Results 4,481-4,500 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. There has been a three-point reduction in the number of pupils required to hold on to a member of staff. For many schools, that has been very successful and beneficial. For others, it might have required a reduction of four, five or six. That is the position but there has been a significant advancement. Equally, there have been advancements regarding appeals, which...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy and appreciate the question. I recognise the great importance of investing in special education. A significant investment is being made in both special classes and special schools by the Department of Education. Almost one fifth of the Department's budget, amounting to €2 billion, is spent on special education annually. The National Council for Special...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The funding streams being made available to schools are often four times the standard rate of funding made available for mainstream students. That is as it should be. The Deputy referred specifically to smaller schools. A 60-pupil primary school receives just short of €20,000, which comprises grants spread throughout the year, including the minor works payment in July, the minor...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the home supports being made available. It is a positive and progressive step forward. I take the Deputy's point on making the public aware of the funding streams available to special schools. I will certainly take it on board. The funding is available but I take the point that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the Deputy raising this question on the floor of the House. The Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021, all students, including those currently in fifth year and who are due to sit the leaving certificate examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I reiterate that I am conscious of the particular difficulties and stresses for students throughout the Covid pandemic. In the context of the well-being of and supports for students, I acknowledge that schools and everybody involved in the school community have very much taken a well-being approach to supporting, mentoring, catering to and encouraging students with regard to school. We are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I reiterate the particular interest that I have, as has the Deputy, in the well-being of students and, beyond that, for the entire school community. It is important to consider that the experience of Covid-19 has created challenges for us all, so I include the wider school community when considering the need to provide resources and support for well-being. As the Deputy has referenced the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the Deputy raising the question. As he will be aware, it was previously raised by another Deputy. It is a priority of mine and has been since I became Minister to reduce the pupil:teacher ratio, which we succeeded in doing, and also to address the points required for the retention of a teacher, which have fallen by three points this year. That is important and has proven to be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I reiterate that, as the Deputy has graciously acknowledged, we are reducing the pupil-teacher ratio. This will be at an historical low, 25:1, when pupils return to school in September. It is a point consistently missed that we have reduced by three the number of students required for a school to hold on to a teacher. Again, that was a bold, brave and positive measure in respect of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I again reiterate that we are making progress in terms of the size of classes within our school environments. I will say again that the ratio will be at an historical low in September. We are making steady progress in that regard. For every 25 pupils in a school, there will be one teacher available. That represents significant progress. Schools who need to retain a teacher will now...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I appreciate that; it is the nature of the job, is it not? The current national development plan, NDP, as part of the Project Ireland 2040 framework, provides for an €8.8 billion investment in schools during the period from 2018 to 2027. The increased investment under the NDP is positioning the State to focus on adding and modernising capacity in the school system. During the NDP...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I appreciate the need to expedite these projects and to commence them as soon as possible. I also appreciate how important they are. The Department has done considerable work to progress the projects despite the pressures of Covid-19 and the impact this has had on advancing projects. We were fortunate in the Department of Education in that we were able to continue with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I will guarantee that this information will be made available to him. I acknowledge his ongoing and consistent commitment to the provision of education services in Tipperary. I will ensure that information is made available to him.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for posing this question and highlighting this matter. On 17 February, I confirmed that leaving certificate 2021 examinations would proceed, guided by public health advice, and that students would also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission, SEC, to be known henceforward as SEC-accredited grades. This decision...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: All steps that have been necessary thus far have been taken. I have outlined for the House all the various aspects, for example, the orals and music practicals, that have already taken place and worked well, largely due to the considerable support provided by schools on the ground, the resources put in place by the Department and the strong, collaborative and supportive approach taken to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: All of the steps that need to be taken have been taken and have been worked through. Legislation on the running of the accredited grades process and so on has cleared the Seanad and will begin its passage through the Dáil this afternoon. That legislation is important because it ascribes to the SEC the authority to run the calculated grades process as it was known last year or the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Transport (13 May 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, more than 114,000 children, including 14,700 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 €224.7 million in 2020. Having regard to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Transport (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: To be clear, the process is that all children who are eligible and complete the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services for the 2021-2022 school year. Children who are not eligible may apply for school transport on a concessionary basis. If seats are available, even where capacity is at 50%, they will be made available on a concessionary...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Transport (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the Deputy's interest in this issue. I am very clear in terms of school transport. It is important to acknowledge that we are conducting a review of the service. It is my intention that we will do all we can to ensure that as wide an access as possible is provided in terms of eligibility of children and young people for school transport. That is part of the remit of the...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021: Second Stage (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil as ucht an am agus an deis a thabhairt dom labhairt anseo inniu. I am honoured to be in the House to bring the Education (Leaving Certificate Examinations) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 forward on Second Stage and to open this debate. As Members will be aware, the Bill has already passed...