Results 5,301-5,320 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

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

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion. Next year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (23 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a COVID Learning and Support Scheme (CLASS) has been put in place to help schools mitigate the adverse impacts of Covid-19 on pupil/student learning loss and wellbeing arising from the periods of school closures in 2020 and 2021. Under the programme, a block of additional teaching hours is being provided to each recognised school, from which schools can...

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

Josepha Madigan: 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 is consistent with the provisions of the Education for Persons...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (23 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: 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 is consistent with the provisions of the Education for Persons with...

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

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion. Next year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (23 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Earlier this year, my Department announced the provision of a significantly expanded summer education programme for pupils with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage, as a COVID-19 pandemic response. I am pleased to say that this has resulted in the biggest ever uptake of the programme during the summer period with the overall number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (23 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The NCSE strives to ensure that its policy advice is informed by robust and wide-ranging consultative and research processes. Its policy advice is always informed by international best practice. A lot of work has been done and NCSE published a progress report in November, 2019. At that stage, NCSE had reviewed existing educational provision in Ireland, conducted a detailed literature review,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Sign Language (23 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Very significant levels of financial provision are made to ensure that all children with special educational needs, including children who are deaf/hard of hearing, can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs. The State currently spends approximately €2 Billion - almost a quarter - of its annual educational and training budget on making additional provision for...

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

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion. Next year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (23 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Under the Assistive Technology scheme, as set out in my Department’s Circular 0010/2013, funding is provided to schools towards the cost of computers and specialist equipment, which are required for educational purposes. Equipment is provided under this scheme for children with more complex disabilities who, in order to access the school curriculum, require essential specialist...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (23 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Under the Assistive Technology scheme, as set out in my Department’s Circular 0010/2013, funding is provided to schools towards the cost of computers and specialist equipment, which are required for educational purposes. All equipment provided under this scheme support children with more complex disabilities who, in order to access the school curriculum, require essential...

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

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. Next year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for...

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

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion. Next year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special...

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

Josepha Madigan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 410 together. 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 (SNAs) are at unprecedented levels. Very significant levels of financial provision are made to ensure that children with special educational needs,...

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

Josepha Madigan: Ensuring that schools can operate safely has been a key priority for Government. The Department of Education has an ongoing close working relationship with the Department of Health and the HSE throughout the pandemic in order to support and advise schools about the appropriate infection prevention control measures to ensure that schools can operate safely. As the rest of our society and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 Nov 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. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Nov 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. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (24 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: As the Deputy is aware my Department opened the school in question this year in recognition of the significant demand for special school places in the local area. The establishment and opening of the school helped to ensure that children who required a special school place could access one, with priority in admissions given to those students who did not have a special school place previously....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (25 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Ensuring that schools can operate safely has been a key priority for Government. The Department of Education has an ongoing close working relationship with the Department of Health and the HSE throughout the pandemic in order to support and advise schools about the appropriate infection prevention control measures to ensure that schools can operate safely. As the rest of our society and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (30 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a huge role in helping to ensure the inclusion of pupils with significant care needs in education and in school life. This was acknowledged in the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018. The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs...