Results 4,561-4,580 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: In November 2020, as Minister for Education, I approved the annual intake figure for the academic year 2021/22 on the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) initial teacher education programmes provided in the four State-funded HEI providers. I also approved the continuation of the Professional Masters of Education (PME) programmes and the intake figure for the PME programmes provided in the four...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: 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 over 114,100 children, including over 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The current NDP, as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework, provides for €8.8bn investment in schools during the period 2018 to 2027. The increased investment under the NDP has positioned the State to focus on adding capacity to cater for increased enrolments and demographic needs. During the NDP period 2018-2020, there were 526 completed building projects under the Large Scale Capital...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: Access to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary Junior Cycle. Relationships and Sexuality Education (or RSE) is required at all levels, from primary through to Senior Cycle. My Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department approved the amalgamation of the three post primary schools in question following an application from the schools' Patrons. A Long Term Projected Enrolment of 800 pupils was agreed with the respective Patrons. I can also confirm that my Department approved significant capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA), to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: For the 2021/22 school year, an improvement of one point in the appointment threshold in primary schools has been introduced and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 25 pupils which is a historical low ratio. In addition, a three point reduction in the retention scale has also been introduced for September 2021. These measures will help to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving an application from the schools in question in relation to a proposed amalgamation. As the decision-making authority for any amalgamation is the patron/trustees of the schools concerned, it is open to any patron to submit proposals to the Department for consideration. Any proposed change involves extensive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: 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 over 114,100 children, including over 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The Government has always been guided by public health advice in relation to what is safe in schools. The safety of students, staff and the whole school community has been of paramount importance in the approach to the safe operation of schools during COVID-19. The Department has engaged extensively with the HSE public health and the approach to the return to school during this past year has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools is the main policy initiative of my Department of Education to address educational disadvantage at school level. In the 2020/21 academic year there are 887 schools in the DEIS Programme serving over 185,000 pupils - 689 Primary and 198 Post Primary. My Department’s spend on DEIS in 2021 is over €150million, which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: 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 over 114,100 children, including over 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: It is acknowledged that physical education has a particular contribution to make to the child’s personal and social development, it promotes diversity of experience and helps develop co-operative skills, fosters the concept of fair play and a balanced perspective on, and acceptance of, success and failure. Encouraging the child to focus on his/her goals, engenders positive attitudes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (13 May 2021)

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 €17.1 million in 2020 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: Health Services (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The Government has always been guided by public health advice in relation to what is safe in schools. The CMO has made it very clear in his advices to Government which are published on gov.ie, that schools are places of low transmission, with very little evidence of transmission within schools, and that the majority of infections of children and adolescents occurs outside the school setting....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: The current NDP, as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework, provides for €8.8bn investment in schools during the period 2018 to 2027. The increased investment under the NDP has positioned the State to focus on adding capacity to cater for increased enrolments and demographic needs. During the NDP period 2018-2020, there were 526 completed building projects under the Large Scale Capital...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: On 17 February, I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will proceed and students will also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades. Putting in place both the examinations and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: On 17 February, I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will proceed and students will also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades. Putting in place both the examinations and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: 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 over 114,100 children, including over 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: Access to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary Junior Cycle. Relationships and Sexuality Education (or RSE) is required at all levels, from primary through to Senior Cycle. My Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (13 May 2021)

Norma Foley: COVID-19 related absences arising from pupils who have been requested to self-isolate by a medical professional or for pupils who feel unwell with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must be recorded in accordance with the school’s procedures for the notification and recording of absences. These COVID-19 related absences should be noted by the school as explained absences. In...