Results 15,161-15,180 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

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: Physical Education (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: It is acknowledged that physical education has a particular contribution to make to the child’s personal and social development, it promotes diversity of experience and helps develop co-operative skills, fosters the concept of fair play and a balanced perspective on, and acceptance of, success and failure. Encouraging the child to focus on his/her goals, engenders positive attitudes...

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

Norma Foley: My Department provides a book grant to all recognised primary and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books including Book Rental Schemes. Under this scheme, the Department provided funding of €17.1 million in 2020 to all of these schools. School book rental schemes have an important role to play in reducing the cost of school...

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

Norma Foley: The Government has always been guided by public health advice in relation to what is safe in schools. The CMO has made it very clear in his advices to Government which are published on gov.ie, that schools are places of low transmission, with very little evidence of transmission within schools, and that the majority of infections of children and adolescents occurs outside the school setting....

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

Norma Foley: The current NDP, as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework, provides for €8.8bn investment in schools during the period 2018 to 2027. The increased investment under the NDP has positioned the State to focus on adding capacity to cater for increased enrolments and demographic needs. During the NDP period 2018-2020, there were 526 completed building projects under the Large Scale Capital...

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

Norma Foley: On 17 February, I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will proceed and students will also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades. Putting in place both the examinations and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having...

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

Norma Foley: On 17 February, I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will proceed and students will also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades. Putting in place both the examinations and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having...

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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (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 schools and in post-primary Junior Cycle. Relationships and Sexuality Education (or RSE) is required at all levels, from primary through to Senior Cycle. My Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: COVID-19 related absences arising from pupils who have been requested to self-isolate by a medical professional or for pupils who feel unwell with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must be recorded in accordance with the school’s procedures for the notification and recording of absences. These COVID-19 related absences should be noted by the school as explained absences. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The general principles to apply to the management of COVID-19 includes the safety and welfare of school staff and the minimisation of the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning. The current COVID-19 arrangements in place for teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are outlined in my Department’s Circular Letter 0021/2021. My Department has an enhanced Occupational Health...

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

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: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that the project to which he refers was previously advised to proceed to tender. Following this decision, the school confirmed that there were numerous conditions of planning that had not been costed. The school was requested to submit a Stage 2b report with a revised cost plan for assessment. My Department has reviewed this information and has granted approval for...

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

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, this project has been devolved for delivery to Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB). I am pleased to confirm that a design team to deliver this project has been appointed by the ETB. The Design Team will now begin preparing the Stage 1 report (preliminary design). While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion...

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

Norma Foley: The property referred to by the Deputy is not in my ownership. In common with other buildings which are used as a school, there is a charging lease in place on the property to protect the State's investment in the property. My Department has considered this property and has no objection in principle to the request. from the property owner to release the State's interest in it. Any...

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

Norma Foley: A detailed analysis of school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016, using the HP Deprivation Index, has been carried out by members of the DEIS Technical Group. This group contains representatives of the Department’s Statistics and Social Inclusion Units, the Inspectorate and the Educational Research Centre. My Department has commenced a consultation process...

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

Norma Foley: A detailed analysis of school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016, using the HP Deprivation Index, has been carried out by members of the DEIS Technical Group. This group contains representatives of the Department’s Statistics and Social Inclusion Units, the Inspectorate and the Educational Research Centre. My Department has commenced a consultation process...

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...

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

Norma Foley: The Department of Education does not provide funded Irish courses in the Gaeltacht regions during school term for transition year students and has no plans to do so.

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

Norma Foley: In total four Carlisle and Blake Awards are awarded annually by my Department. They are issued to the primary Bachelor of Education graduate who achieves the highest overall mark in Education (theory and practice) and Practical teaching in each of the four State-funded primary Higher Education Institutions namely, DCU Institute of Education, Marino Institute of Education, Maynooth...