Results 9,681-9,700 of 20,002 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The Letter of Acceptance (LOA) issued to the preferred tenderer on the 31st May 2022 commencing the school building contract for the school referred to by the Deputy. The construction programme is 70 weeks with the new 1,000 post-pupil school anticipated to be completed in Q3/Q4 2023. My Department is in discussions with the patron with regard to any short-term interim accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. In July 2022, Government announced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: A technical examination is presently being undertaken within my Department in order to inform the proposed terms for the licence referred to. This planned licence has been prioritised and is being prepared as an exceptional measure.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The terms and conditions of the Sick Leave Scheme are contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 0054/2019 (Chapter 1) for primary and post primary teachers and Circular 0060/2019 for SNAs. Where a teacher or SNA is absent on sick leave, the employer may appoint a substitute teacher or SNA, paid by my Department to cover the absence. My Department runs a comprehensive programme of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The position as previously outlined to the Deputy in July 2022 has remained unchanged. COVID-19 Special Leave with Pay is currently available to a teacher who (a) begins to display COVID-19 symptoms or (b) receives a positive COVID-19 PCR/antigen test result. The maximum Special Leave with Pay entitlement is 7 consecutive days in any one instance, which is the current HSE stated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Services (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question. It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)'. My officials have been in touch with the school authorities to provide the necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 608 and 625 together. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides a school-based psychological service to all recognised primary and post-primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the wellbeing, and the academic, social and emotional development of all learners. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: In March I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme which means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme is being significantly expanded and eligible schools will now gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional €32million to my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: In March this year I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme. This means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme has been significantly expanded to an additional 322 schools. Those schools are now gaining access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that as a result of the covid pandemic all physical face to face oral hearings for all appeals lodged to my Department under section 29 of the Education Act were suspended in March 2020. During the pandemic, appeals lodged to my Department which required an Oral hearing were conducted by teleconferencing with the parties in question. Following the enactment of section 7 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: A major extension/refurbishment project for the school referred to by the Deputy commenced on site in July 2022. The construction project comprises an extension of 1710sqm consisting of a 4 Classroom SEN base, 4 new mainstream Classrooms plus alterations to existing school to provide a 24 Classroom school with 13 SET rooms. The contract duration is approximately 18 months.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: In March this year I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme. This means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme has been significantly expanded to an additional 322 schools. Those schools are now gaining access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I have been able to significantly expand the number of schools in the DEIS programme this year, meaning over 1,200 schools have access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the 2023 allocation to in the region of €180million. Schools were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that no officials in my Department have undertaken the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Programme in the past 10 years.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding to all recognised 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 including heating, lighting etc. and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. These grants may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirements for additional 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The information requested is not readily available. It is currently being collated and will be supplied directly to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The decision making authority for any amalgamation or change of status is the patron/trustees of the schools, subject to the approval of the Department. The Department has received correspondence from the patrons of both schools referred to by the Deputy regarding the proposed amalgamation of the two schools and change of status to co-educational. This correspondence described a thorough...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: Fully qualified teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council. All applications from teachers who qualified abroad are processed in line with EU Directive 2005/36/EC and are assessed in the same manner, regardless of whether they qualified within or outside the EU. All applications are individually assessed. A...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: Schools are required to teach all aspects of the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme. Elements of the programme cannot be omitted on the grounds of school ethos. In April 2018, the then Minister for Education and Skills asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to undertake a major review of RSE in schools across all stages of education to ensure...