Results 13,681-13,700 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: As part of the COVID-19 supports provided to schools in 2020, additional funding of €41.2 million was allocated to provide primary schools with substitute staff. This funding allowed for the expansion of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel from a pilot scheme consisting of 6 base schools to 132 Substitute Teacher Supply Panels nationwide, with almost 380 newly appointed Supply Panel...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Oct 2021)

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. Primary schools are currently provided with class teachers on the basis of one teacher for every 25 pupils which is at its historically lowest level. In addition, there has been a three...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased that budget 2020 has been able to provide for a further 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary and post-primary schools that applied from the start of the 2020/21 school year. This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019. The combined increases given in 2019 and 2020 mean that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme. On June 14th 2021, this project was included in a bundle of projects which were tendered to a newly established Design & Build Contractors Framework. Once a Contractor has been appointed, my Department will keep the school informed of the construction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme. On June 14th 2021, this project was included in a bundle of projects which were tendered to a newly established Design & Build Contractors Framework. Once a Contractor has been appointed, my Department will keep the school informed of the construction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has approved funding to the patron of the school in question to undertake refurbishment works in the property to facilitate the school's access to additional specialist accommodation. This accommodation includes science, woodwork and home economics rooms. The delivery of the project has been devolved to the patron for delivery. The patron has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that the extended Summer Education Programme, which was in place until 2020, and which was often referred to as the July Provision programme, initially provided for pupils who had Autism, or who had severe and profound learning difficulties. Since the summer of 2020, and again in 2021, the Department has made provision for a significantly expanded summer education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has approved funding to the patron of the school in question to undertake refurbishment works in the property to facilitate the school's access to additional specialist accommodation. This accommodation includes science, woodwork and home economics rooms. The delivery of the project has been devolved to the patron for delivery. The patron has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: As part of the COVID-19 supports provided to schools in 2020, additional funding of €41.2 million was allocated to provide primary schools with substitute staff. This funding allowed for the expansion of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel from a pilot scheme consisting of 6 base schools to 132 Substitute Teacher Supply Panels nationwide, with almost 380 newly appointed Supply Panel...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 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 €224.7m in 2020. Planning for school transport...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59, 60, 61 and 62 together. The Deputy will be aware that each ETB referred to by the Deputy is a separate statutory body that is responsible for managing its own affairs. Each ETB is the employer of teaching and other staff of the ETB and has similar powers and responsibilities to any other employer. While my Department has functions in the setting of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 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 €224.7m in 2020. Planning for school transport...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The role of the school is to provide an appropriate education for all its pupils. A stable, secure learning environment is an essential requirement to achieve this goal. Schools have autonomy in choosing the resources and programmes that best support the work within their own classrooms. The Yellow Flag programme aims to support primary and secondary schools to become more inclusive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Policy (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has an important role to play in supporting the wellbeing and mental health of our young people. As the deputy is aware, my Department’s Wellbeing Policy and Framework for practice has given recognition to the importance of promoting wellbeing in education. It outlines a comprehensive, whole-school approach to the promotion of wellbeing and positive mental health. It...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: You will be aware that a student cannot be expelled from a school before the passing of 20 school days following the receipt of a notification under Section 24 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. The Educational Welfare Service have confirmed that they received the notification of intention to expel, in respect of this student, on 24th September 2021. This student is currently on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that the correspondence relating to a person (details supplied) was processed by NTS Payroll and issued on Thursday, 30th September 2021.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (6 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Good ventilation was identified as an important aspect of public health advice on managing Covid-19 risks and this led to the establishment of an Expert Group by the Department of Health. A sub-group of the main Expert Group focussed exclusively on the issue of improving and monitoring ventilation in schools. A copy of the guidance is published on the Gov.ie website. This report formed the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Programme for Government (5 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, initial teacher education (ITE) programmes are subject to review and accreditation by the Teaching Council, for registration purposes. New ITE programme standards (entitled ‘Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education’) and new post-primary subject curricular requirements were published by the Teaching Council in November...