Results 6,301-6,320 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The decision to install a defibrillator is made at local school level and is a matter for the board of management of each individual school. The wider question of the need for defibrillators to be made available is primarily a public health matter and would...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, a major building project to construct permanent accommodation for the school in question is included in the Department’s school building programme. When constructed, the new school will provide accommodation for 1,000 pupils and will also include a special education needs base. The building project is currently at Stage 3 of the architectural planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. My Department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account, for example, classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment etc. Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has in place detailed design guidelines for Primary & Post Primary School Accommodation. These guidelines, are available on my Department's web-site at www.gov.ie/en/publication/7e515-technical-guidance-documents . The guidelines provide for the inclusion of both WCs and storage facilities in all new classrooms in primary schools in so far as possible and bearing in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has in place detailed design guidelines for Primary & Post Primary School Specialist Accommodation for Pupils with Special Educational Needs. These guidelines, are available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/publication/7e515-technical-guidance-documents . The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has always been guided by public health advice in relation to appropriate Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures in place in schools. These measures protect students, their parents and school staff and are very effective. Each school was provided with an updated COVID-19 Response Plan in advance of the return to school. Significant additional resources of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011 set out the sequence of recruitment for substitute appointments, which include contacting a person on the substitute list established by the employer, or by using a national substitute service such as SubSeeker, or advertising. As a measure of last resort, and in the context of the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 related absences, schools were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department’s spending on advertising for the period in question is outlined below. The Department has recently engaged in a number of advertising campaigns including the Teaching Transforms campaign which has been ongoing since late 2018 to promote the teaching profession and encourage post primary and third level students to apply for programmes of initial teacher education. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, the Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme. On June 14th 2021, this project was included in a bundle of projects which were tendered to a newly established Design & Build Contractors Framework. The tenders were returned on October 27th 2021 and are currently being assessed by my Department's Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I would like to inform the Deputy that a tender report has not been received from the school in question in regards to the Window Project approved under the Emergency Works Scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity, to identify where additional school accommodation is needed at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department provides capitation funding to all recognised primary schools and post primary schools within the free education scheme. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary grants to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff.  I understand the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Minister for Education has ensured that centrally negotiated rates are available to schools for electricity and bulk heating fuels. These rates are available through existing frameworks sourced by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). OGP has run competitions specifically for Schools and Education and Training Boards (ETB) at a national level and the Schools Procurement Unit,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department has not undertaken a cost-benefit analysis regarding the installation of air filtration systems versus heating costs in schools.  The focus of the Department has been providing support to schools in applying public health advice with respect to the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. The Department’s ventilation guidance for schools is very clear and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department’s ventilation guidance for schools is very clear and practical on the steps to be taken by all schools to manage ventilation levels. Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding to Primary and Post-Primary schools by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary/School Services Support Fund (SSSF) to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff.  Schools also receive a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (11 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Physical Education (PE) curriculum at primary level contributes to children’s overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives. It provides a balanced range of activities for children including swimming lessons.  Swimming lessons have resumed, and schools partaking in this activity must consider and assess the appropriate risks in line with the School...