Results 10,561-10,580 of 19,621 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: In March I announced a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme. This announcement meant 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 the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (30 Jun 2022)

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 Transport (30 Jun 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools.  At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. The staffing schedule has been improved under both Budgets in the past two years. For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: There is an extensive range of supports available for schools in relation to supporting the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment, in terms of both financial and professional learning and other resources.    The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 was published in April 2022 and builds on the achievements of the previous Digital Strategy for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: On 17thFebruary 2022, NPHET reviewed the remaining public health measures including the infection prevention control measures and restrictions in school settings. The Government accepted the recommendations of the NPHET to remove remaining restrictions relating to mask-wearing and physical distancing in schools with effect from Monday 28thFebruary. While it will no longer be a requirement for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Inclusion Model (SIM) is based on policy advice from the National Council for Special Education based on the principle of providing the right support at the right time delivered by a range of personnel with relevant qualifications and skill-sets. Its purpose is to help students achieve better outcomes. Independent evaluation is a central part of the project and the outcome will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The site to which the Deputy refers will provide for a campus development of a 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including four classrooms, for children with special educational needs and a new 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including two classrooms, for children with special educational needs for the school referred to by the Deputy.  The permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: Access to Relationships and Sexuality Education, or RSE, is an important right for students. This is reflected in the Programme for Government, which states that this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for RSE and Social, Personal and Health Education across primary and post-primary schools. Social, Personal and Health Education, or SPHE for short, is a mandatory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Religious Discrimination (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 81 together. Under Article 44 of the Constitution and in accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act, 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religious instruction classes if they so wish. It is expected that this right will be upheld by schools on foot of a parental request. Under the provisions of the Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The provision of child and adolescent mental health services lies specifically within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE.  HSE Primary Care Psychology Services and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provide a range of clinical support to children and young people with mental health needs.  However, the Department of Education also plays an important...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Cork Education and Training Board (CETB).  This project is currently at Stage 2a of the architectural planning process. The Department understands from CETB that its design team is currently finalising the Stage 2a report for submission to the Department; this report is expected to be submitted to the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 196 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. At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. The staffing schedule has been improved under both Budgets in the past two years. For...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question.  The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: In respect of the schools referred to by the Deputy, the schools have not been identified as having met the criteria for inclusion under the refined DEIS identification model. In consideration of Action 6.1 of the Drogheda Report Implementation Plan, the schools have been allocated additional supports for a fixed term of 5 years in order to support the implementation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department is at all times guided by public health advice as to the appropriate infection and prevention control measures to be implemented in schools to both prevent the introduction of Covid-19 into school settings and to minimise its impact if Covid-19 occurs.  Funding for enhanced cleaning regimes and PPE has remained in place in schools.  The Department is continuing to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Jun 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission and the Department of Education are acutely aware of the needs of candidates and other stakeholders in regard to the provision of Leaving Certificate results and will continue to do everything they can to ensure results are delivered as soon as possible. The State Examinations Commission announced on June 23 that Friday September 2 is the date it on which it...