Results 8,741-8,760 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not retained by my Department. The Deputy may also be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been operational since 1st January 2005, and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports from primary and post primary schools through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs)....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of additional accommodation has been received from the school authority referred to by the Deputy. An assessment of projected enrolment trends, demographic trends and housing developments in the area will be required in order to determine the long term projected staffing figure on which the school's accommodation needs will be based....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of additional accommodation has been received from the school authority referred to by the Deputy. An assessment of projected enrolment trends, demographic trends and housing developments in the area will be required in order to determine the long term projected staffing figure on which the school's accommodation needs will be based....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the necessary site acquisition for the school to which he refers has recently been finalised. Progress on the building project itself will now be considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: According to data submitted to my Department by the Board of Management of the school referred to by the Deputy, the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2006 was 312 pupils. In accordance with the staffing schedule (Circular 0020/2007), which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, the mainstream staffing in the school for the 2007/08 school year is a Principal and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The tender report for the school referred to by the Deputy is under examination in my Department at present. The school's Board of Management will be kept advised of developments when the examination is complete.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The tender documentation for the project referred to by the Deputy is almost complete. Progression of all projects to tender and construction will be considered in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The National Educational Welfare Board is developing a nationwide service on a continuing basis that is accessible to schools, parents/guardians and others concerned with the welfare of young people. For this purpose, Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) have been deployed throughout the country to provide a welfare-focused service to support regular school attendance and discharge the Board's...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy may be aware that, with effect from 28th March, 2006, the Teaching Council is the designated authority for recognition of qualifications for the regulated profession of primary and secondary teachers. Persons wishing to be registered as a teacher in this country must apply to the Teaching Council for recognition of their qualifications. I do not have any role in such matters. The...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 429 and 431 together. Section 9 of the Education Act, 1998 sets out the functions of a school. It states that a recognised school shall provide education to students which is appropriate to their abilities and needs and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, it shall use its available resources to, inter alia, ensure that the educational needs...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware that a range of reports have considered the use of immersion models of education in other jurisdictions. A review of literature in this area undertaken on behalf of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in 2006 has concluded that "existing international research is not adequate to decide the reading sequencing issue clearly in the context of Irish immersion, either in...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are 5,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. By the 2006-07 school year, we had reduced the average class size in our primary schools to 24, while the pupil teacher ratio was 16.4:1, including resource teachers etc. In that year, schools were staffed on the basis...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for an extension has been received from the school to which the Deputy refers. An assessment of projected enrolments, demographic trends and housing developments in the area will be required to assist in determining the long-term projected enrolment for the school on which the school's long-term accommodation needs will be based. When the long-term projected enrolment has...

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I would like to reiterate my Department's position in relation to the issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has not directed that parents' representatives on boards of management of Gaelscoileanna must be fluent in the Irish language. Furthermore, there is no requirement in the board of management handbook for parents' representatives to be fluent in the Irish language to participate on...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: All Junior Certificate students in second level schools must study Irish, English, Mathematics, Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Civic, Social and Political Education. Each student following an approved Junior Certificate course must take at least three other subjects of his or her own choosing. For the Leaving Certificate, students choose all their subjects except for Irish...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Teachers can use strategies such as curriculum differentiation, curriculum enrichment and acceleration to facilitate the development of students at primary and second level who are exceptionally able. In recent years, new syllabi and curricula have been devised for second-level schools. They have been designed in such a way that the differing needs of a wide range of pupil ability can be...

Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department usually issues the capitation grant to second level schools in three instalments in September, January and April. This year, in the context of overall expenditure management, my Department issued the instalment a number of weeks later than originally planned.

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The negotiations on the scheme referred to by the Deputy concluded in May 2007. My Department issued 2 Circulars (Circular 0065/2007 at Post-Primary and Circular 0079/2007 at Primary) in June 2007 and July 2007 respectively, advising schools that this scheme had been agreed. The circulars also included an application form. As the application forms, (properly completed), have been received...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has applied to the Department for major capital funding. The project has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a band 2 rating. Progress on the project will be considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The process of appointing a Design Team to the school building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage. Progression of all projects through the architectural planning process will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme.