change of status is the patron/trustees of the schools concerned and it is open to any patron to submit proposals to the Department for consideration. Any proposed change involves extensive consultation at local level and must be well planned and managed in a manner that accommodates the interests of students, parents,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: In accordance with the Education Act 1998, schools are managed by Boards of Management on behalf of the relevant school patrons. Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools have admissions policies, which have been approved by the patron following consultation with the school community. All schools must publish their admissions policy on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and longer term with increased day-to-day running costs through Budget 2025. This represents an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates. This will result in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine. Since 2020, my department has invested over €217 million in our schools throughout Co. Galway under the National Development Plan, involving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The department does not publish pupil to teacher ratio data at county level, however, class size information at school level are available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/class-size -information-at-individual-primary-school-level/

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Please find attached the number of classes over 30 in County Meath and nationally and their proportion to the overall class count. Data is based on mainstream pupils in mainstream classes and is collated from the final primary class tables for 2024-2025, which can be found at the link below: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/class-size...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that approval was given under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme for a traditional build extension of 2 Special education classrooms and 1 Universal Access Toilet for the school referred to by the Deputy. This has been devolved to the school authorities for delivery since October 2023 and is currently at Stage 1 (Preliminary Design). At this juncture...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 and general up-keep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....