Results 12,541-12,560 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department is guided by Public Health as to the mitigation measures needed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in our schools.  The aim of all of the Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures that have been put in place for schools is to support schools to operate safely and prevent the introduction of Covid-19 and also the onward of transmission of Covid-19 among the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The Department is aware of some local pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas across the country. However, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors: - Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (27 Jan 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. As the Deputy is aware, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Development of guidelines for all schools to support extra-curricular activities in schools is currently underway in my Department. These guidelines will facilitate schools in the provision, on a voluntary basis, of extra-curricular activities after school hours. With regard to funding provision my Department provides a number of policies and programmes which are supportive of afterschool...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The status of major building projects is as follows: Holy Family Community School, Rathcoole (RN 91301D) The project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured. The Stage 2(b)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise that the school referred to by the Deputy will relocate to an existing building currently occupied on an interim basis by another school while awaiting the construction of a building project for that school. In this regard, the building project for that school is at tender stage. The Design Team are currently preparing a fully compliant Stage 3 Tender Report, which will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, agreement in principle has been reached with the Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, subject to the approval of the Elected Members of the Council, for the sale of land at Mount Anville depot for the development of new permanent school facilities for Gaelscoil laighean. Agreement has also been reached with Executive, subject to the approval...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Uniforms (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Under the Education Act 1998, all recognised schools are managed by the school board of management on behalf of the schools’ patrons or trustees or the relevant Education and Training Board (known as the management authority). Individual school authorities are responsible for the drawing up of a school policy in relation to the wearing of uniforms. Decisions on changes to school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The Department has not conducted any polling of the general public related to possible or existing policies for the period outlined.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Infrastructure (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department operates the Schools Broadband Programme at an annual cost of some €13m, providing connectivity to schools through a range of technologies at the best level of connectivity available based on local infrastructure. The school referred to by the Deputy is currently on the best available service of 12mb wireless broadband connection, which is a dedicated service to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Budget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18million for 2022 and €32million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase of over 20% in funding for the DEIS programme and will enable an expansion in 2022 to additional schools. This package follows an extensive body of work which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Road Safety (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The road in question will ultimately be in the charge of the local authority referred to by the Deputy. The ‘taking in charge’ process is ongoing and any queries in relation to the future installation of a pedestrian crossing at that location would be a matter for the local authority to consider.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 Jan 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: 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 acts in the interests of the public good while upholding and enhancing standards in the teaching profession. The Teaching Council assesses overseas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: As recently announced, the Teaching Council is now working to put processes and procedures in place to support the registration and vetting of 3rd and 4th year student teachers. In addition, pending the development of those processes and procedures by the Teaching Council, the Department of Education is examining how the '5 day rule' is impacting 3rd and 4th year student teachers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, utilising data from a range of sources including child benefit data, departmental pupil databases, CSO statistics and information on recent and planned housing developments to forecast school place requirements at primary and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early School Leavers (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Estimates of Early School Leavers (ESL) are arrived at by subtracting the number of students who sat the Leaving Certificate in 2019 or received a calculated grade in 2020 from the number of pupils who entered first year in the 2014-15 school year. The entry cohort is adjusted for recorded emigration, deceased students and students who repeat based on six years of academic year data. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: To provide additional support in the context of Covid-19 the payment of a minor works grant totalling €45m for primary schools and special schools, plus a once-off Covid-19 minor works funding of €17m for post-primary schools, was issued in December 2021. The minor works funding is a capital grant and provides good flexibility to address issues at local school level. The works...