Results 621-640 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

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

Helen McEntee: The Department has adapted to the dynamic landscape of student enrolment and has prioritised enhancing English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, recognising the critical role of language. All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled pupils can be met from within existing allocations. Language supports are also included through the...

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

Helen McEntee: The current school building project, earmarked for the Cherrywood site, when complete will provide a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school building and accommodation, including 6 classrooms, for children with special educational needs. This project which has planning permission, has been assigned to the Departments Design & Build delivery programme which uses a professional external...

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

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL)...

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

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. Initial approval has been given to the school authorities for 2 Special education classrooms in modular accommodation and this offer has been accepted by the school. The school is currently undergoing site surveys, which...

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

Helen McEntee: As Minister for Education, I want to ensure that all children and young people have the opportunity of access to education that empowers them to thrive and realise their full potential. In 2024, the free Schoolbooks Scheme was expanded from primary schools and rolled out to all children and young people enrolled in Junior Cycle years in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme....

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

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). In Quarter 2 2023, the Department approved a submission from the school authority to increase the original brief in the context of a significant increase in projected new enrolments in the area. This allowed for the project to cater for a 1,000 pupil school...

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

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy, is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2(b) – Detailed Design, where the Design Team secure all statutory applications and prepare the tender documents. The Board of Management and their Design Team lodged the application for planning permission in September 2023, and received a...

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

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) as part of a programme of school building projects. The project received full grant of planning permission and is currently in Stage 3 of the architectural planning design process - Tender stage. It is not possible at this time to give a date for completion of the...

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

Helen McEntee: The Major Project for the school referred to by the Deputy consists of the demolition of the existing Senior school and the Construction of a new 12 Mainstream Classroom Primary school with 2 classrooms for children with Special Educational Needs on the Senior school's existing site. There are 6 Classrooms currently in the Junior school which are to be retained The project is currently...

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

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will provide new school accommodation for new 8 Classroom Primary School with accommodation including 2 classrooms for pupils with Special Educational Needs and all associated site works and will be delivered under my Departments ADAPT Programme. ADAPT is an acronym for "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and...

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

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going 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 (SPA) and uses a Geographical Information...

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

Helen McEntee: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Department of Education and Youths’ Construction Programme. The brief for the project is the delivery of a new 1,000 pupil post primary school and accommodation including 6 classrooms for children with special educational needs. It is intended that the project will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT...

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

Helen McEntee: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Department of Education and Youths’ Construction Programme. The brief for the project is the delivery of an extension/ refurbishment to cater for a 600 pupil post primary school and accommodation including 3 classrooms for children with special educational needs. It is intended that the project will be...

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

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going 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, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system,...

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

Helen McEntee: The school building project referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new permanent 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including 6 classrooms for children with special educational needs in Greystones. The project is being delivered under my Department’s Design & Build programme. The project is currently in construction, with an expected completion timeline of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: NEPS provides educational psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. NEPS provides all schools with:psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident,a casework service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments...

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

Helen McEntee: The Department of Education and Youth is committed to supporting the emotional wellbeing of our children. In 2023 the establishment of a €5m pilot programme of counselling and mental health supports for primary schools was announced. In Budget 2025, the pilot received additional funding. Strand 1 is the provision of one-to-one counselling to support small numbers of children in...

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

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide one Special Education Needs (SEN) base and one Special Education Tuition (SET) room under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. This project is devolved to the school authority for delivery. In June 2024, my department granted approval for...

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

Helen McEntee: 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. It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a person...