Results 2,161-2,180 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding was approved under the Additional Accommodation Scheme 2020 to enable the school in question to build the required additional facilities. The project has been devolved for delivery to Cavan & Monaghan ETB (CMETB). The next step will be for CMETB to procure a consultant. This consultant will lead the project through the various...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 721, 730, 742, 813 and 814 together. Under Budget 2021 I have announced a general reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule to 25:1. While there has been a reduction in mainstream class size in recent years, there has not been a corresponding reduction for those Urban Band 1 DEIS schools who are already allocated a preferential staffing schedule of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department recently approved the appointment of legal advisers to assist the school and its Design Team in dealing with the Contractor. Discussions are ongoing. Ultimately, if the Contractor is unable to resume work and complete the project, this will have to be dealt with within the terms of the Public Works Contract. This may, if necessary, involve the termination of the Contract and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The general principles to apply to the management of COVID-19 includes the safety and welfare of employees and the minimisation of the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning. The current COVID-19 arrangements in place for special needs assistants (SNAs) are outlined in my Department’s Circular Letter 0049/2020. The Circular outlines that special leave with pay may be granted to an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: A number of specific measures have been taken to increase the pool of available substitute teachers, including the establishment, in the 2019/20 school year, of a Substitute Teacher Supply Panel Scheme on a pilot basis as outlined in Department circular 59/2019. The pilot scheme had 6 base schools employing teachers in a fixed term basis so as to provide substitute cover to up to 90 schools....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: A commitment of €210 million was provided under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 for improved ICT infrastructure, of which €160 million has issued to schools to date, including €50 million which issued earlier this year. The provision of funding will support schools in updating and renewing their ICT infrastructure and assist schools to embed innovative and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: A wide variety of measures are underway to ensure my Department supports Traveller children in having their educational needs met. Funding for previous segregated Traveller provision has been incorporated into schools and overall funding streams in order to provide supports for Traveller pupils in mainstream schools. A new model for allocating Special Education Teachers in mainstream schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The major building project to which the Deputy refers is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The project is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. Following the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The Health Protection Surveillance Centre and the HSE have published guidance for managing potential cases of COVID-19 in educational settings, which includes the testing strategy within an educational facility ‘Schools Pathway for COVID-19, the Public Health approach’ It is important to note that the response to confirmed cases or outbreaks of COVID-19 in the community or in a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The Leaving Certificate, including the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and Applied, written examinations will commence on 16 November 2020 and will take place over a 4-week period to 11 December 2020. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) will operate the examinations in line with public health guidelines at the time. To ensure comparability with the Calculated Grades system, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has published guidance in respect of the COVID -19 operational supports for Primary and Post Primary schools to fully and safely reopen in a sustainable way while minimising risk associated with COVID-19. This is available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool The operational supports include funding of approx. €84.7 million so that schools can employ replacement teachers, SNAs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that as a result of the recent budget announcement, this Department will spend approximately €2 Billion, or over 20% of its total educational budget, next year on making additional provision for children with special educational needs next year. This represents an increase of over 50% in total expenditure since 2011, at which point €1.247 Billion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I am acutely aware of the issues faced by many schools in respect of teacher allocations and class sizes. Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools. Previous budgets of 2016 and 2018 improved the staffing schedule by one point on both occasions to its historically lowest level ever of 1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools is the main policy initiative of my Department to address educational disadvantage at school level. In the 2020/21 school year there are 887 schools in the DEIS Programme serving in excess of 185,000 pupils. This represents approximately 20% of the overall school population. The rationale for allocating resources and supports based...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The 2020 Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades appeals process has concluded and the appeal outcomes were made available to students at 12 p.m. on Friday 16 October through the Calculated Grades Student Portal. In the processing of the appeals, a total of 33,301 individual subject records belonging to 12,216 students were reviewed. This number excludes students who initially entered for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware the acquisition of a suitable site to provide new school accommodation has proved to be extremely challenging to date. My Department is working with Donegal County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites. A preferred site has been identified. Donegal County Council, in consultation with my Department, have appointed an agent to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The major building project to which the Deputy refers is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The project is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. Following the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Where there is a suspected or confirmed case in a school, the local Public Health team will work with the school and undertake a Public Health Risk Assessment (PHRA). Once the PHRA is complete the Department of Public Health will then advise the school of the public health instructions which then should be followed by the school. My Department’s advice to schools is to follow...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of...