Results 2,601-2,620 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area. The act...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Both building projects referred to by the Deputy are being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme. Planning permission was lodged for the post primary school on the 31st March 2020, the Local Authority subsequently requested further information and this was submitted to the Local Authority last week. As with all school building projects, the exact timeframe for delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that a building project to provide improved accommodation for the schools in question is included on the Department's Capital Programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP). The options for providing this accommodation are currently being explored and my Department will continue to liaise directly with the school authorities in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is in the final stages of refinement of the DEIS identification model, based on school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016 under the HP Deprivation Index. This work is at an advanced stage and the initial phase of the consultation process with education stakeholder representatives on the technical aspects of the refined DEIS ID model has commenced....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The scheduling of the school holiday periods during the academic years is agreed between the managerial authorities of schools, the teacher unions and my Department for the purposes of standardising breaks at Christmas, Easter and mid-term. This is important to ensure certainty for the school community about the dates of school holidays. There are no plans to alter the school break at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area. Parents...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The structure referred to by the Deputy is located on the grounds of the above named school, and is one of a number of protected structures on-site. The brief for the major building project is to provide a new post-primary school to cater for 1,000 pupils and does not provide for works to this building. However, a Conservation Architect has been appointed to the Design Team to assess the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Each child has a right to education to enable them to live a full life as a child and to realise his or her potential as a unique individual. All pupils who are enrolled in a school should attend school for the full day, unless exempted from doing so for exceptional circumstances, such as medical reasons. Where schools apply a shorter school day in relation to a child, such arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Negotiations regarding a site acquisition to accommodate a permanent school building for the school to which the Deputy refers, are at an advanced stage. The school patron has been informed of the proposed location and discussions are ongoing with the landowner with a view to acquiring this site. Due to the commercially sensitive nature of site acquisitions generally, it is not possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, on 27 July last, the Government published the Roadmap for the Full Return to School, along with details of a significant financial package to support the implementation of the measures in the roadmap, following approval by the Government. The package of supports were expected to cost in excess of €437 million in the 2020/2021 school year. Revised public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act 1998. In schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary. The selection process used by schools and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I would like to again reassure the Deputy that ensuring that every child has a suitable school placement is an ongoing priority for my Department. The National Council for Special Education is responsible for planning and coordinating education provision at a local level. The Council through its national network of SENOs work with schools and parents to ensure that every child is supported...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 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 (GIS). The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit Data from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department's own school enrolment databases, to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 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 (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The school to which Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of the tender process and a preferred bidder has been identified. Subject to no issues arising during the balance of the tender process, it is anticipated that work will commence on site in Quarter 1 of 2021, with a construction period of approximately 6 months.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). I can confirm that a design team to deliver this project has been appointed by the ETB. KWETB has informed the Department that the design team is preparing the Stage 1 report (preliminary design) and it is nearing completion. While at this early stage it is not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that there is a tender process ongoing for the establishment of a new framework of contractors for delivery of a bundle of design and build projects which is expected to be completed in Quarter 1 of 2021. This school project will then be tendered to this new framework when established. Pending delivery of the permanent accommodation, my Department will continue...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. In the absence of these examinations, every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students as possible. The process of national standardisation, which forms a key...