Results 9,701-9,720 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department uses a Geographical Information System to analyse demographic data on a nationwide basis to determine the areas where additional primary and post-primary educational infrastructure may be required. A variety of data sources are used in this analysis, including census data, school enrolment data, and child benefit data obtained from the Department of Social Protection. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has produced a suite of technical guidance documents, which are available on my Department's website, to assist design teams in best practice in the design and development of schools in green field site situations. These documents cover all aspects of the development of a building project for both internal and external works. The current practice is to use a guideline of 80 sq....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Teaching Council Act, 2001, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory regulatory authority to review and accredit initial teacher education programmes. As such it is the Council, not the Minister, that sets out the programme criteria. Changes to the structure and content of the Gaeltacht Placement arose from the Teaching Council's new accreditation criteria, published in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together. The Department's capital budget is focused on meeting demographic demands to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place. The establishment of any new school is, therefore, considered in the context of the overall need for additional school places to meet future demographic demands. Where new schools are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: A new post-primary school opened this September in north east Kildare. This school includes an Aonad to add to all-Irish post-primary provision in the area. My Department has confirmed, that if sufficient demand for education through the medium of Irish in the Aonad is demonstrated over a four-year cycle, consideration will be given to the establishment of an independent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30th September. At primary level the staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. The configuration of classes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In the 2014 Leaving Certificate, 27.3% of Mathematics candidates opted to sit for the Higher Level Mathematics Paper. This figure is up from 15.8% in 2011. This significant increase is attributed to the introduction of new Leaving Certificate Mathematics specification, combined with the availability of 25 bonus points now on offer for candidates who achieve a Grade D or higher. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information that the deputy seeks is not available. I attach a spreadsheet which shows the number of 16 and 17 year olds in full time education. I also include a link to a Department of Education and Skills Report on Early Leavers from Post-Primary schools –pupils enrolled in 2009/2010 and not in 2010/2011. TABLE 1.2 - NUMBER OF PERSONS RECEIVING FULL-TIME EDUCATION BY AGE AND...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Funding (15 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Section 49 of the Education and Training Boards Act, 2013, confers a power of borrowing on an Education and Training Board (ETB), subject to the submission of a proposal to the Board, and if approved in principle by the Board, to the Minister for Education and Skills for approval. My Department has issued Circular 0066/2014 to ETB, concerning the procedures to be followed where an ETB...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Library Services Funding (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 206 together. I am pleased to inform the Deputies that €10 million will be made available next year for the library project to which they refer. This project is one of the three major capital projects in Irish universities which will benefit from the €20 million of funding in 2015 that formed part of my budget announcement on Tuesday,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government recognises the importance of a modern well-functioning apprenticeship system in meeting skills needs and supporting economic growth. As part of the Government's Action Plan for Jobs initiative my Department undertook a review of the Irish Apprenticeship system to determine whether the current model should be retained, adapted or replaced. The review was tasked with taking into...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Languages Programme (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school management annually and are available on the Department website.In accordance with these rules each school management authority is required to organise its subject...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Government committed, as part of the budget announcements which were made on Tuesday of this week, to providing 480 extra new Resource Teachers and 365 new Special Needs Assistant posts to support children with special educational needs in schools in 2015. This is in addition to 6,225 Resource Teaching posts which are currently available to the National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a significant number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act have been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs. Section 2 of the EPSEN Act, which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The terms of the supervision and substitution arrangements for primary and second level schools were revised under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (Haddington Road Agreement). Under the terms with effect from the beginning of the 2013/14 school year, each teacher is required to provide 43 hours supervision and substitution per annum. This includes providing substitution cover...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Certification (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The safe pass programme is operated by SOLAS and they are aware of the issue. I understand that SOLAS are in contact with their UK counterparts on the issue of recognition and I have asked them to contact the Deputy to update him on developments.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since I have come into office I have met with parent, teacher and school management representatives and discussed Junior Cycle reform with all these groups. At my invitation, the teacher unions have outlined to me their concerns in relation to aspects of the proposed reforms. In doing so, the unions underlined teacher support for the reforms that will lead to better quality teaching and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 to 197, inclusive, together. As previously outlined, parents of children who are eligible for home tuition who sought alternative arrangements to be put in place for the tuition were facilitated and arrangements were put in place with private commercial organisations which provide group tuition to children in a class type setting. Payment in these cases...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy may be aware, the DEIS programme is the subject of ongoing evaluation by both the Educational Research Centre and my Department's Inspectorate who have produced a series of evaluation reports to date, (copies of which are available on my Department's website). I have also recently commissioned a further overall report in relation to DEIS to provide recommendations for a renewal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Remuneration (16 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Special Need Assistants (SNA's) are employed by schools or Education and Training Boards. The terms of employment of SNA's are in accordance with agreements reached between school management authorities and the relevant Trade Unions representing SNA's.