Results 3,981-4,000 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Section 7 of the Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018 has provided for the replacement of the existing Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 with a series of new sections numbered 29 to 29F. These new appeal provisions in sections 29 to 29F came into operation on 12 November 2020. The appeals system provides for a parent/guardian to take an appeal in respect of a decision by a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has had discussions with the patron body and will shortly arrange to meet with the school Board of Management and the Patron in relation to the need for an additional intake of students for the 2021/22 academic year.  Some additional classroom spaces can be provided on the site using existing planning provisions. A planning application will also be progressed to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As part of the Government Decision on 17 February last, the normal Junior Cycle Examination processes for 2021 were cancelled. Given the priority that needed to be accorded to the Leaving Certificate examinations and the challenge associated with running them, it was not considered feasible to run a set of Junior Cycle Examinations also.  This decision followed intensive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: With regard to the school to which the Deputy refers work is currently ongoing in relation to sourcing interim accommodation. I can confirm that the school will open in September 2021 in suitable interim accommodation pending delivery of its permanent building. The permanent school building project, for the school referred to by the Deputy, has been assigned to my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department remains committed to providing permanent accommodation to meet the needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. As the Deputy is aware, officials in my Department have been actively engaging with officials from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council via emails, phone calls and through online meeting platforms to establish all relevant information in respect of two site...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The school building project for the school in question is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme and the submission of the planning application is imminent.  Where circumstances permit, the external play space for a school of this size would be 2 ballcourts x 585sq.m and 1 junior play space x 400sq.m.  However this is not always possible in urban...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the building project for the school to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to Galway & Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB).  The Service Level Agreement (SLA) has been issued to GRETB. The next step is for the ETB to procure a Design Team for the project to design the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The management authority of each school carries responsibility for making decisions regarding the provision of the Transition Year Programme in their school. In this case, I understand the school will be in direct contact with the parents.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 938 and 941 together. Covid-19 has had a major impact on our daily lives and we have all had to adjust and adapt in the face of significant challenges in the course of 2020.  From the outset of this pandemic the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has continued to deliver a psychological service to schools within the context of public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: In relation to the Deputy’s request for information on NEPS psychologists assigned by county, I wish to advise that psychologists work within a regional and local office structure serving the needs of schools in their immediate vicinity. I have attached details of the eight regions and the counties covered by each region. I have also included for the Deputy information on a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I am informed by my officials that the data which the Deputy is seeking is not currently accessible in the format requested, i.e. by county.  This information, however, can be extracted and compiled, and it will be forwarded to the Deputy in the coming days. NEPS is currently in the process of rolling our a  new IT system which will better facilitate access to data...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Extra Curricular Activities (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has published guidance for teaching and learning for primary schools on their return to school. The guidance provides that the use of an external coach or tutor is at the discretion of the board of management who can approve these visitors once they are satisfied that they are Garda vetted, adhere to public health advice, trained by their governing bodies with regard to COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware an exemption from the study of Irish may be granted by school management in the exceptional circumstances outlined in circular 0052/2019 (Primary) and 0053/2019 (Post Primary) which came into effect at the beginning of the 2019/202 school year.  Decisions on the granting of exemptions from the study of Irish were devolved to school management in previous circulars...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility for establishing and maintaining standards in the teaching profession in this State.  It is also the designated competent authority for the recognition and assessment of qualifications and registration of teachers at Primary and Post Primary level.  In November 2021, the Teaching Council published the revised post...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The new Mandarin Chinese specification for Leaving Certificate has been in the process of being implemented since September 2020. Three schools in Dublin implemented it in 5th year in September 2020. Eleven schools have introduced Mandarin Chinese in Transition Year (TY) with a view to offering it for Leaving Certificate 5th year students in Sept 2021.  Post Primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 946 and 949 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Under Section 18 of the Maternity Protection Act 1994, an employee who is pregnant or breastfeeding may be granted Maternity Health and Safety Leave from her employment where, following a risk assessment, a risk has been identified, which is not possible to remove from the work environment and where it is not possible to move the SNA to suitable alternative work.  In relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: A short course in Irish Sign Language (ISL) was prepared by Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) under the remit of my Department. This 100 hour course is based on the Generic Short Course in Modern Languages, which was also developed by PPLI using the new Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) and the Junior Cycle Short Courses Draft Handbook 'Developing Short Courses in Junior Cycle' prepared...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware my Department provided a total of €160m Minor Works Grant funding to Primary and Post-Primary Schools during 2020. (€90m at Primary level and €70m at Post Primary level) School management authorities including the school referred to by the Deputy have flexibility in terms of how this Minor Works Grant funding is best utilised in...