Results 15,941-15,960 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The public health restrictions which resulted in the closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The current requirements for Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes takes the form of 2 x 2 week placements, which are outlined in the Teaching Council’s "Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education". A number of GLPs due to take place in 2020 were postponed due to public health restrictions. Also, due to the uncertainties of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The general principles to apply to the management of Covid-19 includes the safety and welfare of teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) and the minimisation of the impact of Covid-19 on teaching and learning. The current Covid-19 arrangements in place for teachers and SNAs are outlined in my Department’s Circular Letter 0049/2020. My Department has an enhanced Occupational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Practical steps for the deployment of good ventilation practices was provided to the school system in the context of re-opening for September 2020. This guidance was reviewed and updated on 30 November. This guidance is one of a number of prevention and control measures in place to ensure schools are very safe. An expert group on ventilation has recently been formed to advise the national...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Mar 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 113,100 children, including over 14,500 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 €224.7m in 2020. The Department has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government states that this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) across primary and post-primary schools. In April 2018, then Minister for Education and Skills Mr. Richard Bruton asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 464 and 465 together. School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 113,100 children, including over 14,500 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 Transport (3 Mar 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 113,100 children, including over 14,500 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools are required to have drafted new admissions policies, which have been approved by the patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending the school. These policies will been approved by the school patron by 15 September 2020, and published on the schools website by 30...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Mar 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 safe environments, with very little evidence of transmission within schools, and that the majority of infections of children and adolescents occurs outside the school setting. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vaccination Programme (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The vaccine protocol devised by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee is endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team and signed up to by Government. The Department of Health have confirmed that those essential to Education are estimated at this time to be in the first one third of the population captured by the Vaccine Allocation Strategy. My Department has further engaged...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: On Wednesday 17 February, I confirmed that the written Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will be held in June, with related components also proceeding as far as possible subject to public health advice. A corresponding process of grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will also be available to students who opt to receive them. I also announced that the Junior Cycle...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has been in consultation with the HSE for some time in relation to the potential for a HSE building in Birr to become the permanent home for the school to which the Deputy refers. The Department appreciates the co-operation of the HSE throughout this process. This type of project is complex both from a technical and logistics perspective and my Department is in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (3 Mar 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 safe environments, with very little evidence of transmission within schools, and that the majority of infections of children and adolescents occurs outside the school setting. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Schools have put in place significant mitigation measures to reduce the risk of coronavirus within the school environment. Minor works funding of €160m has been put in place to support these measures. Practical steps for the deployment of good ventilation practices was provided to the school system in the context of re-opening for September 2020. This guidance was reviewed and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme is one of three Leaving Certificate options made available by my Department for senior cycle students which schools can choose from, based on the education needs and interests of their students. The LCA programme is a two-year Leaving Certificate programme aimed at preparing students for adult and working life. The programme sets out to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The Deputy can find attached details of the number of section 29 appeals and the outcome of these appeals, for the years 2018 to 2020 up to 12 November 2020 when Section 7 of the Education (Admissions to School) 2018 Act, which updated procedures in relation to section 29 appeals, commenced. The second set of figures provides the number of appeals received since 12 November 2020 for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: A project to provide a new building for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department's school building programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan. My Department is in ongoing contact with the Patron with regard to this project and once the project brief documentation has been finalised my Department will be progressing this project into the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The current requirements for Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes takes the form of 2 x 2 week placements, which are outlined in the Teaching Council’s Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education. A number of GLPs due to take place in 2020 were postponed due to public health restrictions. Also, due to the uncertainties of how...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Infrastructure (3 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with the technical solutions available in the market and within financial constraints. Currently investment of some €13m is allocated annually for the provision of internet connectivity to schools. As you will be aware, broadband capacity can vary across geographical locations and is dependent...