Results 7,161-7,180 of 19,598 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Site Acquisition (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department has reached an agreement in principle for the acquisition of the site for the proposed school campus referred to by the Deputy. The process is at an advanced stage and my Department is engaging with the vendor to finalise the details for Heads of Terms for the site. It is intended that this site will facilitate the construction of the three schools concerned, as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (1 Feb 2022)

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 121,400 children, including over 15,500 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 €289m in 2021. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 125 together. As the Deputy is aware, between 2016 and 2020 the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) undertook an extensive review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways. The NCCA’s Advisory Report on the Senior Cycle has been submitted to my Department for consideration. The Advisory Report maps out, in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas trí Ghaeilge (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Tá polasaí nua don oideachas lán-Ghaeilge lasmuigh de cheantair Ghaeltachta á fhorbairt ag mo Roinn faoi láthair. Is í aidhm an pholasaí nua seo ná creat a chur ar fáil chun oideachas lán-Ghaeilge ar ardchaighdeán a sholáthar lasmuigh de cheantair Ghaeltachta. Tá forbairt an pholasaí nua mar ghníomh...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017–2026, published in November 2017 acknowledges that while there are many strengths in STEM education provision, a number of challenges exist to include the need to increase the number of students choosing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in post-primary schools and the increased...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112, 152 and 164 together. Schools continue to operate in line with their Covid-19 Response Plans, which set out a range of mitigation measures focused on keeping Covid-19 out of schools and reducing the risk of the spread of infection in schools. These measures have worked very effectively to prevent and control Covid-19 in schools and to protect...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Feb 2022)

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. The updated guidance for schools is also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: In recent weeks, I have attended a meeting with the Advisory Group on State Examinations, which has representatives of students, parents, teachers, managerial bodies, the further and higher education sector, and the SEC. Following on from this meeting, I met with the members of the advisory group on a bilateral basis and also had further engagement with each of them thereafter. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Agreement in principle had been reached to acquire a site for the permanent location of the school in question. Contracts for sale have now been signed, conditional on the landowner providing required infrastructure upgrades to serve the site. My Department has been advised that these infrastructure upgrades are programmed to be completed by the end of July 2022. The project to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The question of access to higher education as a policy matter is under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I am aware that it is a key objective of the Department of Further and Higher Education to ensure that there is access into either further or higher education for each person who wishes to pursue educational options...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland. This investment will build on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: On major school building projects, delivery of accessibility infrastructure, is provided by the appointed contractor, overseen by the Design Team in accordance with a Disability Access Certificate (DAC), a statutory approval, secured at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Part M of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 351 of 2009) prescribes the procedures to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department has in place detailed design guidelines for primary and post-primary schools. These guidelines, which are available on my Department's web-site, currently provide for a standard range of servery and eating facilities in the design of new and refurbished schools. In Primary schools, a servery of 8.0m² in area is provided. At Post Primary level a kitchenette, 25m² in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 sets out my Department’s current policy on the use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment and promotes the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment so that the use of digital technology becomes a seamless part of the whole education experience. Extensive supports, resources and advice for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying of Children (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying in schools. These actions focus on support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aim to ensure that all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying, are addressed. As part of the implementation of the Action Plan anti-bullying procedures for all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: In recent weeks, I have attended a meeting with the Advisory Group on State Examinations, which has representatives of students, parents, teachers, school managerial bodies, the further and higher education sector, and the State Examinations Commission. Following on from this meeting, I met with the members of the advisory group on a bilateral basis and also had further engagement with each...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Site Acquisition (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has initiated a site identification and assessment exercise for a 1,000 pupil post primary school in the area in question and its environs. While a site acquisition process is underway and, given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further at this time A similar exercise...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I would like to assure the Deputy that the provision of accommodation for pupils with special education needs is a priority for my Department and my officials are aware of the pressing requirement for the provision of post primary classes for pupils with special education needs in the area to which the Deputy refers. My Department is considering all options for the school in question...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Budget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18million for 2022 and €32million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase of over 20% in funding for the DEIS programme and will enable an expansion in 2022 to additional schools. This package follows an extensive body of work which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Funding of €20 million is being made available in 2022 so as to enable all schools to purchase books, audio books and other media for the purposes of improving their existing literacy resource banks. This funding is additional to that already given for the school books rental scheme and book grants to all recognised primary and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in...