Results 161-180 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (7 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that there are 36 applications from Cork schools for my department's Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (7 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The department is dedicated to enhancing the delivery and development of youth work services and opportunities for young people across the country, including in county Cork. The UBU Your Place Your Space (UBU) scheme is a youth funding scheme that targets young people aged between 10 – 24 years who are identified as marginalised, vulnerable and at risk of not flourishing. The UBU...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (7 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to aim to reduce the general pupil teacher ratio at primary level to 19:1 over the term of government and introduce targeted measures in schools with very large classes. This builds on the work of the previous government, whereby prioritisation was given to reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools, and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department approved capital funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, for the school in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special education needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school's existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can inform the Deputy that officials from my Department have engaged directly with Caranua in relation to this matter to have it resolved as soon as possible and will contact the individual concerned in that regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred by the deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for a project providing 2 SEN Base classrooms and 1 SET room. The project is devolved to the school authority for delivery. I can confirm that a Stage 1 report was returned to my department. Following a period of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special educational needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Online Safety (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department’s Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 articulates that the education system must equip children and young people with the appropriate knowledge and competence as they navigate the online world, supporting them in the safe, ethical use of the internet Online safety and the safe and ethical use of digital technologies is a key component of the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. The brief for this project is to provide an extension and refurbishment to the existing school building to accommodate a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils and also provide a 4 classroom SEN base for the school....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy is part of a shared educational campus which was completed in Q4 2023 and delivered a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and two 24 classroom primary schools and accommodation, including 14 classrooms across the three projects, for children with special education needs. The campus project also delivered 3 GP areas, a PE Hall in the post-primary school and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Uniforms (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Ultimately, decisions on school uniforms are a matter for individual schools and Boards of Management. In relation to complaints about implementation of its uniform policy, the school’s formal complaints process should be followed in pursuing any complaint. Where parents or guardians are of the view that a school's Board of Management has failed to investigate or adequately...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling education disadvantage and helping students reach their full potential is a key priority for the Minister for Education and Youth. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 296 to 298, inclusive, together. I can advise the Deputy that the Programme for Government commits to developing an appropriate mechanism to allow additional time for students with specific needs and in certain circumstances, and also to ensure that those who use assistive technology can do so in State examinations. The State Examinations Commission...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300, 302 and 303 together. In regard to curriculum, teaching and learning in the particular areas referenced by the Deputy can range across, for example, Science, Social, Personal and Health Education, and Biology while the terms mentioned can occur in many contexts. In all teaching and learning, the focus is on addressing relevant learning outcomes. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: “Being well” is one of the 7 key competencies of the new curriculum. “Being well” develops children’s understanding and appreciation of wellbeing and their ability to be as healthy as they can be - physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. It fosters self-acceptance and self-awareness and promotes the importance of children seeing themselves as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: In relation to the area referred to by the deputy, additional primary school capacity will be provided in this School Planning Area with plans for 2 permanent primary schools currently approved and in early architectural planning. These additional two primary schools - one of which is currently in interim accommodation in an adjacent School Planning area and due to be relocated are expected...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Agreement is in place to acquire this primary school site, officials in my department are in discussions with the current owner of the site to finalise the transfer of the ownership of the site to the Minister. You will be aware that a building project for the school in question is included on the Department's Capital Program to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP). ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential. This includes ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs. The school referred to by the Deputy is part of the Pilot Schools Public Private Partnership (PPP) Bundle. This contract is being delivered...