Results 8,101-8,120 of 9,471 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Special schools are more complex and that is why the rate is €60. We want all schools to do it and we do not want to concentrate just on special schools. The Deputy is correct. What we are trying to do, from the Department's point of view, is reach out to schools to encourage them to take it up. Because the patrons own the schools, however, we do not have the ability to force them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I absolutely do not agree with that. One of the key barriers was pay for teachers and SNAs and we increased that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Deputy is right about early intervention and looking at the different milestones that children meet after they are born and along the way. That is a key part of this and it is within the community in primary care. These are the conversations we are having at the Cabinet committee. I note there is an enrolment bubble coming into second level. Enrolments in primary education will fall...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: They will work in mainstream schools with special classes and special schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Exactly. What I would like, through this budget, is to increase that. This is a model I know works. There is the nursing pilot as well, which Mr. Doody can talk about if the Deputy wants to hear about it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The NCSE will have these therapists and the schools will apply to the NCSE for them to come into the schools to work directly with the teachers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Sorry, it is €30 for mainstream.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The uptake across the country has increased. We put the resourcing into special schools with more complex needs but also, even in those mainstream schools, there was an increase in the rate of pay for teachers and SNAs. The funding is €40 million but it is a reconfiguration of the funding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The teachers and SNAs have had an increase to encourage them to do the summer programme. More have done so and the numbers have increased. I want to continue to review that to make sure more schools take on summer provision.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The occupational therapists will make recommendations to the schools around what assistive technology they use as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I look forward to visiting the Middletown centre. We had a North-South engagement with it. We are working with it. I will let Mr. Hanlon in on that, if he wants to speak to what we are doing in respect of the centre.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Regarding special class funding, there is a project management framework. We take the administration burden off schools that open up special classes. They are funded. There is enhanced capitation, a start-up grant, provision of furniture and a sensory space is also provided. I apologise to the Senator. I had his other questions there. I am not sure if I-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I completely agree around the teacher training. Even observing is not good enough. I would like to see, as a graded part of teacher training practice, part of the qualification in a special class or in a special school and, through continuous professional development, that teachers have access to these courses and we provide more courses. I outlined earlier what I am doing in the budget to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I was teaching when I was elected to the city council. If the meetings were on during the school day, I could not get cover. I am going into other spheres but it is for local authorities to make it more accessible for people who are at work who have been elected as members. It is a more general question. People who are self-employed can get time off but people working in a school have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: It is a matter for the councils. The majority of the councillors would be able to decide on the times of meetings. Sometimes women at work are not able to get time off. It depends on the makeup of the council in the context of these decisions being made. That is my understanding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: We want more therapy posts. I want more of them. That is why I made sure of the 44 permanent posts. I am working with the Department of higher education and my colleague the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, on increasing the supply of therapists coming through. Our new therapy service will facilitate placements in schools. We have seen this as part of the summer programme where student...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: It is part of the workforce planning and I will come back to Senator Carrigy on it. I will get more detail and a better answer for him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will start with the issue of reform. I know we are firefighting here regarding the upcoming school year and I do not want us to be in this position again. Part of how we do that is through building the capacity of the NCSE and addressing the limitations in its resources. That is why, as I said, we are increasing the number of SENOs, reducing the administrative burden on them and reducing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: For primary, yes.