Results 15,081-15,100 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Psychological Assessments (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: It is important to point out that the provision of support in schools is not dependent on a NEPS assessment or diagnosis. A new model was introduced in 2016. I appreciate the Deputy acknowledging the various strands of work in which the NEPS psychologists are involved but it is very important to note that. The special education teaching, SET, model of resourcing, introduced in 2016, is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Psychological Assessments (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge, as the Deputy has, the excellent work on the ground by our schools and special education teachers. The model as introduced in 2016 is working more effectively, in that it does allow a child without a specific diagnosis to be catered for within the school environment by virtue of the hours that have been made available through the special education teacher. Since becoming...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: Primary schools are currently provided with class teachers on the basis of one teacher for every 26 pupils, which is at its historically lowest level. Under the programme for Government there is a commitment to make further progress in reducing the pupil-teacher ratios in primary schools and to support small schools. As part of the budget 2021 measures, the Government has sought to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: To be clear, the primary staffing appeals board is an independent board and operates independently of the Department. There is an opportunity for appeal. I cannot comment on the specific school the Deputy mentioned as I am not familiar with it or the format of its appeal. However, we did successfully reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to 26:1 this year. We also included the three-point...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Curriculum (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: In the first instance, the primary objective within a school is to ensure that all children, irrespective of their backgrounds, beliefs or orientation, are all welcomed and all included, and that is what we wish the experience of education to be for all concerned. The Deputy specifically asked in regard to timelines. As I alluded to earlier, the NCCA is developing the updated guidelines and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Curriculum (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. As I have stated clearly, all schools are required to have an RSE policy. That policy, we must acknowledge, is developed in consultation with the entire school community, and the entire school community includes school management, parents, teachers and students, as appropriate. A school's programme for RSE is developed and taught, as the Deputy stated, in the context of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Psychological Assessments (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education's NEPS provides a school-based, consultative psychological service in two ways: through the provision of an individual casework service for students and through a support and development service for school staff. Educational psychological assessments are not assigned to schools; rather, educational psychologists are assigned to schools. The NEPS casework...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The Government has always been guided by public health advice on what is safe in schools and that has been the case from the very beginning. The Chief Medical Officer, CMO, has made it clear in his advices to the Government that schools are places of low transmission, with very little evidence of transmission within schools, and that the majority of infections in children and adolescents...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I do appreciate that this is an issue Deputy Bríd Smith has raised on an ongoing basis. I also appreciate the difficulties for individual families. I recognise that the issues the Deputy has raised are causing particular difficulties for families. Equally, it is very important that we remember that within the education sector at every step of the way everything that we have sought to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I want to be very clear about this: where staff have been identified as very high risk, measures have been put in place for all staff to be replaced. Substantial funding has been made available for that and it has been drawn down throughout the country in recognition of the needs of specific staff who are regarded as very high risk. There is no question about staff who are very high risk...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Curriculum (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: Access to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Social, personal and health education, SPHE, is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary and post-primary schools. Relationships and sexuality education is required at all levels, from primary through to senior cycle. The Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in SPHE syllabuses and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: 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 System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. Castletroy is in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: Many schools have a general purpose room/sports hall and practically all schools have outdoor play areas. In addition, many schools, use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools. The provision of general purpose rooms, PE halls and outdoor hard play areas such as basketball courts, form part of the accommodation brief for all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I appreciate that this project is a priority for the Deputy, as it is for my Department. My Department is very conscious of the difficulties the school authorities and the families have to contend with and, in this regard, my officials will continue to treat this acquisition as urgent. The site acquisition process is very complex and subject to completion of successful negotiation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: An investment programme of €210m has been delivered under the current Digital Strategy for Schools to address ICT needs. The final tranche of this grant funding, €100m, issued to schools during 2020. This grant issued directly and automatically to schools, with DEIS schools and SEN pupils receiving a higher rate of payment. This funding is intended to enable schools to embed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 May 2021)

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 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. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 May 2021)

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 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. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 163 together. The acquisition of a site to accommodate a permanent school building for the school to which the Deputy refers is at a very advanced stage. Due to the commercially sensitive nature of site acquisitions generally, it is not possible to comment further at this time. I can, however, assure you that the acquisition of a new site for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas, including school planning areas in Dublin 9 and Dublin 11. Where capacity issues arise it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors: Duplication of applications –...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The DEIS review which took place in 2015 and 2016 involved a comprehensive consultation process with education partners, the community and voluntary sector, other Government Departments and agencies, EU colleagues and with education academics and practitioners. Written submissions were also invited from education partners in June 2015 and were published on my Department’s website. The...