Results 2,181-2,200 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 743 and 754 together. I am pleased to advise the Deputies that 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...

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

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 and which led the decision not to run the state examinations this summer. In the context of the return to schools of students for the 2020/21 academic year my Department published a range of documentation and support material as part of the Roadmap for the...

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

Norma Foley: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. Primary schools are currently provided with...

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

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding was approved under the Additional Accommodation Scheme 2019 to enable the school in question to build a two classroom SEN base, one staff room, one multi-purpose room, one nurses office, toilets and ancillary accommodation. The support of Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB was sought to assist the school in procuring a consultant. This consultant...

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

Norma Foley: 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 20:1 for schools catering for junior classes only and 24:1 for schools...

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

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: 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 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 Transport (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 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 over...

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

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, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. There are two school planning areas most relevant to the Deputy’s query:...

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

Norma Foley: Covid 19 testing, and the broader public health response to Covid 19 infections in a school is led by the local HSE Public Health team. 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 schools. All schools were provided with the HSE document titled:...

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

Norma Foley: In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy, I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme. The School Authority has recently agreed to a proposed project brief, which includes specialist teaching accommodation, but does not include a new Physical Education (PE) Hall, as this does not fall...

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. In accordance with HSE advice, an employee in the ‘high...

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

Norma Foley: In relation to school enrolment, it is a matter for the parents to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupils should be admitted. It is the responsibility of the school authorities to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Acts, 1998 - 2018. The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can,...

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

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that officials from my Department have been liaising with the management authority of the school in question and are awaiting information in order to make an assessment under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme. On receipt of this information the application will be given immediate attention and a decision will be conveyed directly to the school authority.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (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. The renewed DEIS Plan published in 2017 sets out the vision for future interventions in the critical area of educational disadvantage policy and builds on what has already been achieved by schools who have benefitted from the...

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

Norma Foley: It remains the Government’s and my Department’s key objective for schools to remain open and to continue to operate as normally as possible. However, I recognise that despite the best efforts of all stakeholders, there will be situations where individual pupils or groups of pupils, teachers, or possibly entire school communities, are requested by Public Health HSE to...

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

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 €16.9 million in 2019 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: Education Fees (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Voluntary contributions by parents of pupils enrolled in recognised schools are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition. The manner in which such voluntary contributions are sought and collected is a matter for school management, however their...