Results 4,141-4,160 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Jul 2020)

Josepha Madigan: My Department has now published its roadmap to the Full Reopening of schools, "COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools". This roadmap sets outs how schools will reopen for all students, including students with special educational needs, from the end of August. It provides details of a range of Additional Supports which will be made...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (30 Jul 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Very significant levels of financial provision are made to ensure that all children with special educational needs can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs. My Department currently spends approximately €1.9 Billion or almost 20% of its total current educational and training budget annually on making additional provision for children with special...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I am pleased to be here, following on from statements to the Dáil by the Minister, Deputy Harris, and Minister, Deputy Foley on the reopening of education and the training sector in general. My specific focus is students with special educational needs. We want to ensure that they are supported in our schools. I have sought to be an advocate for young people with special educational...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: This is not a question and answer session but I will briefly answer the Deputy's question. First of all, in the special education package for the reopening of schools we dedicated approximately €14.7 million for SNAs. Another €13 million was allocated to the provision of PPE, cleaning and other measures. On the issue of giving a commitment for the future, €1.9...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I thank Deputy Joan Collins for her questions. I will try to oblige her with answers. I mentioned earlier the dedicated package for the special education sector which specifically provides for SNAs but I will explain where that €14.7 million goes. What it means is that if, for whatever reason, an SNA is absent from a particular school, whether it is in a special school or in a...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Since I took over the role, I have had extensive engagement with a wide group of people. I am very aware of Scoil Colm. The Deputy will be aware that there is an ongoing conversation about possibly expanding. Scoil Eoin, which has approximately 150 pupils, is already in place but there is room and opportunity that we are trying to explore. If Deputies or parents want to email about a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: My Departments Home Tuition Grant Schemes provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school. By its nature, it is intended to be a short term intervention. Under the Home Tuition Schemes, Home Tutors are engaged by the parents/guardian of the child who is to receive tuition. Home tutors...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Funding for the provision of Home Tuition was continued during the Covid-19 emergency restrictions where tuition was delivered by distance learning. Where Home Tuition could not continue via distance learning, Parents were given the option to apply to the Department to bank the hours sanctioned for the period and use them to provide tuition once in-home tuition has resumed. Approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Roadmap for the Full Return to School published in July and significant funding was provided to schools along with a range of supports and guidance to enable schools to plan for their reopening. Extensive guidance on procedures for the reopening of schools is provided on the back to school website which can be assessed at www.gov.ie/backtoschool The guidance for schools will be updated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Department is very conscious of ensuring that schools reopen safely. One of the arrangements being put in place is to increase the certainty of supply of substitute teachers for primary schools. This is being done by creating supply panels nationwide which will give teachers fixed term contracts to be available as substitute teachers for a cluster of primary schools. The circular letter...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. Currently, almost 20% of the total Education Vote or €1.9bn is invested in supporting children with special needs. Notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country, including South Dublin, where increases in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that very significant resources are committed to supporting children with special educational needs, including children and young people who are exceptionally able. The Government invests almost €1.9bn a year in special education needs supports, nearly one fifth of the overall Education budget, and up 50% since 2011. This continued substantial investment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The policy of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) is to ensure that all children with special educational needs can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs. The Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education. The enrolment of a child...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Ensuring that every child has a suitable school placement is a key objective of my Department. Significant resources are allocated each year to ensure that appropriate supports are available for children with special educational needs. A list of special classes for the current school year, including special classes for children with autism, is available on the National Council for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Roadmap to the Full Reopening of schools includes a dedicated package of additional supports for Special Educational Needs which is being made available to schools to implement their Covid-19 Response Plan and to operate in a sustainable way. Full details are available at: Some pupils or their parents may be experiencing anxiety about the return to school to such an extent that their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. As part of that responsibility, applications for the exceptional review process for SNA support are made directly to the NCSE. I will forward the Deputy’s question to the NCSE for their direct reply. It is expected that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: My Department has conducted a very extensive series of engagements with education partners and parental representative organisations, including parents of children with special educational needs, in relation to the reopening of schools. The Roadmap to the Full Reopening of schools has now been published and includes a dedicated package of additional supports for Special Educational Needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that during the period of school closures, my Department provided schools in the primary and special school sector and at post-primary level with a series of “Continuity of Schooling Guidance” documents to help education professionals and parents to support children learning in a remote environment. The events surrounding COVID-19 and the public...