Results 6,581-6,600 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department of Health and the HSE, working in collaboration with the Department of Education has announced last week a programme in which antigen tests will be made available to children in primary schools. Where there is a confirmed case in a pod, an SNA or other staff member working closely with children in the pod may also avail of the antigen tests and request them from the HSE....

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

Norma Foley: Following ongoing engagement between the Department of Education and the education stakeholders on issues raised about the difficulty accessing substitutes for teacher absences at this time I made an announcement yesterday about additional temporary measures put in place in the context of COVID-19 to assist with the availability of substitutes until the February mid-term break. The following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (24 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: Since 2011 no member of staff of my department has had their contract terminated or been transferred to another section due to breaches of standards or professional misconduct.

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

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. All children who are...

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

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2020/21 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were 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: School Transport (24 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2020/21 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. Planning for school...

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

Norma Foley: My Department has been made aware of the challenges currently being experienced by some schools and has engaged with the education stakeholders on the issues raised about the current difficulty in accessing substitutes for teacher absences. Regarding the use of PME student teachers to help address these challenges, the higher education institutions (HEIs) have ensured flexibility to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Climate Action Plan (24 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is at the forefront of design with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in Design and Specification. My Department’s Technical Guidance Documents set the benchmark for sustainable design in school buildings with a clear focus on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The most up to date guidance for the education sector was published by the HSE in July 2021 (‘Education Sector Guidance on Employees in the COVID-19 Higher Risk Categories, including Pregnant Employees’) and authored by the Civil Service Chief Medical Officer, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Public Health Medicine in HSE and Medmark Occupational Healthcare. As with all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Air Quality (24 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: 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 of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department does not provide funding to programmes such as the one referred to by the Deputy to purchase means of transport.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. All children who are eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Public Service Sick Leave Scheme, which applies to teachers, is regulated by the Public Service Management (Sick Leave) Regulations 2014, SI 12of 2014, as amended by the Public Service Management (Sick Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, SI 384 of 2015. The Sick Leave Scheme for teachers is contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 54/2019. Under the Public Service Sick Leave...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The permanent school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been assigned to my Department’s Design & Build delivery programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and construction. The final grant of planning for the project was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2020/21 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. Planning for school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I have announced a number of additional measures to provide enhanced substitute cover in the context of current challenges arising from the Covid-19 emergency. Higher education institutions (HEIs) providing undergraduate programmes of primary initial teacher education (ITE) have agreed to facilitate the release of year 3 and year 4 B.Ed. students to support schools up to the end of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: Donegal County Council are undertaking a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on behalf of the Minister for Education of a site for the proposed Buncrana School Campus. This CPO was confirmed by An Bord Pleanála without modification on 6thJuly 2021. As part of the requirements of the CPO process, a Notice of Confirmation of An Bord Pleanála’s decision was published by the Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is aware of increasing local enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in a number of school planning areas, including the area in question. Where enrolment pressures arise it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors: - Duplication of applications – pupils have applied...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (25 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 Facilities (25 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: On the basis of data reported under the 2020-21 School Data Collection survey from Primary and Post Primary schools we estimate circa. 50,000 classrooms in the State. It should be noted that the number of post primary schools who completed this survey is 717 schools out of a total of 730 schools for the 2020-21 academic year.