Results 7,401-7,420 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Cross-Border Education: Cross-Border Education (29 Jun 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Details of the number of children living in Northern Ireland who attend primary school in the Republic of Ireland are not available in my Department. According to my Department's records, there are 56 students with addresses in Northern Ireland enrolled in secondary schools here.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Jun 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers made an application to my Department for additional accommodation for September 2006. However, this application was refused on the basis that my Department is satisfied that there is considerable spare capacity in neighbouring schools. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking...

Written Answers — Schools Provision: Schools Provision (29 Jun 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post-primary education in the late 1960's and were determined following consultation with local educational interests. For planning purposes the country was divided into geographic districts each with several primary schools feeding into a post-primary centre with one or more post-primary schools. The intention was and...

School Evaluations. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Last month saw a major advance in terms of the transparency of our education system as school inspection reports became available to the public for the first time. The publication of whole-school evaluation reports in particular will ensure that parents and other stakeholders have access to balanced and fair information on the wide range of activities in which schools are involved. WSE...

School Evaluations. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Fine Gael's policy is to publish exam results which, by their nature, give rise to league tables.

School Evaluations. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Irrespective of whether the party advocates local or national league tables, it remains an exclusive and damaging policy.

School Evaluations. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Recently, I met the UK Secretary of State for Education and Skills and his officials, who outlined the damage done in that country by the publication of results. The Deputy is correct that whole school evaluations are only one element of the evaluation of a school. Evaluations will not be published on each school every year but even parents whose children do not attend schools for which...

School Evaluations. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: All elements of the school community are evaluated, including the crucial part played by boards of management. The evaluation also takes account of school policies, which are developed by boards of management in conjunction with principals, parents and students. From time to time, boards of management do not function properly and have to be replaced by a single manager. In such cases, the...

Disadvantaged Status. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS provides for a standardised system of identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme. The school support programme will bring together, and build upon, a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of identifying primary and second level schools for participation in the school support programme was...

Disadvantaged Status. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Not surprisingly, given the extent of the programme, a number of schools have appealed their exclusion from the programme or the decision to designate them band two or band one status. Approximately 350 schools have appealed, of which 100 were second level. Association is not as important in respect of primary students graduating to secondary school because account is not being taken of...

Disadvantaged Status. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: We have all agreed that the most disadvantaged schools should receive the most targeted support. They are being prioritised and that is the reason they are being given additional staffing. Other measures, such as the reading recovery programme and extra supports for the school completion programme, are being put in place in these schools with immediate effect. We are also working on the...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together. My Department has not received a written complaint about this issue. Under Section 15 of the Education Act 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and is therefore responsible for making decisions on the types of activities in which the school gets involved. Clearly there are two different...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: It does a grave disservice to those who have been sexually abused to compare it to commercial abuse. I am appalled to hear Deputy Gogarty make the comparison.

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Circulars on the promotion of commercial products have been issued by the Department since the early 1980s. One addressed the promotion and marketing of commercial products throughout schools and asked boards of management to be careful in this regard. My Department met the INTO prior to this matter arising and discussed in detail the need to consider guidelines for schools, particularly for...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I agree with Deputy Enright's point that one would have more faith in an institute of technology. The Dublin Institute of Technology Food Product Development Centre is highly regarded. It supports the Irish food industry in analysing current trends. It tests food in a variety of ways but I do not accept that it must do so in schools. Pupils may have allergies and may be tempted by certain...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My understanding is that these tests were carried out during school time. The Dublin Institute of Technology indicated the schools used the tests as an introduction to science and scientific research. I do not approve of it and it is unnecessary. Many opportunities exist where parents are present, particularly given the sensitivities involved.

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I will leave nutrition advice to the experts in nutrition. It is certainly a key element of social, personal and health education, with much input from various dietary experts who have given great support to schools in this regard. I understand that a general approval was given rather than a specific approval for individual events. This testing does not appear to have gone through the board...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: No, one tries to get them to understand it. Their lives are not blocked off from advertising on television. That is the commercial world. Many children will go on to work in business and benefit from business. They need to understand the business world. There can be positive links between schools and businesses. One sees it particularly at second level, through work experience, the schools...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: What is important, with regard to any activity in which children are, is that parents do not feel under undue pressure to become involved. With regard to funding for schools, the capitation grant has increased substantially in recent years and is very generous now compared to what it was just a few years ago.

School Staffing. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Ensuring that all children get the support they need to do well at school is a major priority for this Government. To ensure that children whose first language is not English can succeed at school, my Department gives additional support to their schools, which can take the form of financial assistance, additional temporary teacher posts or portions of teacher posts. The level of extra...