Results 8,821-8,840 of 20,002 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, 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.  Additionally,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I launched Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying in December 2022. Cineáltas is my Department’s whole education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools. Cineáltas is practical, inclusive and contains a broad range of actions which will help us all to work together towards a diverse, inclusive Irish society free from bullying in all its forms and where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 313 and 314 together. Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools.  In Budget 2023, I ensured major investment in our schools and I have succeeded in bringing the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, 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.  Additionally,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The National Development Plan sets out the national priorities and funding levels for the school building programme.  Key priorities under the National Development Plan 2021 to 2030 include: Continuing to cater for additional capacity requirements Provision of accommodation for special classes with a particular emphasis on ramping up provision at post-primary level to facilitate a smooth...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, 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.  Additionally,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Standards (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and retention of teachers are priority areas of action for the Department given the importance of ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have available to them qualified, engaged, and supportive teachers to support them in their learning. While I am aware that schools are experiencing challenges in both recruiting teachers and obtaining...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (2 Feb 2023)

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 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (2 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware small schools are defined for statistical purposes as schools with 4 mainstream teachers or less. Small schools are highly valued in their communities in that they provide a vital link to local heritage and history, help sustain rural populations and often act as a link for sports and social activity. There is a commitment contained in the Programme for Government...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (1 Feb 2023)

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. The Department's policy is supported by a strong research programme with 53 research projects at various stages including the energy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (1 Feb 2023)

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 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are 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: School Transport (1 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 123 together. 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 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) 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: School Staff (1 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The teacher redeployment arrangements are reviewed annually by my Department involving the education stakeholders, including teacher unions and management bodies. As part of the review, the Education Stakeholders can raise issues or concerns with the Department in relation to the operation of the redeployment process generally.It is open to members of the school community to liaise with their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising (1 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department’s total spending on advertising for the period in question is outlined below. The Department does not have a breakdown for online advertising available. The Department has not incurred any expenditure on advertising to date in 2023. The Department has recently engaged in a number of advertising campaigns including the Teaching Transforms campaign which has been ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising (1 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The Communications Unit of my Department, encompassing its press office, operates social media accounts in the Department's name, to inform stakeholders and the public about important matters relating to the Department's policies and its work.  It has not created any social media accounts under false names, for any purpose.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (1 Feb 2023)

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 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are 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: Teacher Training (1 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The current requirements for Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes takes the form of 2 x 2 week placements, which are outlined in the Teaching Council’s Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education.  Budget 2020 provided for the re-instatement of the grant to cover the full cost of the Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (1 Feb 2023)

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 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are 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: Gender Recognition (1 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: Equity and inclusivity are fundamental principles at the heart of our education system. These are enshrined in the  Mission of the Department  and  the  Statement of Strategy published last year. The aim of my Department  is to develop a system that welcomes and meaningfully engages all students and strengthens a culture of inclusion. The Programme for...