Results 5,141-5,160 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: In 2018, the then Minister for Education and Skills requested the NCSE to advise on the educational provision that should be in place for students in special schools and classes. Ireland is not alone in evaluating its educational provision for students in special education settings. Many European countries are thinking about the future direction they should take. This is particularly...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy. I accept his point regarding the majority of children with additional needs being educated in mainstream schools. That is the case. Obviously, there are special classes that cater for approximately 8,000 pupils and there are 124, or almost 126, special schools that cater for an equal number of children. Each of these educational environments provides a vital service to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The questions the Deputy has posed are valid. The EPSEN Act, which is the main legislation underpinning special education, was published 17 years ago, in 2004, and the focus in respect of the provision of special education has changed substantially since then, from a model that was diagnosis-led to one that is now driven by the needs of the child. Therein lies the answer to the questions...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Reopening of Schools, Cork Life Centre, School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion. (21 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Acting Chair. He has raised a really important question. From my perspective, it is a question of CLASS, which involves an allocation of €52.6 million in respect of what we call the autumn programme. This is the last in a suite of measures we put in place for this year, not just for children with additional needs but also for children from a Delivering Equality of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Reopening of Schools, Cork Life Centre, School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion. (21 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: First, the Department will take any feedback from schools that have had a less than satisfactory experience regarding summer provision. As the Minister alluded to earlier, this year was the first year that all schools in the country could avail of it. What I know so far is that approximately 34,000 children participated in summer provision, which is a big increase on last year. Some of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Reopening of Schools, Cork Life Centre, School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion. (21 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The CLASS Covid scheme will be of great assistance to children with additional needs and, as the Minister said, it will help with well-being. I thank the Senator for her acknowledgment of that. As for the additional accommodation scheme for the school in her area, namely, St. Teresa's Special School, I wish it the best of luck with that.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. The level of investment in special education, at almost €2 billion, is at an all-time high. An additional 269 additional special classes are being opened this school-year. This will bring the total number of special classes nationally to 2,118. The new classes provide 1,600...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I understand the Deputy is referring to the arrangements for the allocation of SNAs to schools. The provision of education for children with special needs is an ongoing priority for Government. The numbers of special classes, special education teachers and Special Needs Assistants are at unprecedented levels. The Department will spend approximately €2 Billion, or over 20% of its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. The level of investment in special education, at almost €2 billion, is at an all-time high. An additional 269 special classes are being opened this school-year. This will bring the total number of special classes nationally to 2,118. The new classes provide 1,600 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I am aware of concerns raised by a number of schools with growing enrolments regarding their special education teacher allocation. There are now over 13,600 Special Education Teachers allocated to mainstream primary and post primary schools. This represents an increase of 40% in the total number of special education teachers allocated to schools since 2011, at which time 9,740 teachers were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The provision of education for children with special needs is an ongoing priority for Government. The numbers of special classes, special education teachers and Special Needs Assistants are at unprecedented levels. The Department will spend approximately €2 Billion, or over 20% of its total educational budget on making additional provision for children with special educational needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I am aware of the difficulty experienced by some parents in sourcing teachers to come into their home to provide tuition to their child under the home based strand of the summer programme. In this regard, it is not practical for my Department to maintain lists of teachers and SNAs who are willing to work on the summer programme at a local level throughout the country. For this reason, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

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. Accordingly your question has been forwarded to the NCSE for direct reply. The NCSE manages the exceptional review process and handles each case...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: In May 2021 the Government announced a package of supports to enable all primary and post primary schools to offer a summer programme for students with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. The total funding made available to provide a summer programme this year is up to €40 million, a one hundred per cent increase on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I understand the Deputy is referring to applications for additional SNA support for the named schools. The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. The level of investment in special education, at almost €2 billion, is at an all-time high. An additional 269 special classes are being opened this school-year. This will bring the total number of special classes nationally to 2,118. The new classes provide 1,600 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile. Under the allocation model, schools have been provided with a total allocation for special education needs support based on their school profile. The provision of a profiled allocation is designed to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The provision of education for children with special needs is an ongoing priority for Government. The numbers of special classes, special education teachers and Special Needs Assistants are at unprecedented levels. The Department will spend approximately €2 Billion, or over 20% of its total educational budget on making additional provision for children with special educational needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. The level of investment in special education, at almost €2 billion, is at an all-time high. An additional 269 additional special classes are being opened this school-year. This will bring the total number of special classes nationally to 2,118. The new classes provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 271, 273, 275, 278 and 282 together. It is my belief that children with special educational needs should receive their education in placements which are appropriate to their needs alongside their peers wherever possible unless such an approach would be inconsistent with the best interests of the individual child or other children in the school. This approach...