Results 7,461-7,480 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and issuing the results of examinations. In view of this, I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to him.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The details of the number of Speech and Language Therapists who graduated in 2005 is not fully available. However, in 2004 the number who graduated from the Speech and Language Therapy programme was 21. As the Deputy may be aware, in May 2002 my Department approved the provision of 175 additional therapy training places to tackle shortages of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in primary school staffing in recent years. Next September there will no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Not only is the average class size in our primary schools down to 24, but there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special...

Written Answers — School Evaluations: School Evaluations (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Subject Inspections are not carried out at present in primary schools but are carried out in post-primary schools. Up-to-date information on the numbers and types of inspections that have been carried out in primary and post-primary schools and the list of published reports are available on the website of my Department (www.education.ie) at any time.

Written Answers — University Recognition: University Recognition (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Section 52 of the Universities Act,1997 states that except in relation to an educational institution or facility established and described as such before the 30th day of July, 1996, (in which case it may continue to be so described), a person shall not, without the approval of the Minister, use the word "university" to describe an educational establishment or facility. My Department conducted...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that approximately 370 pupils who have reached the age of six and who are awaiting a school placement were provided with home tuition during the 2005/2006 school year. The breakdown of these numbers by county is not readily available. It is not possible to indicate the numbers requiring a home tuition grant for the 2006/2007 school year as applications for the...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of special needs, the growth in the school-going population in rapidly developing areas including the impact of inward migration and the demands to cater for diversity through the recognition of new...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides additional teaching resources to schools, both in the Gaeltacht and elsewhere, where the medium of instruction is Irish. Under current arrangements, the enrolment figures required for both the appointment and retention of a mainstream class teacher in a Gaelscoil and for the retention of a mainstream class teacher in a national school in the Gaeltacht are lower that...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in primary school staffing in recent years. Next September there will no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Not only is the average class size in our primary schools down to 24, but there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special...

Written Answers — School Evaluations: School Evaluations (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 138 together. Last month saw a major advance in terms of the transparency of our education system, as school inspection reports became available to the general 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...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The purpose of the Summer Works Scheme is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. Under the terms of the Scheme, school authorities are empowered to manage these works with guidance from and minimal interaction...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 113 together. The two reports recently presented by the Inspectorate — "An Evaluation of Educational Provision for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders" and "An Evaluation of Special Classes for Pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorders", are under active consideration within my Department. The recommendations contained in the reports...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 109 together. There is no up to date research on the number of children who do not transfer from primary to post-primary education on an annual basis. My Department is currently planning the development of a Primary Pupils Database, which will facilitate the collation of much more accurate and comprehensive data on transfer rates in the future....

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination. I understand from the State Examinations Commission that all observations received by the Commission in relation to the Leaving Certificate...

Written Answers — School Evaluations: School Evaluations (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the regulations that I laid before the House on 30 January last, all reports arising from the general inspection programme for schools will be published where the inspection commenced on or after 6 February 2006. Reports arising from a total of 36 Whole School Evaluations conducted in primary schools were published on the website of my Department by 29 June 2006. Up-to-date information...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school...

Written Answers — Disruptive Behaviour: Disruptive Behaviour (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In launching "School Matters" the final Report of the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools, I outlined a package of measures to tackle student behaviour issues. In my view, implementation of the report must be approached in a prioritised and carefully structured way. The putting in place of a Behaviour Support Team is at the core of many of the Task Force recommendations. I...

Written Answers — Education Centres: Education Centres (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The part-time Education Centre covered by the Deputy's question is part of a network of twenty-one full-time and nine part-time Education Centres which are located throughout the Country. Education Centres provide professional development and support for teachers and the wider education community through meeting locally researched and identified teacher and school community needs. They also...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism receive an education appropriate to their needs. Educational provision for children with autistic spectrum disorders is now provided in 15 early intervention special classes, 164 special classes in mainstream schools and special schools and in a number of special centres. Additional teaching...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the multi-annual school building programme my Department has invested heavily in modernising school facilities throughout the country including science facilities in post-primary schools. Typically this investment involves the provision of modern science facilities in new post-primary schools or the upgrading of science facilities in existing schools either as part of a school...