Results 7,881-7,900 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: A major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s 6 year Construction Programme. The project when complete will provide for a 24 classroom school and a 2 classroom Special needs unit. The project will be delivered via the Design & Build Programme. The Design & Build programme uses a professional external Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: Through the Schools Broadband Access Programme the Department of Education and Skills provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary and post primary schools, and some 98% of schools are included in this scheme. All post-primary schools (715 in the 2017-2018 school year) and some 58 special schools are included in the High Speed Broadband programme with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 307 and 361 together. My Department has every confidence that, through the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle the place of Geography will be retained and given a new impetus across the junior cycle curriculum. As part of the rollout of the new Framework for Junior Cycle, Geography was one of five new subject specifications that were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Programme (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The recently published Retention of Records Bill represents a very important measure in that it provides for the retention of the records of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Residential Institutions Redress Review Committee. I must stress that under the legislation establishing these bodies the bulk of their records would, on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information Requests (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department is doing a further check of its records in relation to this matter and will update the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department's policy is to provide for the inclusive education of children with special educational needs, including Autism (ASD), in mainstream school settings, unless such a placement would not be in the best interests of the child concerned, or the children with whom they will be educated. The greater proportion of children with special educational needs attend mainstream classes,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together. My Department does not hold information on the numbers of pupils in individual schools who currently occupy prefabs; this depends on the organisation of class groups by schools within available accommodation and may vary from year to year. As the Deputy will appreciate, the overall policy goal of my Department is to ensure the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: In-service Training (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: A dedicated Junior Cycle CPD team, Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT), was established by the Department in July 2013. Its primary function is to provide high quality continuing professional development (CPD) support to teachers and school leaders in the context of their implementation of the new Framework for Junior Cycle. JCT CPD is available to teachers in special schools and mainstream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 315, 316 and 318 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has recently been in contact with the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and with the Teachers Union of Ireland and has reiterated to them the importance of planning to achieve good educational outcomes for pupils with special educational needs in schools. Effective planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: In 2017, the Department published Guidelines for primary and post-primary schools to support their work in meeting the needs of children with special educational needs. These Guidelines emphasise the importance of educational planning. This is in the context of ensuring that the children with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support. The level of support required by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: Under the Education Act 1998, schools are under statutory obligation to “provide education to students which is appropriate to their abilities and needs” and to “ensure that the educational needs of all students, including those with a disability or other special educational needs, are identified and provided for”. Planning is a normal part of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: In Budget 2019 my Department secured additional funding of €21.109m to meet the pay restoration costs for the third level sector in 2019. An additional €57m in current funding was also secured by my Department in Budget 2019 to build on the process of reinvestment in higher education in recent years. Overall higher education spending has increased by 17% compared to 2016 to a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has been in contact with one teacher schools to help identify where there are any gaps in having a second adult present during the school day. Arrangements are been put in place to increase funding to those schools where a gap has been identified. Additional funding will support one teacher schools to ensure that there is a second adult present for all of the school day.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, with the assistance of officials in Fingal County Council, agreement in principle has been reached with the landowner in respect to the acquisition of a permanent site at Broomfield, Malahide to accommodate the school to which she refers. The project to deliver the permanent accommodation for this school at this location is on my Department's Design and Build...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 323 to 325, inclusive, together. The Programme for Government includes a commitment of reaching 400 multi-/non-denominational schools in Ireland by the year 2030. The Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity Process is aimed at assisting in achieving this target by transferring existing schools from denominational to multi-/non-denominational patronage in line...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: Individual school boards of management are responsible for the establishment of special classes. It is open to any school to make application to the National Council for Special Education to establish such a class. The Council through its national network of Special Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for planning and coordinating education provision for children with special educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329 and 350 together. The major building project for this school is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been obtained. Following a legal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA). I can inform the Deputy that the NDFA has started preparations for the appointment of a design team for the project. This appointment will be a key first step in the design and construction stages. While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for...